Henderson residents encouraged to read one book

By Diana Cox

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | midnight

If Henderson's librarians and city officials have their way, anyone they run into later this fall will know the story of John Grogan's dog.

Henderson is teaming up for the second year in a row with Henderson Libraries to encourage all residents to read "Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog," the New York Times best-seller by Grogan.

One Book Henderson is a community-wide program that encourages everyone to read the same book and attend a series of events related to it through October.

Last year, the program launched with Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," ending with a showing of the movie made in 2004 from the book.

Grogan's book is being made into a movie, as well, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, but it is not due for release until Christmas.

"Marley and Me" is an autobiographical story that tells of the trials and lessons learned by Grogan and his family during the 13-year life of their Labrador retriever, Marley.

To ensure all Henderson residents can participate in One Book, additional copies of "Marley and Me" will be available at all Henderson library locations. The book will also be available in various formats, such as large print and books on CD, cassette and MP3 player.

A kick-off carnival will take place Oct. 4 at the Henderson Pavilion, where a limited supply of free pass-along copies of the book will be handed out. Recipients of the free copies are encouraged to read the book and pass it along to someone else.

"Through One Book Henderson, we're hoping people will use 'Marley and Me' as a common ground to meet new people and promote the sense of community Henderson is known for," Henderson Mayor James B. Gibson said in a statement. "We are excited about this program and hope that it will allow people to connect and friends and neighbors and get to know one another across Henderson."

Throughout October, Henderson libraries will also host events related to the book, such as knitting for dogs, pet scrapbooking and discussions of the book. The movies "Best in Show" and "Turner and Hooch" will also be shown.

Readers may not be able to see Grogan's story on the movie screen until Christmas, but they will be able to hear the author talk. Grogan is scheduled to appear at the Henderson Pavilion at 1 p.m. Oct. 26 for a meet-the-author event and book-signing.

The One Book movement was started in Seattle in 1998 by librarian and best-selling author Nancy Pearl. To date, more than 350 One Book events have taken place throughout the country.

"We established One Book Henderson last year to bring the community together by providing a common interest through literature," said Laurie Orton, manager of the Malcolm Library and One Book Henderson 2008 co-chairwoman. "We received a lot of positive feedback last year, and we're looking forward to getting even more people involved this year."

Diana Cox can be reached at 990-8183 or [email protected].