Community Read - The Girl Before
The program will focus on Rena Olsen's book, "The Girl Before", with several book group discussions held to talk about the book, personal safety and the impact of such tragic events on a community. The author will give a presentation and following that a final community discussion will take place.
171 participated
The goal is to engage individuals in a discussion regarding community and personal safety. We aim to educate participants on the process of predation and survival so that they can learn healthier attitudes about victims and gain knowledge on supporting those in need. Further, the author will providing insight on the process of turning reality into fiction. Discussions will focus in part on analyzing real life through the lens of stories and how that can improve community relations. Participation evaluations and anecdotal responses will be collected.
By all accounts the Community Read was a huge success. We could not keep the 30 copies of books on our shelves and had to order more, as well as using all of the system's books to satiate our readers. In face, we had some books that we know were passed down five times. Often in the weeks leading up to the author's visit, we would see an individual in public reading intently only to discover that the book was "The Girl Before". We had a large number of participants from all four corners of the state, including Duluth, Moorhead, Twin Cities and Pipestone who were intrigued by the story and the Community Read. The discussions held were deep and power, making people think about the vulnerability of children and young adults. Additionally we distributed copies of "Want to Go Private", by Sarah Darer Littman to interested teen readers, their parents and school staff. this event truly had community impact across multiple age levels, genders, and social statuses.
Radio Station ad ($25.00); Newspaper ads ($25.00); Friends of the Library set up, clean up, refreshments ($50.00); SAMMIE grant - teen books ($100.00)