Winchester Reads

The annual community reading initiative that the Winchester Public Library sponsors is a unique and enjoyable program. Having the entire community share the experience of reading a fictional novel is a great diversion from the stresses of everyday life and the divisions that controversial public policy issues can create.

This year’s book was In Revere in Those Days, by Roland Merullo. This is a beautiful story of a young boy who grows up in nearby Revere, Massachusetts in a close-knit immigrant family. He faces tragedy and many other struggles while growing up, but is able to call upon the strength of his family and the values he gained growing up in this blue-collar community. Last year’s book, Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, was also a story of an immigrant family. In this case, most of the story is set in Kabul, Afghanistan. This novel provides a fascinating look at culture in the Middle East and how life changed when the Taliban came into power.

This year’s Winchester Reads program culminated in a session with the author himself. Winchester Reads is only one of many interesting programs that the Winchester Public Library provides to citizens of all ages. For more information on library programming, check out this web page- http://www.winpublib.org/whatsnewandevents.htm