The focus for this year’s One Book, One Community is both hyper local and out of this world.

Libraries throughout Trumbull County are encouraging residents to read the 1955 science fiction novel “The Long Tomorrow” and participate in book discussions and special events throughout March.

It was written by Leigh Brackett, who lived in Kinsman from the early 1950s until shortly before her death in 1978.

Cheryl Bush, marketing and public relations manager for the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, said, “She excelled in two fields at a time when very few women had succeeded — screenwriting and science fiction.”

Brackett’s credits as a screenwriter include film noir detective stories (1946’s “The Big Sleep” with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall), Westerns (John Wayne’s “Rio Bravo,” “El Dorado” and “Rio Lobo”) and what is widely considered the best installment of one of the most successful film franchises in history (“Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”).

She also penned several novels, including “The Long Tomorrow,” which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where religious leaders have banned all references to what life was like in the past. Two boys decide to leave their northeast Ohio community in search of a still functioning city in the West.

Brackett’s book was inspired by the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s as well as living near northeast Ohio’s Amish community.

“We’re constantly looking for titles that would make a good selection to read for One Book, One Community,” Bush said. “It’s a science fiction novel, which is something we haven’t had before … It also was nominated for a Hugo Award, science fiction’s most prestigious award, in 1956. It’s definitely a good novel and holds up today.”

Book discussions are planned at 12 area libraries and other locations throughout March, and themed activities will include a “Star Wars”-themed swim party and a Robot apocalypse escape room.

Lectures will focus on Brackett’s life and some of the issues raised in her work.

Check it out

Here are some of the events planned at Trumbull County libraries in conjunction with One Book, One Community, which will focus on Leigh Brackett’s 1955 science fiction novel “The Long Tomorrow.” A complete list of events is available online at www.wtcpl.org and at participating libraries.

Movies

“Blast from the Past” (1999) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday (Liberty)

“The Vampire’s Ghost” (1945), with screenplay by Brackett, at 2 p.m. March 9 (Warren)

“13 West Street” (1962) based on a novel by Brackett, at 2 p.m. March 16 (Warren)

“Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), with screenplay by Brackett, at 1 p.m. March 20 (Kinsman)

“The Big Sleep” (1946), with screenplay by Brackett, at 5:30 p.m. March 23 (Howland)

“Panic in Year Zero” (1962) at 5:30 p.m. March 24 (Liberty)

“Dr. Strangelove” (1964) at 2 p.m. March 30 (Warren)

Lectures

“The Life of Leigh Brackett” by Don Sutton, local historian and a personal friend of Brackett’s, 6 p.m. Wednesday. (Kinsman Library)

“The Intriguing Life of Leigh Brackett,” 6 p.m. Wednesday (Howland), 11 a.m. March 5 (Cortland) and 6 p.m. March 19 (Liberty)

“The Golden Age of Science Fiction” by James Canacci, 2 p.m. March 7 (Warren)

“Union Talk” by Tony Budak, 6 p.m. March 9 (Hubbard)

“Secret Destinations Unveiled,” 2 p.m. March 11 (Warren)

“Bartering with Time” by Tony Budak, 6 p.m. March 12 (Hubbard)

“Moving Off the Farm and Trying to Stay Amish” by Susan Trollinger, 2 p.m. March 14 (Warren)

“The Cold War from the Russian Perspective” by Brian Bonhomme, 2 p.m. March 21 (Cortland)

“Amish Culture Explored” by Sharon Grover, 2 p.m. March 22 (Warren)

“The Cold War from the USA Perspective” by Joel Baehler, 2 p.m. March 28 (Howland)