One of the great programs we are lucky to have in Saratoga Springs is the Saratoga Reads! program which is geared toward building a stronger sense of community through reading. The goal of this community group is to invite the Saratoga community to read a great book and to engage in activities and conversations inspired by this shared experience. Now in its eighth year, Saratoga Reads! is happy to say that their initial vision has become a reality, that members of the Saratoga community now collaborate to create and share in a collective conversation and activities including a wide range of age groups and different areas of interest. Saratoga Reads! focuses its yearly activity on a single book which is chosen by the community through an initial nomination process and final election. The book selection process is an invitation to the greater Saratoga public to suggest a suitable book. Their selection advisory committee then carefully reviews the nominated books to present a ballot to the community for a public vote during October and the winning title is announced in early November. Once the year’s winning book is announced the community can look forward to local, engaging activities to begin to celebrate the book and its themes. Throughout the winter and spring activities for readers of all ages and levels are planned by Saratoga Reads! and their community partners, plus all events are free of charge. This year the community has spoken and the winning title for adult readers is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a story about a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave
ancestors, yet had her cells–taken without her knowledge–become one of the
most important tools in medicine.
Part of the program is the list of Junior Companion Titles that allow readers of all ages to participate in this community-wide project along with their parents. Saratoga Reads! will also offer special programs for young readers based on this year’s complementary junior discussion book, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman. The nonfiction book tells the story of a railroad construction foreman who survived for 11 years after a 13-pound iron rod shot through his brain in a rock-blasting accident in 1848. Scientists and doctors were baffled by Gage’s miraculous recovery and by the severe personality changes he experienced, making the case a textbook study of brain science.
Phineas Gage will serve as the basis for two special evening discussions at the Saratoga Springs Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 2nd and Thursday, Feb. 9th. Designed for kids in grades 4-6, the sessions will be led by student mentors from Skidmore College and Saratoga Springs High School under the direction of Skidmore Professor of English Catherine Golden. Plus as a new program for kids this year, Saratoga Reads! is creating book bags for children and families that will contain two children’s books related to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The family book bags are suitable for children ages 3-12, and will include an activity sheet. They will be handing out ten bags at the Higher Grounds Caffe (at Saratoga Springs Public Library) on a first come/first served basis at 10am on Thursday, January 19th. The bags are meant to be passed along and shared with other local families so everyone can take part in this great program! All books will be coded with a Book Crossing number so that experiences can be shared online. Book Crossing is a great networking site that has an online archival and tracking system that allows members to connect with other readers, journal and review literature and trade and follow their books, what they call “reading and releasing”. Users are able to tag and track their individual books by marking them with BCIDs (BookCrossing Identity Numbers). Each BCID is unique to each book – once it’s registered on the site, the book can then be followed and journaled forever. BookCrossing is free to join and free to play. So head over to the library on January 19th, get your book bag and get started!
For more information about Saratoga Reads! and the programs they are offering this year check out their website at http://www.saratogareads.org/.