Library announces town-wide reading program

Let’s all read the book! The Friends of the Canton Public Library have chosen The Map Thief by Michael Blanding as the book to read for their One Book, One Community (OBOC) extravaganza. Similar to when we all read To Kill a Mockingbird, there will be several events around town to complement the book’s many themes, with the goal being to get as many people reading and talking about the same book as possible.

The Map Thief details the career of E. Forbes Smiley, an antiquarian map dealer (now living in Martha’s Vineyard) who stole nearly 100 maps — and possibly more — from libraries in the area and around the world, including the Boston Public Library and the library at Harvard. This man also had a dream of living in a perfect, quintessential New England town which he set about to create in Vermont. The book blends the story of the theft, the story of the man, and the story of maps, all together in an enjoyable read. The book is packed full of historical information about map making and the role of maps in history, as well pictures of some of the more important maps.

The events to complement the book’s themes are being planned right now, with it all culminating into an action-packed month of events in October. People should start reading the book over summer vacations, on the train, and in book clubs. The idea is that the whole town reads the book. It will make attending the events much more meaningful and interesting.

To make October truly action-packed, there will be a volunteer meeting on Tuesday, July 29, in the Community Room at the library starting at 7 p.m. Please come and be a part of this community program. The more hands, the less for everyone, and “action-packed” needs lots of volunteers.

If you can’t volunteer in the committee, then please help out the Friends by reading the book and encouraging others in your social circles to do the same.

If you’re interested in volunteering in some way, then please come to the meeting. If you’re interested in helping but can’t attend, please send an email to FriendsCantonLibrary@verizon.net. In the meantime, get the book and spread the word!

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=26226

Posted by Guest on Jul 24 2014. Filed under News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.