Imagine yourself as a young, homesick soldier during World War II, finding a few precious moments of comfort in the pages of a small, paperback copy of Chicken Every Sunday, about everyday life – and Mom’s cooking – at a busy boardinghouse.
Can you feel the emotion in a letter from a “battle-hardened” injured Marine who said he laughed, and wept, as he read the childhood story in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Do you sense a connection with New Hampshire Army veteran Gordon Mc-Kinnon, 90, who told the Monitor’s Ray Duckler recently how his life changed course after he found a paperback copy of Look Homeward, Angel at a camp in Belgium. As he read, he recognized some of himself in that classic coming-of-age story.
In When Books Went to War, the 2016 selection for Concord Reads,New York Times best-selling author Molly Guptill Manning tells the little-known history of how millions of these free, lightweight paperback books – “Armed Services Editions” – found their way to soldiers and sailors overseas, thanks to an unprecedented effort by librarians, the War Department and publishers. Many of the books were printed by Concord’s own Rumford Press.
Her engaging account of “The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II” is testimony to the power of books to rally support in the war of ideas and provide much needed solace, humor and even relief from boredom to American troops.
On April 21, at 7 p.m., Molly Manning will be at Red River Theatres to talk with our community about her book. The event at Red River is free and open to all who would like to listen and learn about a unique piece of wartime history that produced a new generation of readers and transformed the publishing industry. We hope you will join us.
Since it was launched by a few local residents and the public library in 2002, Concord Reads has been an effort to promote civic engagement through reading – bringing together friends and neighbors, local leaders and others to discuss ideas in a single book. Through this shared experience – readings, book discussions and author events – we hope to get to know each other a little better and feel a greater investment in our community, all of which make Concord an even better place to live. That remains our goal with Concord Reads today.
Even if you haven’t read When Books Went to War, please join us on Thursday evening. Molly is going to give a brief presentation and then she and I are going to sit down for a conversation, followed by questions from the audience.
This is the first time we have partnered with Red River Theatres – part of an increased effort to reach out to our community. We are grateful for the staffs’ enthusiastic support for Concord Reads, and for the Concord Public Library.
The “One Book, One Community” concept supported by the American Library Association nationwide – our version is Concord Reads – was launched in Seattle almost 20 years ago, where it was conceived as one of the few opportunities for people of all backgrounds to sit down and discuss ideas that were important to them.
Such “shared reading” experiences are now on the agenda in states, cities and towns around the world.
In Pasadena, Calif., the mayor said the program was “certain to enrich the lives of those who participate.”
In Austin, Texas, it was called “a great conversation starter.”
In Washington, D.C., a proposal for a shared book discussion to help bring that community together was hailed by the legendary newspaper columnist Mary McGrory. “The idea is that the city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony,” she wrote. We agree.
Concord Reads, and our evening with Molly Manning, is sponsored by the Concord Public Library Foundation, which advocates for our library and its patrons, the city library, the Concord Monitor and the Lincoln Financial Group. The event follows “National Library Week,” a time each April when, through the American Library Association, we recognize our libraries and their staffs.
This year’s theme, “Libraries Transform,” focuses on efforts to meet the needs of tech-savvy patrons in the digital age. All of us in Concord recognize that the role of the library has changed dramatically, and we commend our city librarian, Todd Fabian, and his staff for their determination, under very tight circumstances, to meet modern demands.
For our part, the goal of Concord Reads is to reinforce the power of books, the power to make us think, to take us places, to help us understand how others feel, and to inspire us, all of which we believe Molly Manning has accomplished in When Books Went to War.
See you at Red River.
(Laura Kiernan is a member of the board of the Concord Public Library Foundation and chairs the 2016 Concord Reads organizing committee.)