“One Book” Toolkit
2025 TOOLKIT
PLAN YOUR EVENT
How to host a book discussion group Librarians and Archivists with Palestine launched One Book, Many Communities in 2015, and book discussions have been the center of our campaign each year.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 is still very much with us. We recommend planning with COVID-19 safety in mind. Remote events are a good option for some, plus if you host a remote event, people can attend from anywhere! If hosting an in-person gathering, it helps to be mindful of ventilation, outdoor options, and use high-quality masks. Read more on COVID-aware events here.
Read on for tips to host your own virtual or in-person book discussion group and see our resource guide (PDF) for additional information and suggested further readings.
FOR VIRTUAL EVENTS
Choose a virtual platform. There are a lot of digital platforms out there to host meetings. Zoom is very popular, but you can also use Skype, Google Meet and Discord, among others. Be aware that there are some privacy issues with online conferencing. Try out the platform before your event and get accustomed to the interface.
Consider virtual privacy and safety. “Zoombombing” has become an unfortunate reality and events about Palestine have become targets. If you’re only hosting a small event for people you know, the risks are much lower, but it’s good to be aware. Read here for practical tips for protecting your event.
Consider your virtual platform to ensure you understand logistics. What is the maximum number of devices allowed in a meeting? Is there a time limit? Do you know how to manage the interface? Keep in mind that all participants should be able to contribute and may not know how to use your platform of choice.
FOR IN-PERSON EVENTS
Choose an accessible in-person location. Depending on your area, there may not be a fully accessible venue but it’s worth trying. Consult these guidelines if you’re not sure. You might consider a bookstore, public library, cafe, restaurant, or even a park if weather permits.
PLAN YOUR EVENT
Pick a date in March or April 2025. If these months prove impossible and you need to schedule your group at a different time, that’s okay, too.
Choose a facilitator or leader for the discussion. Find someone who’s excited to read and help generate conversation around the book.
Plan the format. Depending on the size and nature of your event, this could be an informal conversation or a structured discussion around particular questions.
Tell LAP about your event. This year, the One Book campaign has its own email address so reach us via lap1book@gmail.com. We will list it and link to it on our own site and on social media. We’d like to know where in the world you are and if you’re uniting people from your town, club, or other group.
Brainstorm how to incorporate participants. Do you already have an idea of who you want to invite? Do you want people to sign up in advance? Make sure you get correct contact information like email addresses so you can send meeting links or invites.
Consider your audience. They Called Me a Lioness: a Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom follows the experiences of Ahed Tamimi and the Palestinian struggle against occupation, war, incarceration, and genocide. Emotional responses to traumatic themes can vary and consider how engagement with the material in a safe and healthy way can vary person to person. Consider how the event can normalize making space for community care.
Get more ideas here:
- Reading Across America: How to Host a Literary Event (Literary Hub)
- 10 Tips for Hosting a Digital Book Club (Bustle)
- Book Discussion Groups: Hosting and Facilitating (American Library Association)
- One Book, One Community (American Library Association)
PROMOTE YOUR EVENT
If your event is open to the public, publicize it:
- Use our resources for promotional images, or make your own using the “One Book, Many Communities” logo.
- Create an event page on Facebook, Eventbrite, MeetUp, or a preferred alternative platform. Email us the link so we can post a link on our social media as well.
- Post to social media using the hashtag #lap1book. If you tag us ( Instagram @librarianswithpalestine), we will share!
Let participants know where they can obtain the book:
- They Called Me a Lioness is available to borrow from many public and academic libraries, or through interlibrary loan. If your local library does not have the title, you can request they purchase the book for their collection.
- Copies can be purchased from the publisher, as well as Bookshop.org, Powell’s, and Barnes & Noble in print and eBook. It is also available as an audiobook on Libro.fm.
- Let us know if you have any questions about acquiring the book.
A NOTE ABOUT LANGUAGE ACCESS
They Called Me a Lioness was originally written and published in English, and it currently is only available in English.
HOLD YOUR EVENT
Document it. Take a photo of yourself with the book, a screenshot of the online meeting, a picture of someone reading a passage, or photo of the gathering. Make sure you have permission before photographing participants! Record any presentations. Live tweet the discussion! Remember to use the hashtag #lap1book. Let us know if you and your participants agree to share publicly.
Share tips for leading a great book discussion with your facilitator:
(Several of these are adapted from guides from BookBrowse and LitLovers. For more guidance on helpful ground rules, see Antiracist Forum’s Safer Space guidelines.)
- If possible, communicate with participants in advance about your hopes, expectations, and goals for the group. What would you and they like to get out of the experience? This could help you structure your meetings and build in time for breaks, media viewing, etc.
- If you have time, consider collectively brainstorming questions about the book before the first meeting. This will give all participants a chance to help shape the discussion.
- Pick a passage, chapter, or moment written in the book that strikes you as moving and/or thought-provoking. Read it aloud to the group. Discuss.
- Talk about your experiences of reading the memoir. Explore how the book made you feel, and the emotions, themes, and questions it brought up.
- Talk about any preconceptions you had before reading the book that changed after you read it. How did this book transform your attitudes and perceptions? What did you learn from it that you didn’t know before?
- Use secondary sources, such as articles, film, or images. See our resource guide (PDF) for ideas to place the memoir in new contexts.
- If you could ask the authors a question about their writing, what would it be?
Ask one or more of these questions that LAP designed specifically about They Called Me a Lioness:
- In addition to being an engaging memoir, They Called Me a Lioness outlines Palestinian history going back to the Nakba in an accessible way. Did you learn anything about the history of Palestine, specifically the West Bank, that you didn’t already know?
- In writing this memoir alongside Palestinian-American journalist Dena Takruri, Ahed Tamimi often recounts the role of journalists and others (including Ahed’s mother Nariman) whose job is to document what is happening on the ground in Nabi Saleh. What is the importance of documenting Palestinian life and resistance? What are the risks?.
- Ahed Tamimi states that she “understood that [her] life had to be devoted to a greater cause than [herself].” How does the memoir reflect these intergenerational impacts of occupation and genocide?
- In spite of everything Tamimi has lived and fought through, she still manages to find inspiration through her resistance. What are ways she illustrates this act of “creating life out of death?” How are we seeing those in Palestine carving out life and beauty despite life under occupation and genocide?
- Ahed Tamimi’s writing is rich in detail. What parts of the memoir did you find most engaging? Did the detail in the sights, smells, and sounds impact your experience with the memoir?
- Besides Ahed Tamimi, who else in the memoir had a lasting impact on how you understand the Palestinian struggle for freedom? Consider her relatives, friends, fellow imprisoned women, and fellow freedom fighters.
- Various communities, such as Tamimi’s village and her fellow prisoners, feature prominently in They Called Me a Lioness. How does their influence affect Tamimi’s life and how does hearing their stories impact the readers? How is community important in confronting oppression?
Share additional resources with participants. You can use our resource guide (PDF) for They Called Me a Lioness for additional information and suggested further readings.