SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–The San Diego County Library will launch The Big Read, its grant-funded county-wide reading of John Steinbeck’s masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath, between January 30 and March 15. Residents throughout the county are invited to read the book and attend any of the 330 free events related to the theme.
The series of programs will kick off on Saturday, January 30, from 5-7 p.m., with a “Dance Music of the ‘30s” festivity at the Ronald Reagan Center, adjacent to the El Cajon Library, 195 E. Douglas Av. The dance features the music of Bert Turetzky and his band, “Grateful Living,” and will include a Swing dance demonstration by “2 to Groove.” Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the San Diego Food Bank.
The prestigious Big Read Grant of $20,000 is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Arts Midwest designed to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment. The program brings communities together to read, discuss and celebrate one of 30 selections from U.S. and world literature. A portion of the grant funds will be used to purchase multiple copies of the book to supplement the library collection. Library customers can inquire at their local library branch to check out a copy of the book.
“This national IMLS Big Read award recognizes that the County of San Diego is indeed a community of readers focused on literature such as the timeless Grapes of Wrath selection,” says County Library Director José Aponte. “Now more than ever our residents understand the value of literacy, education and historical context in our day-to-day challenges. To that end, we intend to be engaged in that dynamic process.”
Aponte adds that The Grapes of Wrath was selected because it relates to the extraordinary economic circumstances faced by numerous communities that make up the County Library system with its 33 branches and two bookmobiles. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel takes place during the Great Depression. It follows the migration of an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family to California and traces their hardships as migrant farm workers. The book speaks to the real concerns of contemporary “Tom Joads” (Steinbeck’s central character), struggling to keep families and homes together in the face of tough times.
The library will offer the reading program system-wide to the more than one million residents of its service area, along with a wide variety of accompanying events for all ages, including movie screenings, music performances, photo exhibits, housing and employment clinics, book discussion sessions, a commemoration of John Steinbeck’s birthday, and more. The San Diego Repertory Theatre will hold a community reading of selected segments of The Grapes of Wrath by area artists, officials and youth.
Along with the San Diego Repertory Theatre, partners in The Big Read include Earl Warren Middle School, the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, the Housing Opportunities Collaborative, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Diego Automotive Museum, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the People’s Post, San Diego Workforce Partnership, CSU-San Marcos, SDSU, SEIU and the UC Cooperative Extension.
For more information, see the Library’s Web site: http://www.sdcl.org or call the individual library branch.
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Preceding provided by the San Diego County Library