2022 Library of Congress National Book Festival
Nevada Humanities, home to the Nevada Center for the Book, will feature two books at the Library of Congress National Book Festival this year: On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer by Michael P. Branch and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, a book for young readers, and On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer, an adult selection, will be featured on the national Great Reads from Great Places reading list that is distributed by the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book during the National Book Festival. The list is composed of books and authors from each state and territory affiliate Center for the Book to showcase the rich culture and heritage of our country.
The 2022 National Book Festival will return to being in person in Washington, D.C. this year, the weekend of September 3. A selection of programs will be livestreamed, and recordings of all presentations can be viewed online after the festival concludes. This year’s festival theme is “Books Bring Us Together.” Nevada Humanities will be in Washington, D.C. to further promote these books, the resources of Nevada Humanities, and the important culture of our state. Those interested can see what other titles affiliate Centers for the Book selected on this year’s Great Reads from Great Places reading list.
On the Trail of the Jackalope is the never-before-told story of the horned rabbit—the myths, the hoaxes, the very real scientific breakthrough it inspired—and how it became a cultural touchstone of the American West.
A humorist and desert writer, Michael P. Branch is Foundation Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is the author of more than 300 essays and reviews, and 10 books, including Raising Wild, Rants from the Hill, and How to Cuss in Western. His creative nonfiction includes pieces recognized as Notable Essays in The Best American Essays, The Best Creative Nonfiction, The Best American Science and Nature Writing, and The Best American Non-required Reading. Mike lives with his wife, Erin, and daughters, Hannah and Caroline, in the ecotone where the Great Basin Desert and the Sierra Nevada Mountains meet. Mike’s new book, On the Trail of the Jackalope, has been called “an entertaining and enlightening road trip to the heart of an American legend.”
Learn more about the book here, and grab a copy from our local Nevada independent bookstores: The Writer’s Block in Las Vegas and Sundance Books and Music in Reno.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
Axie Oh is a first-generation Korean American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. She studied Korean history and creative writing as an undergrad at the University of California San Diego and holds an MFA in Writing for Young People from Lesley University. Her passions include K-pop, anime, stationery supplies, and milk tea, and she currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her dog, Toro (named after Totoro). Axie is the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, XOXO, and the Rebel Seoul series. Her fifth novel, The Floating World, releases in 2024.
Learn more about the book here, and grab a copy from our local Nevada independent bookstores: The Writer’s Block in Las Vegas and Sundance Books and Music in Reno.
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ABOUT THE CENTER FOR THE BOOK IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The Library’s Center for the Book, established by Congress in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books and reading, is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading-promotion partners, and through its Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit www.read.gov.
