Mateo Askaripour to speak in Tulsa for One Book One Tulsa event

Mateo Askaripour, a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" honoree and author of This Great Hemisphere, will visit the Tulsa Central Library in July to headline this year's One Book One Tulsa program.

The Tulsa City-County Library selected This Great Hemisphere as its 2024 citywide reading selection, inviting the public to engage with its themes ahead of Askaripour's visit.

Author's Inspiration

Askaripour told News On 6 anchor Dave Davis that the novel began with a moment of feeling unseen during a subway ride in New York City.

"I felt invisible a bit, and when I went home that night, I was wondering, you know, why I felt that way," he said. "What the other person in the interaction had seen, whether it was an absence in place of my presence. And then the question started to steamroll into: What if there were a race of invisible people? How would they become invisible? What does it mean to be seen?"

Those questions eventually evolved into the futuristic world of This Great Hemisphere.

Themes Of Power, Identity, And Resistance

The novel is set 500 years in the future and follows a young woman named Sweet Mint, who is part of a population that is literally invisible. Askaripour said the book tackles weighty themes such as racism, environmental degradation, and power dynamics—but it's grounded in emotion.

"At its core is a story of what would we do for those whom we love? What would we do for our family? How far would we go?" he said. "And what does it mean to reclaim the narratives that others have written for us?"

Despite its complexity, Askaripour said the book is also meant to be a thrilling and empowering journey.

"It has a lot of adventure, a lot of excitement, a lot of unlearning," he said. "And I'm hoping by the end people feel empowered to question the world that we exist in… and say, 'You know what? No, I'm going to chart my own path in my own way.'"

Excitement For Tulsa Visit

Askaripour will speak at the Central Library in downtown Tulsa on Friday, July 18, from 6 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

In the lead-up to his appearance, the library is hosting several community book discussions, including a session at Suburban Acres Library and another at Fulton Street Books.

Askaripour said this will be his first visit to both Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma.

"This is gonna be a trip of many firsts," he said.

Reflecting on the honor of being chosen for the citywide program, he added: "It's such an honor to be selected… to know that people are going to be reading it or are reading it right now… it means a lot to me."

Message To Readers

Asked what he hopes readers take away from This Great Hemisphere, Askaripour said the story challenges people to reflect on visibility and self-worth.

"I'm hopeful that when people read this novel… they question what does it mean to feel invisible and what does it mean to feel seen," he said. "Unfortunately, when I travel around the world and I ask people to raise their hands if you've ever felt invisible, the majority of rooms raise their hands."

Still, he emphasized the book's uplifting tone: "Hopefully something inspiring and that will empower people to see themselves anew."

For more information on One Book One Tulsa, visit TulsaLibrary.org/One-Book-One-Tulsa.