A new citywide reading program is set to begin Tuesday in Nashville, and it will start with an assignment. Mayor Karl Dean is scheduled to announce the title of a book he’ll then encourage everyone to read at once.
It’s an idea that Dean encouraged once before, when the Nashville Public Library Foundation gave its annual Literary Award to John Irving. At that time, it was suggested that the city as a whole try to read any of Irving’s books. This time, the mayor’s office says he’ll again tie the reading choice to the prize, but will name a single book.
The Library Foundation is set to give its 2012 award to novelist Margaret Atwood. Her most famous book is The Handmaid’s Tale. The provocative, dystopian novel is a favorite of critics. At the same time, enough people have insisted it be removed from schools and libraries that both the American and Canadian Library Associations have included on their list of “Most Challenged” books.
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