What they discovered was that community bonds were forged when citizens of all socio-economic backgrounds came together to discuss themes that emerged from a selected book. The spirit of the original Seattle project has been duplicated in hundreds of cities nationwide.
Canton first embraced this initiative in 2005 when the Friends of the Stark County District Library and the Mayor's Literacy Commission planned discussion sessions and related events for the book, The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek. The success of that project encouraged the Mayor's Literacy Commission to join with the Canton Museum of Art in 2006 to present another community-wide read with the book, Growing Season: The Life of a Migrant Community by Gary Harwood and David Hassler. In 2007, the project continued with an examination of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. And in 2008, the Japanese-American immigrant experience was explored in Monica Sone's autobiographical book Nisei Daughter.
This October the Mayor's Literacy Commission has partnered with area libraries to continue this initiative and once again encourage the Stark County community to join together in reading the same book. You are invited attend exhibits, discussions and presentations at several different locations.
The concept of a community reading project has its roots in Seattle, Washington, in 1998 when the question was asked, "What would happen if everyone in the community read the same book?"
