Programs

Our 2008 Long Beach Reads One Book will be held March 1-9, 2008

Click Here to View Our 2008 Calendar of Events

Celebrating its 7th year, Long Beach Reads One Book engages the local community by encouraging them to read the same book and discuss it in a variety of venues and formats. More than 150,000 area residents including high school and college students, senior citizens and residents throughout the Long Beach area get involved. This year’s book, Grayson, by local author, Lynne Cox, is an autobiographical story.  The story details Cox's adventures during one of her routine morning swims off the coast of Long Beach.  She encounters a baby whale separated from its mother, and embarks on a quest to reunite the two.   The Long Beach Public Library Foundation coordinates this multi-faceted program, which involves dozens of Long Beach organization partners.

Project Description
Long Beach, California will launch its seventh citywide reading project – Long Beach Reads One Book. This community-focused cultural initiative is designed to bring people together and raise the standards of literacy by encouraging everyone in Long Beach to read the same book at the same time. The 2008 Book Week events are scheduled for March 1-9th and everyone in the city is invited to participate by reading, discussing and attending events highlighting Grayson and its themes. Most events are open to the public and are free of charge.

Featured Title: Grayson Author: Lynne Cox Themes: Perseverance, Ocean, Marine Life, Environment, Communication between Animals and Humans, Ocean Appreciation, Endurance, Goal Setting, Teamwork and Community   COMING SOON! Hear "Grayson" read aloud online with CSULB's ebook!

Long Beach Reads One Book Goals:
The Long Beach Public Library Foundation is devoted to celebrating the written word and encouraging the exchange of ideas evoked by literature and the humanities. Through book discussions and other literary and humanities programs, the Library Foundation strives to broaden and deepen the  community's appreciation for literature that expands the world of the reader. The Library Foundation develops programs that appeal to a wide audience – from confirmed book lovers to those who may not yet consider books and reading basic to their lives – and works with other collaborative partnering organizations and the Long Beach Public Library to realize these goals.

Leadership Chair:
Susan Redfield, Chair of this year's Long Beach Reads One Book and member of the Long Beach Public Library Foundation, which has hosted the reading celebration for 7 years now.

"To me Long Beach Reads One Book is one of the annual programs that makes this city so great. Here we have thousands of people from all over the world, living and working and playing and learning together, young, old, first generation and fourth or even fifth generation, all reading the same book and making the same connections about people and experiences and life."

"Of all the cities in America that do "Reads One Book" programs, Long Beach is one of the best, with such a diverse cross section of the city participating. I love it when the students read the book, they see things that I totally miss, kids from Cambodia, Mexico, the Phillipines, as well as those whose parents and grandparents were born here. Then members of a senior group read and share their wondrous memories and their own stories. It feels so important, with this simple program reflecting the sense of community where people associate with each other toward a positive objective, reading and growing in their understanding."