Find, read, pass it on: Free copies of Hunger Games in Rutherford County

The Hunger Games has been spreading across Rutherford County like Katniss’ mockingjay pin infiltrated all the Districts in Panem.

And if that doesn’t make sense to you, maybe it’s time for you to get a copy of Read To Succeed’s One Book selection for this year.

Each year, Read To Succeed’s One Book of Rutherford County program challenges residents to join together to read a chosen book. This year's selection is the bestselling adventure novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. One Book is a collaboration of Read To Succeed, Ingram Content Group, Linebaugh Library, Barnes & Noble, Greenhouse Ministries and United Way to promote reading and literacy in Rutherford County.

This year’s pick is a page-turner, and its appeal to multiple age groups is part of the reason Read To Succeed chose it for One Book.

And the book has already been passed around all over the county: Jennifer Smith, United Way Community Impact Coordinator, said that her co-workers have all been excited to share the book with each other (she read the book herself in nearly one sitting, unable to put it down). At Spring Valley Apartments, Learning Center Director Brenda Kerr said she’s passed her copy of the book on to the apartments’ office manager and several residents. Almost every day, she said, someone asks if they can borrow a copy. Andy Mitchell, a local postal employee, said he put a few copies in the post office’s break room and was surprised how quickly they were snatched up.

“So many employees read The Hunger Games with their families over the holidays,” Mitchell said. “People are reading this book who tell me they haven’t picked up a book in years.”

Laura Beth Payne, an English professor at MTSU and One Book co-chair, said she thinks the book has pulled the community together in remarkable ways.

“People of all ages are excited about reading,” Payne said, “and they’re talking about ideas from the book and their impact on everyday life. That’s exactly what we want to happen.”

Thanks to a donation from Ingram Content Group, Read To Succeed has distributed hundreds of free copies of The Hunger Games around the community. So if you see a copy lying on the table at your doctor’s office, coffee shop, or even in Linebaugh Library’s Bookmobile, don’t just pass it by. Pick it up, read it, and, then, pass it on.

These copies are free and will be marked with a One Book sticker on the front. Inside each book, readers indicate where the book was found, their name, and the date. The book then gets passed on or placed around town for someone else to find.

To make the exchange even more enticing, each person can log their book in at readtosucceed.org/onebook.htm. This will enter them to win one of two $20 gift cards to Barnes & Noble.

Payne said the Book Crossing is another way to keep The Hunger Games conversation going, and to allow fans of the book to share the experience of reading with someone else.

Read To Succeed chose to partner with Greenhouse Ministries to promote this particular novel. Greenhouse Ministries provides assistance with food, clothing, job skill training, adult education classes and counseling for thousands of Murfreesboro residents each year, serving a core local need that the characters in The Hunger Games are all too familiar with.

Through the late spring, Read To Succeed’s One Book and Greenhouse will be partnering on food and clothing drives, as well as Greenhouse’s landmark VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program, a free service that will aide qualifying local residents in claiming their tax refund dollars. For more information on VITA, please call Greenhouse Ministries at (615) 494-0499 or United Way at (615) 893-7303.

Read to Succeed press release, 1/18/2012

Community Unites Through "Wildly Entertaining" Book Choice

Jennifer Smith has served on Read to Succeed’s Literacy Council for over 2 years and joined the One Book Committee shortly after The Hunger Games was selected for this year's book. Maybe you've heard her talking about the book out in the community – even in some traditionally "quiet places!" Here she shares her experience with this year's One Book selection:

“One Book, One Community” – what a powerful statement and goal the One Book initiative takes on each year. One Book's goal is to encourage the entire community to read the selected book and to then discuss it and the importance of literacy in our community and everyday lives. I feel as though this year’s One Book selection of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has accomplished just that.

The wildly entertaining choice of The Hunger Games is definitely a page turner versus the previous year’s choice, and to be honest, this has been the first book I have ever completed in less than five days! The writing style of Suzanne Collins is to be admired and praised for keeping my attention, and the attention of many others, so well. Another major accomplishment I am finding with this selection is how diverse the readers are. This year there have been children as young as 12 and 13 reading the book, and adults well into their 70s enjoying it, too. Talk about a wonderful opportunity to share an experience across generations and cultures through reading!

In my personal experience, the book led me into a conversation with a complete stranger – a conversation that was simple and brief but one that I will never forget. I was sitting in the “Quiet Room” (waiting on a massage) and quietly reading The Hunger Games, when suddenly the woman next to me blurted out, “Oh, The Hunger Games, I have read that book, and loved it.”

My first thought was, Ok, this is the quiet room, why is this lady talking and disturbing others?, but then I realized, Wow, what a great opportunity to talk with someone about the book and literacy. So, we carried on a short conversation about the book, about how it is this year’s One Book selection and about literacy needs in our community. Then she also shared with me about how she enjoyed the rest of the series by Suzanne Collins and recommended I read the other two books as well. I am sure our conversation could have continued on for much longer, but it was time for my massage and I was called back to my room.

Afterwards, I couldn’t help but think about what a unique experience that was, all brought together through reading a book. This situation would not have been made possible if I were simply sitting there thinking about a movie or listening to music on my iPod; instead it was the physical presence of that book in my hand that opened the doors of communication.

Jennifer Smith works for United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties as the Coordinator of Community Impact. She has served on Read to Succeed’s Literacy Council for over 2 years and is now a member of the One Book Committee. Working at United Way allows her to apply a degree in Social Work to identify issues and needs in the community, and the partnership now shared between United Way and One Book is bringing attention to various issues and informing members of the community on how they can work together to make a difference.