Tags: 2018, press release
Cuesta College’s 2018 Book of the Year program is underway and, this year, a variety of events are open to the public. Marking the program’s 10-year anniversary, this year’s book is the popular memoir Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Ron Suskind. The book tells the story of Suskind’s son, Owen Suskind, who struggles with autism and learned how to communicate with the outside world through his love of Disney films.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects one in 100 children in the United States. “This book speaks to the current issue of autism,” said Book of the Year Program Coordinator Carina Love. “It delves into Owen’s deep connection - or ‘affinity’ - with Disney movies, how they helped him communicate and cope with the world, and how those with autism can use affinities as tools for personal and social growth.”
Suskind will appear for a presentation and book-signing event on March 19, from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Cuesta College Cultural and Performing Arts Center (CPAC). A reception with Suskind will follow in the SLO Campus Library (Building 3200) from 6:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Parking is free in Lot 2. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for students; purchase tickets online at cpactickets.cuesta.edu. To obtain student tickets, and to RSVP for the reception, email cuestabook@gmail.com.
Other 2018 Book of the Year Program events open to the public include:
Based on this year’s Book of the Year, this 90-minute documentary features interviews with author Ron Suskind, his son Owen, and other family members as they chronicle their journey with autism.
Members of the Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center will be hosting presentations on autism and their services.
Clinical Psychologist Dr. Laurie Ferguson hosts discussions and Q&A sessions.
For more information on all upcoming scheduled events, check out the Full Calendar of Events.
About author Ron Suskind: Suskind is an American journalist and author. He was the senior national affairs writer for The Wall Street Journal from 1993-2000, where he won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing four articles that became the starting point for his first book, A Hope in the Unseen. His other books include The Price of Loyalty, The One Percent Doctrine, The Way of the World, Confidence Men, and his memoir Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism. Suskind has written about the George W. Bush Administration and the Barack Obama Administration. For more information on Suskind’s memoir, visit his website at www.ronsuskind.com.
The Book of the Year Program is a project of Cuesta College’s Academic Senate in partnership with San Luis Obispo County Public Library SLO Reads. For more information, please visit library.cuesta.edu/book/, follow the Book of the Year program on Facebook and Twitter or contact Carina Love at clove@cuesta.edu.
Register for Summer and Fall