In telling the story of her family in her award-winning memoir The Yellow House, author Sarah M. Broom also chronicles her relationship to the complex history of her native neglected neighborhood in New Orleans East, that of the city itself, and that of poor, marginalized communities across America. With such pertinent subject matter, it’s only fitting that The Yellow House should be this year’s pick for the "One Book One Community" reading series presented by East Baton Rouge Parish Library.
Through excavating her personal history, Broom succeeds in making her childhood home, the titular Yellow House, a character in its own right. In doing so, Broom challenges popular perceptions of her oft-mythologized home city; through the lens of the Broom family tree, we encounter institutional racism, poverty and inequality, substandard housing, and gentrification.
From the buildings around us to the artifacts our ancestors leave behind, the places in which we live have important stories to tell. Part of the "One Book One Community" mission is to deliver accompanying programs that correspond with the featured book’s core tenets and address the powerful issues that it raises. Within this year’s lineup patrons will find both in-person and virtual classes on everything from digital genealogy resources, local Black history, and cultural resource management; to homebuyer education courses, legal clinics, and more.
The library presents these events thanks to a series of collaborations with community partners that include: Forum 225, Build Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Housing Corporation, the Louisiana State Museum, the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing.
For more information on the "One Book One Community" initiative and a list of free events across the parish, visit ebrpl.com or readonebook.org.