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Escondido residents urged to read 'The House on Mango Street'
By: ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer | ∞
ESCONDIDO -- Getting 1,000 people to read the same book at the same time may sound like an impossible feat, but the city pulled it off last year. And organizers of a second community reading project hope to get even more residents involved the second time around.
Escondido Reads One Book kicked off Jan. 16 at the Escondido Library and runs through March 23. Designed to promote a love of reading and literary discussion, the project aims to get everyone in the city to read or listen to Sandra Cisneros' novel, "The House on Mango Street" in the next few weeks.
The slim books tells the story of Esperanza, a young Latina growing up in a multicultural Chicago neighborhood. Described as "an easy read" by project organizers, the book is also a powerful coming-of-age tale whose raw emotion and observations have made it mandatory reading for ninth-graders at many schools.
City librarian Laura Mitchell said Monday that organizers hope those and other aspects -- including more than a dozen related events capped by Cisneros' visit to Escondido in March -- will help draw residents into the community reading project.
If all goes well, Mitchell said, the number of participants will go up compared to last year, when the program revolved around Khaled Hosseini's best-seller, "The Kite Runner." Although popular, that book is primarily for adult readers, the librarian said.
"We wanted it to be a true community-wide reading project," said Mitchell. "The (Cisneros) book appeals to a much greater audience. And this way, we're able to work with the schools on doing this."
Modeled after similar programs in other cities, the community reading project was called Escondido Reads: One City, One Book, when it started last year. Organizers spent about $4,600 on the event, which got an estimated 1,000 people to read "The Kite Runner" and more than 500 to participate in the related events.
The library bought more than 100 copies of "The House on Mango Street," including some in Spanish, for the second reading project. Copies can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Crown Books and other book stores in Escondido or borrowed through BookCrossing, which lets people read books for free before passing them on.
As of Monday, all the library's copies of Cisnero's book were checked out and a growing list of people waiting to borrow the book had prompted project organizers to consider ordering more copies, Mitchell said.
Offerings on the schedule of related events include a teen art and writing contest that runs through Feb. 28 and a bilingual book club discussion of "The House on Mango Street" set for Jan. 29. More group discussions, an art exhibit, film showings, concerts, and several children's events that tie into the book are also planned.
Teachers and administrators at some of Escondido's elementary, middle and high schools have involved their students in the community reading project this time around; Palomar College and Cal State San Marcos classes are also participating for the first time.
Paula Pendell, coordinator of extended learning for the Escondido Union School District, said it has challenged all its eight-graders to read "The House on Mango Street." School officials jumped at the chance to get their students involved in the project because Cisneros' book will give kids and their parents something to connect over, she said.
That is especially important in an area where children may speak both English and Spanish but have parents who speak only Spanish, said Pendell.
"Really, eighth grade, it's the time when (parents) need to make connections with their young children," she said. "We were hoping they would actually have a shared reading experience."
The community reading project requires no registration. For information, call the library at (760) 839-4834 or log onto its Web site at www.escondido.org/library and click on "Escondido Reads" on the right-hand side of the page. Information about BookCrossing can be found on-line at www.bookcrossing.com.
-- Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.
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AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Jan 22, 2007 11:18 PM:Reading this book is only going to increase the illegal immigrant problem.
Danny wrote on Jan 23, 2007 12:34 AM:That book sucks. How about reading Tom Sawyer or War and Peace?
Simple minds wrote on Jan 23, 2007 3:37 AM:This book is the current Escondido PC; it serves the agenda. My guess is that even Spanish language editions won't get much use.
Joan wrote on Jan 23, 2007 5:56 AM:The House on Mango Street is a beautiful book. I hope you all enjoy it. However, I must point out an error in your story. You say, "Copies can also be . . . borrowed through BookCrossing, which lets people read books for free before passing them on." As a longtime member of Bookcrossing.com, I want to make your readers aware that Bookcrossing is NOT a lending library! Members leave books lying about in public (we say, "in the wild") for random strangers to find and journal. So please, don't start contacting BC members asking for this book. Visit your local library or independent bookstore.
Pinky wrote on Jan 23, 2007 6:00 AM:I applaud this effort. There is a large LEGAL hispanic population in San Diego and it is important not to sweep them aside as we deal with the border issues.
angel wrote on Jan 23, 2007 12:55 PM:Danny, you are so right...Isn't it in English 101 where you are taught basic punctuation?...such as proper spacing between words and commas?
American woman wrote on Jan 23, 2007 1:08 PM:Pinky, what planet are you transmitting from? Don't you "get it?" Hello! Let's see...the country is in turmoil over the 12 to 15 thousand unknown, unvetted foreigners entering via the Mexican border EVERY DAY, 24/7/365! Border states provide the worst of the traffic lanes...and of course, the BEST places to settle! California has the highest rate of illegal alien squatters in the country. Escondido is trying to relieve itself of the burden of illegal alien intrusion. Is this getting a little more clear to you, Pinky??? It is i-l-l-e-g-a-l to enter this sovereign nation without permission! That's why they are called i-l-l-e-g-a-l aliens! (clever, huh?) Those who are here LEGALLY have little to do with why the book is being recommended! Yikes! It's frightening to experience the niavete of the average American. This is why we have begun the swirling trip down the "global drain," after which we will emerge in the North American Union! We will be called North Americanists! Whoopeeeee!!! Wave good-by to your country, all you couch potatoes! Won't it be just so much simpler then? No middle class...just the rich and the rest of us North Americanists! If you care at all, please visit www.spp.gov. This is the website of a rather covert government organization, agreed upon in Waco, TX March of '05, at a meeting among Mexico's Vicente Fox, Canada's Paul Martin and our very own, King George! From this clandestine agreement springs the North American Union (NAU)! Google it between beers, folks! As for me, I will keep on trying everything I know to do to save my country! Will YOU participate in a TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AMERICAN REVOLUTION? I doubt it.
What happened to reading wrote on Jan 23, 2007 2:31 PM:Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys? Why do they want us to read a MEXICAN book in friggin' SPANISH? WE ARE AMERICANS WE SPEAK ENGLISH. You want to read a book in Spanish move to Mexico.
Ihavenothingbettertodo wrote on Jan 23, 2007 8:03 PM:That's it. This just goes to show that the ACLU truly is communist.
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