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Mayor Gavin Newsom
Three years, three great books and thousands of readers, library discussions, bookstore purchases, student questions, author events and bus-stop conversations later, I am still excited each year to learn about the new book that all of San Francisco will be reading.
With West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American Story, we all have a chance to learn more about a country that we hear about in the news all the time, but may not yet have a personal connection to. Tamim Ansary gives us that chance, to learn about the history and culture of Afghanistan,
to consider the connections between San Francisco and the Middle East and to learn one man’s story of defining a life where his Afghan and American identities meet.
- Mayor Gavin Newsom
 City Librarian Luis Herrera
At the San Francisco Public Library, we see thousands of books arriving and circulating every year; but there is something very special and exciting about watching the big stacks of One City One Book books go on display and find their way into San Francisco readers’ hands.
I know that everyone who checks out West of Kabul, East of New York—or buys a copy at their local bookstore, borrows it from a friend or checks it out of their school library— is taking part in this wonderful reading experiment. Cities and towns across the United States, in Canada and other international locations,
are joined together in our attempt to bring readers together. We all read alone, but we can and do experience books together though discussions in community spaces, by exploring shared themes on screen and by joining the author in neighborhood venues throughout the city. Read on!
- City Librarian Luis Herrera
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