Library announces Canton Reads 2023

By Bernard Mendillo

We live in the United States of America — where the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech.

Perhaps “guarantee” is too strong of a word to use in today’s America. We are a nation divided — more so than we have been since the Civil War. Most of the freedoms we take for granted are under attack. Voting rights. Rights of women. Rights of minorities. Rights of all of us to read whatever we want to read.

It is timely, then, that the Canton Public Library has chosen as its theme for Canton Reads 2023 “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.”

“We are excited to announce that the Canton Reads book this year is the best-selling memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi,” said Library Director Andrea Capone. “This very readable memoir covers two years during which Nafisi conducted a secret book club for women in Iran, where she led them in discussions on Lolita, The Great Gatsby and other Western novels banned in Iran.”

Sponsored by the Canton Public Library, Canton Reads is an annual event that encourages residents of all ages to read and discuss a selected book title. The program kicks off in March and is followed by a series of related events in April.

The program is headed by Community Outreach Librarian Carolyn Elkort. “I like to think of it as a four-week celebration of the joy of reading,” Elkort said. “We do all we can to offer a wide variety of programs that will be interesting and informative — which are inspired by the themes and issues of the book, from Persian pastry to protests in the streets of Iran. We really try to cover a lot of ground.”

Several copies of Reading Lolita in Tehran are available to borrow at the library, and the book is also available for purchase on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and audio versions.

A complete and detailed listing of all Canton Reads events can be found at library.canton.ma.us/529/Canton-Reads-2023.

Upcoming programs include “Bringing Controversial Books into the Classroom,” “Veiling and Violence in Recent Iranian History,” “Persian Cooking,” and “A Conversation with the National Coalition Against Censorship.” The library will also sponsor an evening with author Marjan Kamali, as well as a Persian dance group performance and workshop, and a book discussion open to everyone.

“We’re so happy that Canton Reads has become an annual event,” said Elkort.

“Not only does it get people to read, which is always a good thing,” added Capone. “It also brings the community together.”

Everyone is encouraged to read Reading Lolita in Tehran and to take part in as many activities as they can.

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