| Newton and McDonald counties will join the Missouri Humanities Council and other counties and cities in the state of Missouri in becoming a "One Book community." The program, an outcropping of the Center for the Book, a non-profit partnership between the private sector and the government, was established in October 1977 by former librarian of the Library of Congress Daniel J. Boorstin. Its intent was to use the resources and prestige of the Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) "to promote books, reading, libraries and literacy." After about 1984 it took on a life of its own.
During the month of November residents of the two counties are being asked by the NewMac (referencing the two counties) Literacy Roundtable, sponsor of the event, to choose the book. Voting will take place at the Neosho/Newton County Library or wherever a One Book - One Community poster may be found. The poll may also be taken here. (Close the window that appears after your vote is registered.)
The community read officially will begin after all ballots are counted on December 4. Discussion groups and other events centered on the chosen selection will be planned to promote literacy throughout the counties.
The four books that are on the ballot include three geared to young adults and one classic. They are:
Guerrilla Season (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2003) by Pennsylvania author Pat Hughes, a book written for young adults, is the story of Matt Howard, a 15-year old from Missouri entrusted with the care of his widowed mother, his siblings and their family farm during the outbreak of the Civil War; his friend Jesse who joins Quantrell's raiders, a rebel guerrilla band; and his sister who fancies Jesse. It is a time when family members and friends often took opposing sides, raising questions of family ties, friendship and loyalty.
How Freddy Saved the Day...Along With the Girl, the Town, and His Reputation (Publish America, 2006) self-published by a former Neosho resident, Adam Couture, it is a coming of age story about life in a rural Arkansas town in 1962. The most reluctant and unlikely hero is a 17-year old boy named Freddy Collins who is foisted into adventure after adventure after a mysterious blue Ford convertible cruises into town on the night of the big game against his school's arch rival.
Winter's Bone (Little Brown & Co., 2006), the eighth novel by Daniel Woodrell, describes the difficulties faced by 16-year old Ree Dolly in her quest to locate her meth addict father who has jumped bail after using the family home as collateral and her attempt to educate her brothers to a better way of life. The author depicts survival in a harsh poverty-stricken world of the Ozarks.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006) by Harper Lee, a former Alabaman who wrote the book while in New York City, has been translated into more than 40 languages and was the basis of a motion picture of the same name. The southern world of racial prejudice is seen through the eyes of a young girl whose father, a crusading local lawyer, risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.
Literacy panel gathers top advocates
Community literacy solutions was the topic of a panel discussion sponsored by the Verizon Foundation and recently held at Georgetown University. It was open to the media via the Internet. Among the responses from the panelists were that of Marc Morial, president/CEO of the National Urban League, a national African American advocacy group, who said that twentieth century colleges can't live in a vacuum but have to engage in building communities around them. He stressed the need for widespread mandatory early childhood education programs beginning at age 3, especially since parents often holding two jobs have little time to adequately engage their children.
Dale Lipschultz, Ph.D., an officer in the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, American Library Association, said libraries need to be innovators in our technological world, understand their communities' resources and challenges and consider demographics in creating successful reading programs. Lipschultz sounded like the lead-in for Janet Murguia, J.D., president/CEO of the National council of La Raza who quoted statistics showing that 20 percent of the children in public schools are Latinos and of that half are English language learners. Since she said that 50 percent of the Latinos don't graduate high school, she advocates a bi-lingual approach to learning.
Gary Knell, president/CEO of the Sesame Workshop, calling attention to statistics showing that 80 percent of youngsters own handheld I-Pods, said that literary programs are needed for this platform. He also said that his educational organization was bringing back the "Electric Company" as a way to showcase the fun and power of words in print, of demonstrating the personal and social rewards of expressing oneself and communicating, of providing compelling opportunities to develop and practice literary skills and of helping children recognize that literacy is for "kids like me."
A booklet available for downloading offers suggestions for parents of pre-readers on what they can do to help their children develop reading skills. It is offered as part of National Family Literacy Day, usually observed on November 1. Parent involvement is a prime component of a successful literacy program.
Members of the literacy panel that first met at the Neosho/Newton County Library on September 20 were: Connie Bryant and Lori McFerron, educators with the Neosho R-5 district; Anne Johnson, city of Neosho administrative assistant; Graciela Meilij, Crowder College HEP director; Rick Rogers, publisher Neosho Daily News; Don Johnson, Crowder College adult education and literacy; Mari Winn Taylor, publisher Joplin Independent; and Ginny Ray, Neosho/Newton County library director. Go Back |
