By james art 
Winston-Salem, NC (February 24, 2025)-The bookmarks are excited to announce this year’s selection for their annual book with a purposeful summer program: “The sum of us: What racism costs everyone and how we can prosper together” by Heather McGi. “The sum of us” is the fifth title chosen for the book with the program for the purpose of its founding in 2021. This summer book with a program will begin in June and end on the 20th anniversary of the Book and Authors Festival, which will be He held on the 20th anniversary of September 25-28, 2025, where Heather McGi will deliver a free closure address.
The “Purpose” program aims to combine the larger Winston-Salem community into a dialogue around a central topic. Each year, the staff of the bookmark selects the topic and book of the program, thinking about the most pressing, important and appropriate questions that the local community is faced with and the nation. Programming is being built throughout the summer in collaboration with non -profit organizations, public groups and companies, to unite people of all ages and origin for connection and conversation about the topics of the book.
Previous topics include anti -cancer, mental health, citizenship and voting rights. This year, Bookmarks wants to upgrade the message that Heather McGi shared when he last visited Winston-Salem in May 2023 for the annual lunch of the Winston-Salem Foundation. The bookmarks helped bring McGi to Winston-Salem for this event, which brought together more than 1,200 community members.
“Although McGi’s book is about what we all lose with racism, its message is ultimately one of the hope,” says Jamie South, CEO of the bookmarks. “Our goal is to encourage people to read this book and to think about the ways our community can grow together to become better, stronger and more connected.”
From the copy of the book publisher:
Heather McGi’s specialty is the American economy – and the mystery of why the American public is so often ruined. McGi embarks on a deeply personal journey into the “amount of us”, doing what we lose when we buy in the paradigm with a zero sum-the progress that the progress for some of us must come to the expense of others. But in the unlikely places of worship and work, McGi finds proof of what she calls a dividend for solidarity: the benefits we earn when people gather in a race to achieve what we just can’t do ourselves. “The sum of us” is a heartfelt message delivered with a scary empathy from a black woman to a long-term America, which leaves the reader with a new vision for a future, in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum play.
Five thousand copies of the “sum of us” It will be distributed throughout the Winston-Salem from the beginning of June. Half of the distributed copies will be the edition of the young reader recommended at the age of 10 and more. In addition to the bookstore, 634 W. 4th Street Downtown, a complete list of pickup sites will be published on the book website with the purpose of the summer event for programs organized by bookmarks and other partners in the community. Visit Bookmarkksnc.org/bookwithpurpose for more information.
For bookmarks: Bookmarks is a non -profit organization for literary arts dedicated to the promotion of the joy of reading and support of local and national authors. Through author events, books for books and community, Bookmarks connects readers to the stories and voices that shape our world. The bookmarks are located on 634 Western Fourth Street in the center of Winston-Salem. This year’s books and authors will be held on September 25-28, 2025. Visit Bookmarksnc.org for more information.