Author Neil White will address the Baton Rouge community tonight as part of the University’s ongoing One Book One Community program. White’s memoir “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” is the summer selection for OBOC, a University-affiliated program that encourages Baton Rouge residents and University students to read designated books.
White will speak tonight at 7 p.m. at the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes. The event is free and open to the public.
“In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” recalls the 18 months White spent in prison in Carville, La., after he was convicted of bank fraud in the ’90s.
Robin Kistler, One Book One Community committee member and director of LSU Executive Education, said the memoir was selected for its relevance to the community and its ability to resonate well with readers.
“[We believe] the book will speak to a diverse audience in the Baton Rouge area,” Kistler said.
OBOC selects one book each winter or spring and one book each summer. The project is run off private donations, grant funding and Barnes & Noble-sponsored book fairs, according to Kistler.
“The One Book One Community program was an outgrowth of LSU’s Summer Reading Program,” Kistler said. “It seemed like a great idea to share these authors visiting our campus with the rest of the greater Baton Rouge community.”
The summer selections typically attract the respective books’ authors to speak to the capitol city, while the winter selections have featured classic literature works such as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Fahrenheit 451” and “The Great Gatsby.”
OBOC has drawn about 3,000 participants since its inception in 2006, according to Kistler. Tonight’s event will feature an address from White, as well as the opportunity to have White autograph books. Barnes & Noble will have copies of the memoir available for purchase. –Contact Matthew Jacobs at [email protected]