Welcome to our literary circle, in which San Diegans pass the (printed) word on books Lynn Brennan

Cassie Koldewyn

Job: Youth Materials Selector, San Diego County Library

She recommends: “Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind” by Cynthia Grady, illustrated by Amiko Hirao (Charlesbridge, 2018; 26 pages)

Why? “Write to Me” tells the heart-wrenching story of San Diego’s own Clara Breed and her young patrons, torn apart by the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Breed began her career in San Diego in 1928, serving at the East Branch as a Children’s Librarian. After 120,000 Japanese Americans across the western United States were forcibly removed to internment camps beginning in 1942, Breed worked to bring national attention to the situation and support the children who had been uprooted from their homes. Breed sent books and exchanged hundreds of letters and postcards with imprisoned children and teens. “Write to Me” is a beautiful introduction to this tragic part of American history, including many of the touching letters sent by youths living in the camps. This year’s One Book, One San Diego children’s selection is a wonderful example of the rippling positive impact an individual can have when working towards justice.

Job: Book seller, Warwick’s

She recommends: “One by One” by Ruth Ware (Gallery/scout Press, 2020; 384 pages)

Why? Set in a grand ski chalet amidst the picturesque French Alps, Ruth Ware delivers a clever and suspenseful thriller. What started out as a corporate retreat and relaxing getaway for eight colleagues from a trendy London tech startup quickly turns deadly. After a strategic presentation of a corporate buyout sends members of the group reeling, they decide to cool down by taking a quick excursion on the slopes despite dire storm warnings. As the group splits up, a colossal avalanche hits, leaving one member of the group missing and the remaining who made it back in time trapped inside. With no power or ability to communicate with the outside world, the distrust mounts as team members are murdered one by one. Ware masterfully reveals the flaws and potential motives of each character, many with a sordid past and precarious loyalties to the founder, to make them all a suspect until the very end. A perfect diabolical and fast-paced winter thriller written in true Agatha Christie form.