February 15, 2024
The Free Library of Philadelphia has chosen "True Biz" by Sara Novic as its citywide book club pick for 2024.
Library officials unveiled the newest One Book, One Philadelphia selection at the Parkway Central branch on Thursday morning. The annual reading initiative encourages city residents to check out the same title from their local library, and attend free events and workshops to discuss it.
"True Biz" is set in a residential high school for deaf teenagers. The novel focuses on three characters: transfer student Charlie, popular kid Austin and headmistress February, a hearing child of deaf parents. As the school struggles to stay open, the trio navigates personal problems related to bodily autonomy, self-expression and, in February's case, a flatlining marriage. The book's title refers to a slang expression in ASL, which essentially means "seriously" or "real talk."
One Book, One Philadelphia typically includes two companion books on similar themes for younger readers. This year, the Free Library is recommending "You're Welcome, Universe" by Whitney Gardner for teens and the illustrated book "Can Bears Ski?" for kids. Both stories feature deaf protagonists.
That programming kicks off with an author discussion on April 8 between Novic and Melissa Draganac-Hawk, the head of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Later events include an ASL workshop with Penn linguists and a panel on anarchism inspired by the rebellious teens in "True Biz." ASL interpretation will be provided at all discussions, which run through May 22.
"True Biz" follows 2023 pick "Interior Chinatown," a novel that satirizes Asian stereotypes in Hollywood. Author Charles Yu visited Parkway Central Library last April.
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