Getting a few people committed to a book club is hard enough. But what about an entire state?

Maryland Humanities has hosted “One Maryland One Book” for 18 years running. The nonprofit brings together participants in public libraries, schools, correctional facilities and other organizations to read and discuss a given book annually. More than 15,000 Maryland readers have signed up, according to Maryland Humanities.

This year’s book selection is “Kin: Rooted in Hope” by Carole Boston Weatherford, with illustrations by her son, Jeffrey Boston Weatherford. The mother-son duo blend poetry and art to tell their family story that has roots in Maryland — Carole was born in Baltimore. The book grapples with the shared histories of Maryland residents to reflect this year’s “One Book” theme: “What We Collect, What We Tell.”

The Montgomery County Public Library system has participated in the program since 2008. The county weaves it into its existing book clubs. In-person book club discussions began this month, and other sessions (including hybrid online options) will continue through January.

MCPL patrons can check out “Kin” from the county, which has 75 physical and digital copies in circulation. Maryland Humanities provided an additional 120 copies to different MCPL book clubs.

“The ‘One Maryland One Book’ is a great example of how libraries help bring people together around shared learning and understanding,” said County Executive Marc Elrich in a news release. This year’s selection, “offers an important opportunity to reflect on our state and country’s deep and complicated history.”

Patrick Fromm, assistant director of branch operations for MCPL, chatted with The Banner about the county’s involvement in “One Maryland One Book” and why this year’s selection felt particularly relevant to library patrons.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

What has participation been like from county residents?

At first, I think it was a bit of a disruption because we were suddenly pushing in a book that book club participants hadn’t participated in selecting.

But a lot of the feedback that we got was that they appreciated the chance to do something that was outside their normal wheelhouse.

The titles that Maryland Humanities has selected are wide and very different than what a traditional fiction book club might read. Our patrons if they wish can join other “One Maryland One Book” events going on.

What stood out about this year’s selection and what discussions are you hoping will spark from “Kin?”

I think “Kin” is a really beautiful combination of both poetry, which doesn’t get a lot of time in the limelight, and also really pertinent history.

Then there’s the very appealing personal genealogy aspect as well — the traumatic harder parts of people’s lives and past, and ancestors’ experience. You can dive right into it and find out things about history in general that you’re interested in, but also be able to see a progression that’s tied to the author and her son and their family’s experiences.

It’s both pushing people a little out of their comfort zone of what book clubs traditionally read, like bestsellers, and instead focusing on something with some real heft behind it and just beautiful art.

Did the county have any second thoughts about participating this year given the increased scrutiny on American arts and culture, and how Americans reckon with their history?

In general, we’ve been fairly supportive of how Maryland Humanities has selected their books. When “Kin” was selected, there was no doubt we were going to join in and continue being part of “One Maryland One Book.”

But it dovetails nicely with efforts that we as a system have always tried to reflect the users of our library and share stories that are inclusive of everybody that uses public libraries. This is a nice, little piece of that puzzle.