Literacy/Reading

For the eighth consecutive year, principals and teachers will offer to dye their hair green, be duct-taped to walls, or jump out of airplanes; all-star football players will wear silly, tall striped hats; and governors and mayors will issue proclamations, all to encourage children to pick up a book and read on March 2, the National Education Association's (NEA) Read Across America Day.

The November 10 opening of Warner Brothers' animated adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's classic Christmas tale, The Polar Express (Houghton Mifflin), starring Tom Hanks, is just over a month away.

By Robert Gray

In July, NEA chairman Dana Gioia announced the dismal results of a survey of America's reading habits, including the news that those people admitting to having read fiction, poetry, or plays had dipped to 46.7 percent in 2002, down from 54 percent the last time the survey was done in 1992.

A copy of the study still rests on my desk, taunting me.

The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott Medal-winning children's book, will hit the big screen this November 10 in an animated adaptation from Warner Bros., starring Tom Hanks.

In George Orwell's novel 1984 (Signet), one of Big Brother's most famous slogans is "War is Peace." And while Orwell's ominous, futuristic story was published 55 years ago, the "Rhetoricians for Peace," an independent activist group, believe that such Orwellian doublespeak has taken on special relevance these days.

The results of a major survey on the state of reading in America were released last Thursday by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the organization termed its findings a "bleak assessment" and the news "dire." In his preface to Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, NEA chairman Dana Gioia explained that the report's key findings could be summarized in one sentence: "Literary reading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups, but the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young.&

Since June 2002, ABC News' Good Morning America has been promoting the fun of reading to adults through its "Read This!" book club segment, which airs monthly. Now, the popular morning show has taken aim at children's literacy with the launch of Book Drive America, an effort to bring books to children, schools, libraries, and community centers in need across the country.

This month, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) released a new study, "America's Most Literate Cities," which provides a literacy ranking of America's 64 largest cities. Topping the list was Minneapolis, with Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, and San Francisco rounding out the top five.

The written word's influence on other artistic mediums is often taken for granted, but San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Deborah Pardes is hoping that literature's broad reach into other art forms will inspire both the illiterate and alliterate alike to read.

The list of Citywide Book Clubs continues to grow. When Bookselling This Week first published a listing of book club initiatives in March 2002, it included 45 community-reading events. At present, the list -- BTW's fifth update -- numbers 131. Seven new book clubs have been added and information for four book clubs has been updated since the last list, published in January.

On Thursday, March 13, the American Booksellers Association participated in the Library of Congress Center for the Book's annual Reading Promotion Partners Meeting, held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Representing ABA at the meeting was Jill Perlstein, ABA's director of marketing. "It was a productive meeting," Perlstein reported. "It's encouraging to see how many groups are looking to get together to promote literacy."

The citywide book club trend, which began in Seattle six years ago, continues its remarkable popularity, with new community-reading initiatives sprouting up around the nation at an amazing pace. When BTW first published a listing of citywide book club initiatives in March 2002, there were 45 community-reading events listed. Eleven months later, the number has almost tripled, and now lists 124 cities, counties, or states that have organized (or are organizing) events that encourage communities to read the same book at the same time.

The Citywide Book Club trend, which began in Seattle six years go, shows no sign of slowing down. When Bookselling This Week first created its Citywide Book Club list in March 2002, there were 45 known community-reading initiatives. Seven months later, the number has more than doubled, and now lists 94 cities, counties, or states that have organized (or are organizing) events that encourage communities to read the same book at the same time.