Book with Purpose title announced for 2025 Bookmarks summer program
Bookmarks is excited to announce this year’s selection for its annual Book with Purpose summer program: “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together” by Heather McGhee.
“The Sum of Us” is the fifth title chosen for the Book with Purpose program since its founding in 2021. This summer’s Book with Purpose program will begin in June and end at the 20th anniversary Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors, which will take place Sept. 25-28, 2025, where Heather McGhee will deliver a free closing keynote address.
Book with Purpose program
The Book with Purpose program aims to unite the greater Winston-Salem community in dialogue around one central theme. Every year, the Bookmarks staff chooses the program topic and book by reflecting on the most pressing, important and relevant issues facing both the local community and nation. Programming is built throughout the summer in collaboration with nonprofits, community groups, and businesses to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together for connection and conversation around the book’s themes.
Previous themes have included antiracism, mental health, citizenship, and voting rights. This year Bookmarks wants to build on the message Heather McGhee shared when she last visited Winston-Salem in May 2023 for the Winston-Salem Foundation’s annual luncheon. Bookmarks helped bring McGhee to Winston-Salem for that event, which brought together more than 1,200 community members.
“Although McGhee’s book is about what we all lose with racism, her message is ultimately one of hope,” Jamie Southern, Bookmarks executive director, said. “Our goal is to encourage people to read this book and reflect on ways that our community can grow together to become better, stronger and more connected.”
Book distribution
Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey in “The Sum of Us,” tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm – the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own. “The Sum of Us” is a heartfelt message delivered with startling empathy from a Black woman to a multiracial America that leaves the reader with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game.
Five thousand copies of “The Sum of Us” will be given away throughout Winston-Salem beginning in June. Half the copies distributed will be the young reader’s edition recommended for ages 10 and up. In addition to the Bookmarks Bookstore located at 634 W. 4th Street downtown, a complete list of pickup sites will be published on the Book with Purpose website along with summer event details for programs hosted by Bookmarks and other community partners. Visit bookmarksnc.org/BookwithPurpose for more information.
About Bookmarks
Bookmarks is a nonprofit literary arts organization dedicated to promoting the joy of reading and supporting local and national authors. Through author events, book clubs, and community outreach, Bookmarks connects readers with the stories and voices that shape our world. Bookmarks is located at 634 West Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem. This year’s Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors will take place September 25-28, 2025. Visit bookmarksnc.org for more information.
