The National Library and Information System Authority’s (NALIS) Educational Library Services Division (ELSD) has selected Sapotee Soil – A Call to Memory by Joanne Haynes for its 2023/2024 One Book, Many Schools (OBMS) annual, nationwide, secondary school reading programme.

The One Book, Many Schools (OBMS) initiative seeks to encourage students to read Caribbean literature and bring awareness of its importance and value, inspire a love for reading, introduce local authors, foster an appreciation of local culture, cultivate critical thinking skills, strengthen the use of media and information literacy skills and broaden the horizons of the students.

This year’s programme which commenced in October 2023 and continues until September 2024, encourages young readers to demonstrate their understanding and appreciation of the work through literary activities both individually and through teamwork. Sapotee Soil has both film and audio adaptations to enhance students’ interactions and engagements.

Author Joanne Haynes is a Commonwealth short story finalist (2001), winner of the Derek Walcott Literature Prize (2005), recipient of a NALIS Lifetime Literary Award (2012), an award-winning writer, educator, youth motivator and rapso performer. She is the founder of Pepperpot Productions, an organisation that aims to build patriotism among the nation’s youth and educate them about the country’s heritage.

To date, this project has been achieved by use of the following titles, in the respective academic years:

1. “Wishing for Wings” by Debbie Jacobs, 2015 – 2016
2. “Green Days by the River” by Michael Anthony, 2016 – 2017
3. “Boy Days” by Lyndon Baptiste, 2017 – 2018
4. “Bend Foot Bailey” by Michael Cozier, 2018 – 2019
5. “My Fishy Stepmom” by Shakirah Bourne, 2019 – 2020
6. “Folklore and Legends of Trinidad and Tobago” by Gerard Besson, 2020 - 2021
7. “Salt and Roti: Indian Folktales of the Caribbean” by Kenneth Vidia Parmasad, 2021 - 2022
8. “Fresh Carite and other stories” by Willi Chen, 2022 - 2023