The “Small Town… NEA Big Read” month of programming will take place next March in conjunction witha dozen community partners. The program’s goal is to encourage area readers to engage in conversations with one another about the book, which was selected from an NEA list because of its wide appeal. The novel is an engrossing tale of a 14-year-old girl whose grit is tested after her father’s murder in the American west of the 1870s.
“Small Town… NEA Big Read” will officially launch at Pennington’s Holiday Walk in December, and 150 copies of the book will be made available at the library in January 2019. Library Director Kim T. Ha said that each book distributed will contain a bookplate with a description of the program inside the flap.
“We encourage readers to sign their names and then, after reading, pass their books on to a neighbor or friend. It will be fun to see who else has read your copy!” said Ha.
Among the events the library is planning are discussions, cooking contests, historical talks, a square dance, and movie screenings of the two Hollywood versions of True Grit. All events and activities will beposted on the library’s website, www.penningtonlibrary.org.
