Happy New Year! The Racial Justice Ministry recommends you kick off 2018 with an event sponsored by the Rhode Island Center for the Book on Jan. 27, 2:00 - 4:00 PM at The Pavilion, Grace Episcopal Church, Providence. Join the Center’s Reading Across Rhode Island program as it introduces this year’s book selection—The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Registration and tickets are required. Cost $15.

The novel is a brave, thought-provoking, conversation-enabling novel about what prejudice looks like in the 21st century. Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her private high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend.

At the Kick-Off Event on January 27, participants will discuss the book’s themes with Reading Across Rhode Island Honorary Chair Jordan Seaberry, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, and Shawn A. Christian, PhD, Associate Provost, Associate Professor of English, African American, and American Studies, Wheaton College, CivicSalon, LLC, Living Literature, and AS220 Youth. The event will also give book group leaders an introduction to resources and materials provided by the program, which will catalyze interesting discussions
 

And You Can Meet the Author: 
Join Reading Across Rhode Island on April 12 and 13 for Angie Thomas visits RI!

Registration for events with Angie Thomas will be available on the Rhode Island Center for the Book website in February as well as information about upcoming book-related events throughout the year. 
 
Reading Across Rhode Island is a program of the Rhode Island Center for the Book at the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, made possible through a vibrant collaboration of librarians, teachers, book group leaders, and readers from across the state. The 2018 program runs from January through May with readers in Rhode Island classrooms, libraries, community centers, bookstores, and book groups invited to join discussions and participate in local community events such as lectures, exhibits, and dramatic interpretations centered on this year’s selection.
 
Sets of book are available for loan to classroom teachers, library discussion groups and senior centers by contacting Kate Lentz at kate@ribook.org.
 
Remember Registration and Tickets are required.