SAN JOSE -- The debut novel of a Cupertino author that tells the story of betrayal and reconciliation spanning several years across two continents has been selected for Silicon Valley Reads 2008.

"The Distant Land of My Father" by Bo Caldwell will be the subject of numerous programs throughout Santa Clara County in February 2008, when readers throughout Silicon Valley are asked to read the same book, at the same time, and discuss it.

This will be the sixth year of Silicon Valley Reads, which is co-sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Library, and San Jose Public Library Foundation. The goals of the program are to promote reading and literacy while building a sense of community through dialogue among widely diverse readers.

Silicon Valley Reads 2008 will be previewed on Jan. 17 at the Campbell Heritage Theatre with a free program featuring the author. Additional activities are now being planned for Silicon Valley Reads Month that will appeal to a wide variety of community members – from avid readers to those with limited literacy skills. The book will also be incorporated into curriculum in some local high school and college classes.

"The Distant Land of My Father" opens in Shanghai in 1937 where an expatriate American couple live a lavish lifestyle with their young daughter, Anna. War sends the mother and daughter back to the U.S. but the father, Joseph, will not leave the city he loves. Anna grows up halfway across the world from her father, and it is only over the years that she gradually learns his true story.

Caldwell, who grew up in Southern California, attended Stanford University and has lived in the Bay Area for many years. She has received fellowships in literature and creative writing, and her short stories and personal essays have been published in a variety of magazines and literary journals. She is working on her second novel.

"I'm sky-high about The Distant Land of My Father being chosen for Silicon Valley Reads," said Caldwell. "When I'm in my study writing, I'm thinking about the work, not about what will happen to it once it leaves my hands. Publishing seems very far away, not to mention flesh-and-blood readers. So to have my novel be the focus for a whole reading program just knocks me out. What more could a writer ask for than enthusiastic readers?" Further information is available at www.siliconvalleyreads.org or call Diane McNutt at (408) 354-1242.