Scranton Reads is a community reading event organized by the City of Scranton and the Albright Memorial Library. Each year during the month of October, citizens of Scranton get together to read a great work of literature. They participate in book discussions and special events related to the chosen work. Scranton Reads has two main goals. The first goal is to encourage reading among people of all ages. The second goal is to bring the community together through sharing a common experience.
Scranton Reads began in 2002 with Harper Lee’s powerful novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The Albright Memorial Library checked our over 1500 copies in book, video, and audio. The program included book lectures such as a senior book discussion, televised book lectures on Scranton Today’s channel 62, a children’s story hour on diversity, and a presentation about how the book related to the ages of JFK and Civil Rights.
In 2003 the selection was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Events included a Scranton Reads theme party with antique cars, flapper girls and music from that era. A 1920′s fashion show was held at the Century Club, many book discussions and on the last day of October was the premier of A&E’s production of The Great Gatsby.
The more contemporary book choice for 2004 was The Children of Willesden Lane. The author Mona Golabek visited our area and presented her wonderful music at a free public concert held in Scranton High School’s Auditorium. Throughout the amazing performance Ms. Golabek shared with the audience her mother’s stories of the Kindertransport.
October of 2005 over 2000 people in the Scranton area read either “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder or “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. Many participated by attending any one of the many book discussions held at coffee shops around the city or traveled with us on a sold out weekend bus trip to Salem, Massachusetts. Dozens of people turned out for the Sunday Symposium at the University of Scranton and hundreds attended West Scranton High’s performance of The Crucible.
In 2006, 1776 by David McCullough.
In 2007, The Grapes of Wrath of John Steinbeck was selected. The library received a grant to participate in the National Endowment of the Arts Big Read program. The highlights of our first Big Read event included a traveling photo exhibit on the depression in Lackawanna County including a reception at the Times-Tribune on First Friday in October, a creation and presentation of an original documentary on the WPA and CCC projects in the area, a canned food drive, many community book discussions, and an interesting symposium event at the University of Scranton that included a presentation of the dramatic version of The Grapes of Wrath. The bus trip to the Finger Lakes wine country was another plus!
In 2008, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett was selected. The library was honored again to receive a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts Big Read program for the second time. The year highlighted a Film Noir series, a Murder Mystery Crime Walk of downtown Scranton and an original mystery play written and performed by local teens. David Kipen, Director, National Reading Initiatives for the National Endowment for the Arts led our Sunday Symposium for the adults and professional puppeteers, Dillon & Holmes Puppets, performed an original mystery piece for children and their families. We also visited the Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C. For information on last year’s program check out our page.
In 2009, we selected The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. We had our most successful year with this selection! We had a film series of Vietnam Era movies, a dance party highlighting music of the period and even a trivia night at a local pub. Students interviewed their families about their Vietnam experiences, we had over 16 books discussions and a bus trip to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. Mr. O’Brien visited the city for our final event. He shared his thoughts on writing and his experiences during the Vietnam War.
For 2010, the Scranton Reads Committee selected the works of Mark Twain! For the first time in Scranton Reads history we selected the work of author rather than a specific book. We encouraged everyone to read one of Mr. Twain’s great works. We highlighted The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. We had frog jumping contests, we visited Twain’s home in Hartford, CT and had a visit from Twain. Storyteller Charles Kiernan delighted us with an afternoon of tales and stories behind many of Twain’s work.
For the 10th anniversary the Scranton Reads Committee has selected Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 ! We explored what life would be like if books were illegal and the effect censorship would have on a community. We had panel discussions on Dystopian Literature, Banned Books and the Future of Reading. We had our first ever Book Cover Redesign and Essay Contests in addition to our annual film screening. This year discussions were very active and passionate.
Scranton Reads, One City, One Book enhances the feeling of Community by bringing people from all different backgrounds and uniting them through a love of literacy, art and culture.
Please contact us at the Scranton Public Library, 500 Vine Street, Scranton, PA 18509, 570-348-3000 or via email.
