Saratoga Reads announces top five books for public vote

April 2, 2015

Saratoga Reads, a joint program of Skidmore College and the Saratoga community, has announced that five books have been selected as finalists for the program’s book of choice for the coming year. All of the titles come from a list of works nominated by the public.

The winning title will be decided by public vote, with area residents having until May 15 to cast their ballots. The selected book will be announced in the fall.

Among the top five contenders are two novels, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine. The other three books are narrative nonfiction—The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown; Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott; and Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo.

Voters are urged to read the descriptions of the books posted on the Saratoga Reads website here. Votes may be cast online at the Saratoga Reads site or at ballot boxes available at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, and Barnes & Noble in Wilton.

“This ballot launches our 12th year of Saratoga Reads with five great books that are engaging and thought-provoking,” said Tabitha Orthwein '91, chair of the Saratoga Reads board. “Each of the books has the potential to inspire great programming and discussion, and now we need the community to choose the winner.”

To help readers learn more about the five books, Saratoga Reads will offer a “meet the candidates” event on Tuesday, April 21, 7–8:30 p.m., at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, in the H. Dutcher Community Room. The library’s director, Ike Pulver, will offer an introduction to each of the top choices, as well as information on other titles he recommends. There will be refreshments, giveaways, and door prizes.

Once the winning book is announced, the public is encouraged to read the selected title and to participate in a host of educational and cultural activities connected to the book's themes. Saratoga Reads will issue a list of junior companion books on related themes for pre-K and older.

The Saratoga Reads Selection Advisory Group, a committee of some 25 community members, reviewed the nominated titles and held a series of meetings to come up with a list of the top choices. The group determined the list based on each book’s potential to spark discussion and community programming, and on the quality of writing and appeal to a range of interests and age groups.

Said Orthwein, “I encourage readers throughout the community to read the description of each book on the ballot and to vote for the title that is most likely to generate community enthusiasm, conversation, and engagement.”