A Call to Read

Arm yourself with bookmarks, spectacles and book holders. The DC Public Library is urging all city residents to participate in the National Endowment for the Arts’ (1100 Pennsylvania Avenue) The Big Read initiative.
 
The Big Read revitalizes the role of literature in American popular culture and encourages reading for pleasure and enlightenment. Communities across the country are urged to select one of 31 books to read. DC is celebrating the occasion with a series of activities centered around Ernest J. Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, a story that takes place on a Louisiana plantation, where free blacks’ lives have not changed much since slavery.
 
The citywide effort will run through May 15, so grab a copy of the book from the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street), or a neighborhood branch. And don’t miss the chance to join in a host of activities, including book discussions, film series, and volunteer opportunities. For more information,  click here.