Turn a page, read a book

West valley communities to engage in a regional book club with activities

WHEN’S THE LAST time you read a book?
If you’re feeling sheepish about answering that question, you are not alone. A recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll revealed that one in four adults read no books in the past year. Women and seniors were the most avid readers, with religious works and popular fiction as their top choices.

Book reading, it seems, is on the decline in America:

A 2005 Gallup Poll found that people said they’d started to read five books, down from 10 books in 1999, but closer to the 1990 response of six. Just three years ago, the National Endowment for the Arts issued a report, Reading at Risk, in which it found that only 57 percent of American adults had read a book in 2002 – a four percent drop in a decade. NEA blamed television, movies and the Internet.
Now here’s a chance for local readers to improve book reading statistics:

The West Valley Arts Council is leading a Valley-wide initiative, The Big Read, from Oct. 27 to Nov. 30. The council is using a grant from NEA to launch the program, which is modeled on the “one book, one community” programs.

The classic To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has been chosen and more than 40 activities – from discussions and lectures to concerts, art exhibitions and movie screenings – are planned for participants. Local public libraries, museums and art groups will provide events and venues.

In the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, a young girl attempts to draw out a reclusive neighbor, and finds herself involved in a racially charged trial in which her lawyer father defends a man in her Alabama community.

For info on The Big Read, visit www.neabigread.org or westvalleyarts.org or call the council at (623) 935-6384.