Red Deerians will be following the misadventures of the Parker family of Thunder Bay, Ont., in the novel We’re All In This Together, the winning title for Red Deer Reads 2017.
The community book club title, by Canadian author Amy Jones, was announced on Wednesday by Mayor Tara Veer who worked with the Red Deer Public Library to develop a program to get people excited about reading.
“Although reading is often a solitary activity and an escape from the busyness of our everyday lives, in our Red Deer, books have become community builders,” Veer said at the announcement in City Hall Park for the third annual Red Deer Reads.
The mayor said she will be reading about the Thunder Bay family who refine their family dynamics after a dramatic plummet over a waterfall, a feat captured on video, which subsequently goes viral.
“I look forward to discussing the story with my fellow citizens of Red Deer and Central Alberta when the author joins us in the community we’re proud to call our home on Oct. 26.”
The library is adding 150 copies of We’re All In This Together to its collection that will circulate at all three branches. Hundreds of copies will also be given away for free throughout the summer. Information on where and when will be posted on social media.
The annual Red Deer Reads Launch Party will be held on Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Dawe library branch to kick off four weeks of programming about the winning title before the Oct. 26 event at the Welikoklad Event Centre.
Briana Ehnes, co-chair of Red Deer Reads Committee, said the book club is a powerful way to bring people together.
“It’s kind of a conversation starter. Sometimes people are unsure what to talk about with either new neighbours, new friends they’ve met in the city. And it’s something I think that brings together people from other areas of life, different professions, different ages,” Ehnes said.
She said last year there was a lot of enthusiasm around the winning title Outside Circle.
“It was in a different format. It was a graphic novel and it was on a very timely topic so last year we saw huge growth for Red Deer Reads as a program.
“Every year the book picked is a little bit different than what people would naturally gravitate towards. But that’s good. It encourages people to read something different.”
Whether people like it, hate it, or aren’t sure what how they feel, the community book club gives readers an opportunity to discuss it with someone else which is helpful when reading something totally different, Ehnes said.
People can join the online conversation by using #RDReads.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com