The second annual Big Read kicked off on October 1 with John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. More than 100 copies of the book were handed out to attendees at the Market Square noontime event. Knox County Public Library Director Larry Frank joined YWCA Executive Director Marigail Mullin and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam to encourage citizens across the County to read Steinbeck's classic. During the month of October. The Big Read is the largest reading program in American history. It is a community-wide dialogue designed to encourage reluctant readers to experience a literary classic and to explore racial and
social justice issues in the region.
social justice issues in the region.
With the recent news of the largest governmental bail out since the Great Depression, this novel is particularly timely. Federal Treasury Chairman Henry Paulson presented options to Congress using the Great Depression as a benchmark. Steinbeck’s novel chronicles the plight of a working farm family caught without a safety net during that era.
This year, the program has been expanded throughout the region to include activities in Anderson and Blount Counties. The Big Read is a month-long program of 28 events and 32 community partners. A full schedule of events is available at www.knoxlib.org.
