Join our community conversation on "...and justice for all."

Silicon Valley Reads is an annual community program that selects books focused on a contemporary theme and offers free events throughout Santa Clara County to engage the public in reading, thinking and discussing the topic. Our goals are to encourage the love of reading and learning and to have a welcoming forum where our diverse community can come together to share different perspectives.

In 2017, our 15th anniversary, Silicon Valley Reads focuses on “...and justice for all,” a conversation about the unconscious biases we all have, and how these assumptions, perceptions and prejudices can lead to people being treated unfairly, especially in the legal system. Everyone has, at one time or another, been unfairly judged because of some type of bias and our goal is to raise awareness​ and spark new ideas on how we can reduce bias in our legal system and our daily lives.

Silicon Valley Reads is presented by San José Public Library, Santa Clara County Library District, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

2017 Featured Books

The selected titles are Unfair by Adam Benforado and Writing My Wrongs by Shaka Senghor. There are also companion books for younger readers: Paul Volponi’s Rikers High and Black and White for teens, and Sergio Ruzzier’s Bear and Bee for children. All four authors will be making appearances throughout Silicon Valley in February and March, including stops at various San José Public Library locations.

Library and Community Events

Silicon Valley Reads 2017 kicks off on Thursday, February 23, 2017, at 7:30 PM, with Unfair author Benforado at De Anza College’s Visual and Performing Arts center. Over 140 events throughout the county are listed on the Silicon Valley Reads official web site.

Our libraries are also hosting a number of film screenings, children’s activities and crafts, essay and poetry contests for teens and tweens, and a special live staged reading performance of Jessica Blank’s and Erik Jensen’s hit off-Broadway play The Exonerated, featuring local actors, at the King Library. Catch any of the following events and more at a San José Public Library location:

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