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Charleston County Library launches The Big Read
By Holly Fisher
Special Projects Editor
The percentage of the U.S. adult population reading any book has declined by 7% over the past decade, according to the National Endowment for the Arts. But the Charleston County Public Library hopes to change that trend.
Armed with a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and more than $100,000 from local sponsors and in-kind donations, the library is launching The Charleston County Big Read. The five-week mission will feature more than 60 events at more than 30 locations—all centered on one book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston.
The Charleston County Public Library was one of 117 communities selected by the NEA to launch Big Read programs.
“We hope this will encourage people who might not normally read,” said Jan Buvinger, director of the library system, at a news conference to announce The Big Read.
A committee of Charleston County librarians selected “Their Eyes Were Watching God” from a list of available books used in The Big Read project. The book is about a young black woman struggling to find her voice, her identity and the meaning of true love.
Darlene Jackson, manager of the John’s Island Regional Library, described the book as a “coming-of-age book, about African-American life in a growing community.”
In 2005, Oprah Winfrey made a movie based on the book that featured Halle Berry. Copies of the movie, audio versions of the book and more than 250 copies of the book are available in the library system.
Dozens of book discussions, art and music events, film showings and exhibits are part of The Big Read program. Program guides are available at all Charleston County library branches or online at www.ccpl.org. For more information, call (843) 805-6930.
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