Press Releases
January 5, 2007
Four Midcoast libraries prepare Kick-off Events for the 2007 Midcoast Community Read
January 9th is the opening day of a two month long reading period of The Grapes of Wrath, Out of the Dust, and Leah’s Pony. The entire family can get involved in this winter’s Midcoast Community Read, at the same time be part of The Big Read - an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The Big Read brings together communities across the country to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment. Man’s inhumanity to fellow man and the power of family are just a couple of the themes that will be discussed in numerous states this winter as participants read and discuss The Grapes of Wrath.
Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Patten Free Library in Bath, Topsham Public Library, and Wiscasset Public Library will have numerous copies of all three books, reader’s guides, schedules of events, and supplemental resources along with refreshments from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm for all to enjoy on January 9th. At 12 noon Patten Free Library will host local and state officials as recognition is given to this Community Read effort to revitalize the role of literature and engage participants in group discussion. The public is welcome and encouraged to participate in this celebration. A Depression-era quilt and glassware exhibit will liven both the Reading Room and Children’s Room.
Special events for the Community Read will take place in March at all four libraries. Along with numerous book discussions and film screenings, Curtis Memorial Library will be sponsoring a number of scientific explorations of the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw from the National Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, CA. will be speaking on The Wrath of a Nation: Reading The Grapes of Wrath in 1939 and 2007 at Patten Free Library. Depression-era music will also be highlighted in two concerts – folk songs by Geoff Kaufman of Connecticut and fiddle music by Frank Ferrel of Bath. There are events for children as well. Be certain to pick up a schedule of events and reader’s guide when you pick up your book.
Sponsored principally by Friends’ groups at the four libraries, the Community Read is also supported by funding from Bowdoin College Common Good Grant, Bath Savings Institution, First Federal Savings & Loan Assn., The Alfred M. Senter Fund, and The Big Read. The Totman Library in Phippsburg and town offices in Georgetown, West Bath and Woolwich will also be stocked with books, and local bookstores are offering discounts.
For more information on the Community Read, visit your local library, or log on to www.midcoastreads.com. Please visit www.neabigread.org for more information on The Big Read.
October 23, 2006
2007 Midcoast Community Read Book Announced
Black dust and tumbleweeds will blow across Maine this winter, but only in the minds of midcoast readers. The Grapes of Wrath, the Pulitzer Prize winning classic by John Steinbeck, is the midcoast’s choice for the 2007 Community Read. Published in 
1939, The Grapes of Wrath is the tale of the Joad family's journey from the parched Dust Bowl of Oklahoma to the thriving green fields of California. Dreams of hope meet harsh realities, while individuals and families endure enormous hardships, at times with strength and dignity. Migrating communities have shaped our country, and this book gives a rich and vivid view of one family’s search for a better life during a time of extreme environmental and economic hardship. These are subjects that still resonate today. While many may have read it before, this book is worth re-reading and coming back to with a new perspective. Steinbeck’s style is smooth and accessible. His artistry with the written word and his ability to tell an involving human story and paint powerful pictures makes this book a great read.
Midcoast Community Read is modeled after Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl's reading campaign of 1998 called "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book.” By having people come together over a single work, the ties that bind a community become even stronger. Since then, hundreds of towns, cities and, in some cases, entire states have come together to read and discuss a chosen book. This will be the sixth year that midcoast Maine has united with its own community reading event. Past selections for our area have included To Kill a Mockingbird, Endurance, Kite Runner, and The Secret Life of Lobsters. Discussions, lectures, folk music and a showing of the film are among the activities planned to complement the reading of the book.
An alternate or companion book for 5th graders to adults, Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, has also been chosen. This beautifully written book paints a picture of the Dust Bowl era through the eyes of Billie Jo, the fourteen-year-old daughter of an Oklahoma farmer.
For younger readers, there is the picture book, Leah’s Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich. Accompanied by appealing illustrations, this is the loving story of a young girl trying to help her family during hard times on the family farm during the Dust Bowl.
The 2007 Community Read is sponsored by Curtis Memorial Library of Brunswick, Patten Free Library of Bath, Topsham Public Library, and Wiscasset Public Library. Hundreds of copies of The Grapes of Wrath will be available locally in January and February. Audio versions of the book will also be available. Copies of companion books will be in libraries and book stores as well.
Discussions and activities will follow in March at local libraries as well as at partnering non-profit organizations and businesses. Detailed schedules will be available by January. Look for more information on www.midcoastreads.com. Events are free and open to the public.
--Christine Eames, Curtis Memorial Library
