Lois Lowry is Coming to Town!

Don't miss our author visit for the Big Read. Lois Lowry, acclaimed author of Crow Call, our Kids Big Read selection will be speaking at 7 pm at The Empire Arts Center on Friday, October 29.

"Based on the reminiscence of a day in 1945, Lowry's nostalgic story, Crow Call, has appeal that will resonate with 21st-century children. Lizzie's father has just returned from serving in World War II and she's a bit shy even though she's excited about spending the day with him. They are going to hunt crows that are eating the farmers' crops. The eight-year-old is warmly dressed in a man's plaid wool shirt that she had admired in a store window and her father bought for her even though it comes down to her knees. After an early diner breakfast of her favorite cherry pie, they head toward the woods. Being in charge of the crow call, a whistle intended to lure prey to the hunter, Lizzie is impressed with the number of birds she entices, yet feels uncomfortable because they are about to be killed. However, her father never raises his rifle; he simply enjoys watching his enthralled daughter and the multitude of birds that have heeded her call. Remarkable, atmospheric illustrations reveal the subdued, cool autumn colors of crunchy dried grass, softly hued sky, and dark leafless trees. The memory of a treasured day spent with a special person will resonate with readers everywhere."—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (an amazon review)

Great Turnout, Great Conversation!

"Should soldiers, or Americans for that matter, expect to recover from the trauma of war? Author Tim O’Brien asked that question Thursday night in Grand Forks, even as he worried aloud that it would offend people.

'Part of me thinks we should suffer for the sins of war, dropping bombs, blowing off people’s arms and legs,' O’Brien said. America is a nation that likes to forget its traumas and reduce them to a few clichés, he said. But is war something we really want to, or should, forget?"


Those were just a few of the words and ideas O'Brien shared last night at the Chester Fritz Auditorium at the opening event for The Big Read. In case you missed it, Paulette Tobin of the Grand Forks Herald writes "A Soldier's Story," a wonderful article about the Tim O'Brien Great Conversation last night. Check it out!

Join us for a Great Conversation with Tim O'Brien

The Greater Grand Forks Big Read and the University of North Dakota welcome Tim O' Brien to our community tonight at 7 pm as he joins Chris Nelson on the stage at the Chester Fritz Auditorium for a Great Conversation. Please join us tonight and help us kick off The Big Read!

A Few Words from Tim O'Brien

...“I felt ‘The Things They Carried’ had finally managed, more or less, to allow readers to feel something of what I had felt back then through the stories I told and the devices I used,” he said. He wanted to make the book feel like a soldier remembering the real experiences of a war of long ago...“I think the real ways it changed my life is the response to the book, the e-mails and letters from hundreds, probably now thousands of people, not just veterans, but wives and sons and daughters. The book has touched people and has gotten people talking.”

Read Paulette Tobin's entire article here in The Grand Forks Herald

Goals for Community Reading Projects

United We Read, Kansas City, Missouri
Book: Plainsong by Kent Haruf
“The goal of United We Read is to get our community talking and communicating with one another.”

Citywide Reads, Santa Monica, California
Book: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
“To promote literacy; inter-generational book-centered discussion; and to foster a sense of community by bringing people together through literature.”

The Mayor’s Book Club, Austin, Texas
Book: Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
“To promote literacy and foster community and discussion.”

DC We Read 2002, Washington, D.C.
Book: Having Our Say, the Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years by Sarah and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth
“To promote reading, tackle illiteracy and foster a page-turning togetherness.”

One City, One Story, Pasadena, California
Book: The Soloist by Mark Salzman
“This program is designed to broaden and deepen an appreciation of reading and compel friends, families and neighbors to share their experience while reading the same book.The project is further intended to engage the community in dialogue and seeks to bring the Pasadena community together by promoting tolerance and understanding about differing points of view.”

What Is a Community-Wide Read?

from ALA’s One Book Guide


“The idea is that the city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony.”
— Mary McGrory, The Washington Post, March 17, 2002


“People can go for days at a time not talking to anyone outside their immediate
family. There are precious few opportunities for people of different ethnic  background, economic levels or ages to sit down together and discuss ideas that are important to them this project provides that opportunity.”
— Nancy Pearl, Director, Washington Center for the Book


“This program is a wonderful opportunity to bring individuals together in the community through a shared reading experience. It is certain to enrich the lives of those who participate.”
— Bill Bogaard, Mayor, Pasadena, California


“I wanted the community to connect, and I wanted a way for us to talk about something shared…it’s a great conversation starter.”
— Gus Garcia, Mayor, Austin, Texas, commenting on the Austin Public Library’s “The Mayor’s Book Club”


All of these reading initiatives share a number of commonalities, ranging from the concept’s populist appeal, its new approach to a basic reading and discussion model, and its ability to create a shared experience of reading among a wide spectrum of people.

The Things They Carried

For our first Greater Grand Forks Big Read event we selected The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. NEA Big Read offers more than 30 book choices from which communities can select a title.