A tale for one city Initiative will try to get all residents to read, discuss the same book

07:00 PM CDT on Saturday, April 10, 2004

By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News

A novel idea is coming to town.

Richardson will become the first city in the Dallas area to launch a "One Book, One Community," reading program.

The initiative, based on a model used in other cities, encourages all residents to read the same book at the same time as a springboard for group discussions and other community events.

"Richardson Reads One Book" is scheduled to kick off Aug. 15 kickoff and will be followed by six weeks of activities. Some of the events are being planned to coincide with International Literacy Day on Sept. 8.

The purpose of the "One Book" program is to "get people reading and to come together and discuss the book," said Richardson resident Betty Bettacchi, who is heading the effort that she hopes will become an annual event.

The book Pay It Forward has been chosen for the first community read-in, and author Catherine Ryan Hyde is scheduled to visit Richardson Sept. 7-8.

The book, which was made into a movie, is the story of a boy who turns a classroom assignment into a random-act-of-kindness movement.

"It's a book for a wide reading audience - junior high and up," said Richardson Public Library director Jane Shelton Merz, who is a member of the "One Book" steering committee. "The idea is one you could discuss with younger children."

Uniting a community through the shared experience of reading was begun in 1998 by Nancy Pearl, executive director of the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library. The idea has spread nationwide.

In Texas, only a handful of cities, including Abilene, Austin, Houston and Waco, have had "One Book" programs, according to a Library of Congress Web site.

"I believe we're spearheading it for North Texas," said Ms. Bettacchi, who chairs the steering committee.

She and other organizers reviewed four books, looking for a selection that would be available in different languages, as an audio book and on videotape.

Pay It Forward met all of those criteria, said Mimi Tanner, executive director of the Richardson Adult Literacy Center and a steering committee member.

She hopes the initiative will spark dialogue and forge bonds among residents. "One of the great things about living in Richardson is that we're such a close-knit community," Ms. Tanner said. "This is a way to expand that closeness."

While the book-related events are still being planned, organizers expect to train facilitators to lead group discussions throughout the city and ask local bookstores to stock extra copies of the book.

They're contacting officials at the University of Texas at Dallas about hosting a panel discussion and are considering creating book exchange sites throughout the city.

The public library will host group discussions, Ms. Merz said. "We're asking all book clubs to get on board," she said. "We're asking them to make this book their September selection."

Ms. Bettacchi hopes Richardson's first foray into "One Book" will generate enthusiasm, spark discussions and, perhaps, inspire new community involvement.

"We plan to contact schools and churches," she said, "and challenge the community to do its own Pay It Forward project."