Editorial

United We Read - A month of citywide fun

This is the first day of February. For hundreds of Cape Girardeans, the flip of the calendar means one thing: It's time to read. And discuss.

Thanks to a citywide effort that has caught on like wildfire, readers young and old will be concentrating on one book during the monthlong United We Read project.

The book is "A Painted House" by John Grisham, author of several best-selling legal thrillers, many of which have become movie hits. This book, though, has wide appeal. It is a poignant recollection of growing up in the 1950s. It is of particular interest to readers in Southeast Missouri and northeastern Arkansas, because it is set in a cotton-growing area that is so familiar to folks in this area.

Julia Jorgensen, librarian at Central High School, has been as busy as a one-armed juggler these past few weeks. As coordinator of United We Read, she has done much more than encourage Cape Girardeans to read Grisham's book. She also has arranged discussion groups -- there's one for just about every day in February -- and the videotaping of community members who will read the book chapter by chapter. The taped readings will be televised on the public-access channel.

Jorgensen took the idea for a citywide reading project from much larger cities that already have tried it -- with considerable success. It's a way to promote good books, literacy, community bonds and the joy of reading.

The Cape Girardeau Public Library has been hopping with readers who have checked out dozens of extra copies made available by the generous sharing of the Mid-Continent Public Library in Kansas City, Mo.

Sales of "A Painted House" have been brisk at bookstores in Cape Girardeau too.

Jorgensen continues to hope that Grisham might -- just might -- agree to visit Cape Girardeau sometime during United We Read's month of poring over, analyzing and reading aloud of his book. If he decides to come, he will find himself surrounded by countless fans who share his boyhood experiences and who have found their own childhoods expertly wrapped up in a fine novel.

Cape Girardeau owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jorgensen and her many helpers who have given so much time and effort to organizing United We Read. Special thanks goes to administrators at Central High School who generously agreed to let Jorgensen work on this important project. Central's students will certainly be among the community's many beneficiaries of a project that has drawn so many people together for something good.

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