United We Read starts Friday

One city, one book, one month.

The bookmarks being distributed by the organizers of United We Read succinctly state what is about to take place in February, when Cape Girardeau will become one big book club reading John Grisham's "A Painted House."

Twenty-eight different discussions are scheduled over the 28 days. Among them will be talks at the Central High School pool, at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, at the Girl Scouts and United Way offices, at Barnes & Noble and the Cape Girardeau Public Library, and one over the airwaves. (See calendar on 2A.) Discussion calendars are availabe at the Cape Girardeau Public Library or on the Web site, www.cape.k12.mo.us/chs/library/uwr.

High school students, college professors, teachers, a historian, a broadcaster, a Christian youth leader and many others have signed up to lead discussions about the book. Julia Jorgensen, the Central High School librarian who organized the event, will spend much of the month talking about the book.

Familiar experiences

It is set on a cotton farm in Black Oak, Ark., in the early 1950s and includes many experiences which should be familiar to Southeast Missourians.

"A Painted House" is the first book in which the best-selling author has strayed from the legal thrillers his writing career was built on. The book is based on his childhood in Arkansas. Baseball, cotton farming, relationships between families and generations and struggling to improve life for your family are all essential elements.

The food in the book is one familiarity. Jorgensen and her husband, Tom, will lead a discussion Feb. 8 over a fried chicken lunch at the high school.

Historian Nan Harrell Snider is traveling from Black Oak to talk about cotton farming Feb. 5. "Some people have never seen cotton before," Jorgensen said.

Dr. Tom Harte and Dr. Georganne Syler will talk about the book during a live broadcast of KRCU's "Caffe Concerto" from Schnucks.

Anyone who still need a copy of "A Painted House" should be able to find one. During a state librarian meeting in December, Cape Girardeau Public Library director Betty Martin obtained 185 hardback copies. They were donated by the director of Mid-Continent Public Library in Kansas City, Mo., who weeded them from the collection of the 30-branch library.

The Cape Girardeau library added 50 of the copies to its database of five for United We Read. The rest were given away or were distributed to schools or to the Girl Scouts.

"All 55 copes have been checked out for a month," Martin said.

First event Friday

The first event of United We Read, titled "Dinner, Dessert and a Discussion of 'A Painted House,'" will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Port Cape. Pam Spradling, an ardent reader who is married to Mayor Al Spradling III, will lead a discussion to follow hors d'oeuvres and a catfish dinner. Reservations are $15 and available at 334-0954.

"A Painted House" is told through the eyes of Luke Chandler, a knowing 7-year-old. A discussion Feb. 15 at the Cape Girardeau Public Library will be designed for Brownies. KFVS anchorman Mike Shain will lead a different discussion at the public library Feb. 27.

Central High School students volunteered to lead a number of the discussions. Principal Mike Cowan is leading one, as are Notre Dame High School principal Brother David Migliorino and Jefferson School principal Sydney Herbst.

Reading for broadcast

In addition, community members have signed up to read chapters of the book for broadcast over the public access channel beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays during February and March. Among the many TV readers will be state Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder and state Rep. Jason Crowell, Circuit Judge William Syler, syndicated columnist David Limbaugh, Cape Girardeau schools superintendent Dr. Dan Steska and assistant superintendent Mark Bowles, students Aaron Dohogne and Amy Brookhover, physician Dr. Russ Felker, Chamber of Commerce President John Mehner, Project Upward Bound director Debra Mitchell-Braxton, TV newsman Dave Courvoisier and Southeast Missourian editor Joe Sullivan.

Mark Springer, a retired physical education teacher, encouraged others who work out at Curves for Women in Cape Girardeau to read the book. Her husband, Bill, teaches at Central High School and will lead two of the discussions.

She says copies of the book have been passed around to many of the people who use the gym.

James Green, head of Young Life Ministries, will lead a discussion at the ministry office. Although the boy utters a few curse words learned from his elders and the book contains some sexual innuendo, Luke has a strong conscience, Green says. "He knows when he's not supposed to do something, and he knows he has to repent."

Green does wonder how Luke got to be as wise as he is. "He gets a lot of stuff I don't think a lot of 7-year-olds would pick up on."

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182