One Book, One College
One Book, One College is a year-long, interdisciplinary program engaging the ICC community through the reading and discussion of a shared book.
Fostering interdisciplinary relationships through a shared reading experience.
2020-2021 One Book, One College Selection:
Born a Crime
The ICC Library “One Book, One College” (OBOC) Committee is happy to announce Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (host of Comedy Central’s award-winning The Daily Show) as the 2020-2021 Program Selection. 
Born a Crime tackles themes such as racism and poverty — themes current to our world today. Since ICC is committed to addressing ways to approach all students with respect, the committee felt that this book would be an excellent choice for the upcoming school year.
From the New York Times review by Michiko Kakutani (Nov. 28, 2016):
“By turns alarming, sad and funny, this book provides a harrowing look, through the prism of Mr. Noah’s family, at life in South Africa under apartheid and the country’s lurching entry into a post-apartheid era in the 1990s…his accounts here are less the polished anecdotes of a comedian underscoring the absurdities of life under apartheid, than raw, deeply personal reminiscences about being “half-white, half-black” in a country where his birth “violated any number of laws, statutes, and regulations.””
Please contact Amy Glass, Information Services Librarian, and the chair of the One Book, One College Committee, if you have any questions.
About the Author
Trevor Noah is a South African comedian and actor. He has hosted several television and radio shows and starred in his own stand-up comedy specials throughout his career. In March of 2015, Noah was chosen as comedian Jon Stewart’s replacement to host Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Noah took over hosting duties in August of 2015. In response to stellar ratings, Comedy Central extended Noah’s contract through 2022. In between seasons of the show, Noah found time to tour his stand-up comedy and write an autobiography titled Born a Crime, published in 2016. In 2020, his stand-up show Son of Patricia was nominated for a Grammy Award for best comedy album. — from Biography in Context.
Read more about Trevor Noah at Biography in Context.
View our One Book, One College reading list for Born Crime resources.
Events
Community Leader Presentations
A leader from the Peoria area is invited to campus to speak about the importance of the theme in their work and personal life. (45 minutes)
Faculty Presentations
ICC faculty members use their specialized knowledge and experience to present information about the One Book, One College theme and/or selection. (45 minutes)
Faculty Presentation Request
Have a presentation idea? Tell us about it!
Event Archive
Watch recordings of One Book, One College Community Leader, and Faculty presentations.
Selecting
Selections for One Book, One College are made by a team of librarians and faculty from several departments at ICC.
If you have a suggestion for next year’s read, please contact Amy Glass by email or call (309) 694-5748 or complete this online form.
Past Selections
2018-2019 Frankenstein: The 1818 Text
2017-2018 The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams
2016-2017 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
2015-2016 March: Book One by John Lewis
2014-2015 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Contact Amy Glass by email or call (309) 694-5748 for more information.