About the Author
About the Author Sarah Smarsh
Sarah Smarsh has written about socioeconomic class, politics, and public policy for the Guardian, the New York Times, the Texas Observer, Pacific Standard, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and many other publications. A recent Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a former professor of nonfiction writing, Smarsh is a frequent speaker on economic inequality and media narratives relating this topic. She lives in Kansas. Heartland is her first book.
How the Books on the Public Vote Ballot were selected
The books on the Public Vote Ballot were selected by a Book Selection Committee that reviews many books before making their final decisions. The five choices for the public vote were based upon the following broad criteria:
A good, discussable book. Books that make successful subjects for discussion have well-developed characters who are challenged by issues in their lives with which readers can identify;
A book that is available in quantity at reasonable cost, in various media formats (paperback, large print, audio, CD, DVD, or video);
A book that is written at a high school reading level; and
A book that varies in type from others previously selected;
An author, or recognized experts on the author, who would be willing to engage in discussion with readers at several events
For more information and updates about the campaign, go to: www.oboc.org
Sarah Smarsh has written about socioeconomic class, politics, and public policy for the Guardian, the New York Times, the Texas Observer, Pacific Standard, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and many other publications. A recent Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a former professor of nonfiction writing, Smarsh is a frequent speaker on economic inequality and media narratives relating this topic. She lives in Kansas. Heartland is her first book.
How the Books on the Public Vote Ballot were selected
The books on the Public Vote Ballot were selected by a Book Selection Committee that reviews many books before making their final decisions. The five choices for the public vote were based upon the following broad criteria:
A good, discussable book. Books that make successful subjects for discussion have well-developed characters who are challenged by issues in their lives with which readers can identify;
A book that is available in quantity at reasonable cost, in various media formats (paperback, large print, audio, CD, DVD, or video);
A book that is written at a high school reading level; and
A book that varies in type from others previously selected;
An author, or recognized experts on the author, who would be willing to engage in discussion with readers at several events
For more information and updates about the campaign, go to: www.oboc.org