Columnists - Dean Kahn - Dean Kahn Column

POSTED: Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008

Community read-along planned for spring

Local libraries and colleges have snared $14,000 in grants to get as many people in Whatcom County as possible to read and talk about the same book at the same time.

And they picked a doozy.

It's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie.

Organizers are working to spread word about the book, to get beaucoup copies into people's hands, and to host a passel of events next spring, including appearances by Alexie, who lives in Seattle.

The book comes with glowing reviews and high honors, including the 2007 National Book Award for "young people's literature."

The novel recounts a pivotal year in the life of Arnold Spirit Jr., a 14-year-old nerdy Indian kid on the Spokane Reservation. To the anger of many in the tribe, Arnold leaves his school on the rez to attend a better high school in a small, all-white town nearby.

At the new school, he's the sole red fish in a white pond. At home, he's treated like a traitor.

Himself a Spokane Indian, Alexie concentrated on writing poetry before diving into short stories, novels and screenplays. One of his best-known books is "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," inspiration for his screenplay for the popular movie "Smoke Signals."

People who have seen Alexie speak, including those who saw him Aug. 16 at Fairhaven Village Green, know that he's energetic, humane and awfully funny.

A decade ago he won the title of heavyweight poetry champion at the Taos Poetry Circus. He knows how to spin a tale.

"He's really well-spoken," said Lizz Roberts, community relations coordinator for the Whatcom County Library System. "He really rocks a crowd."

This is the second year the Washington State Library has dispersed federal grants for so-called "One Book" programs. The idea is that local groups use the grants to get started, then find other money to keep their program alive.

Linda Lambert, the library director at Whatcom Community College, got the local effort going after the college's "book of the year" program faded. Whatcom teamed up with Bellingham Technical College to seek $7,000, the maximum grant amount.

Working hand-in-hand, the county library system teamed up with Bellingham Public Library to also seek $7,000. Both grants were approved.

The money will be used to bring Alexie to town, to buy copies of the book, and to cover other expenses. Other community supporters include Village Books, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University and Whatcom County Library Foundation.

The book sells for $16.99, hardcover. It's scheduled to come out in paperback for $8.99, but not until March. For people who don't' want to buy one, libraries will stock lots of copies. Book clubs are being encouraged to add it to their lists, too.

There's even talk of buying copies for "read and release." That's when books are numbered online and then put in public places, such as senior centers or coffee shops. People read the book, leave it where another person can find it, and update the book's travels online.

Once the project ends, organizers will assess what worked and what didn't, then focus on keeping it going.

"We would like this continue," Lambert said. "The whole idea is to get the community reading."