San Leandro Public Library Receives Fourth Big Read Grant

From the City of San Leandro

Mayor Stephen Cassidy announced Tuesday that the San Leandro Public Library is the recipient of a fourth consecutive Big Read Grant.

The $14,000 grant will be used to provide unique opportunities for the community to read The Namesake written by Jhumpa Lahiri, and participate in activities relating to the book from January to April of 2014.

“We are tremendously grateful to the organizations that sponsor the Big Read," Cassidy said. "The program promotes reading and literacy, fosters a broader understanding of the rich and diverse traditions of the people of San Leandro, and brings our community together for numerous, fascinating art and cultural programs. Receiving this grant for an unprecedented, fourth consecutive year is a testament to the ingenuity, talent and hard work of our library staff."

This year’s 2013 Big Read, Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God was highly successful with over 200 participants meeting in book discussion groups.

Next year’s 2014 choice of The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, will provide many interesting activities in addition to the book group discussions. Field trips, panel discussions, exhibits, films, lectures and demonstrations will all help the readers connect to the culture.

Moving between events in Calcutta, Boston, and New York City, the novel examines life between two cultures with highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences – India and the United States.

Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies established her as one the most brilliant writers of her generation. Her stories are one of the very few debut works and only a handful of collections to have won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

In The Namesake, Lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection an international bestseller: the immigrant experience, the clash of cultures, the conflicts of assimilation, and, most poignantly, the complicated ties between generations.

On hearing of the award, Theresa Mallon, Director of the San Leandro Public Library stated that “staff is excited about this book as it is relevant to many people in San Leandro who are first or second generation Americans. The Namesake has a broad appeal and includes experiences that many of us can relate to.”

Thirty-four percent of San Leandro respondents to the 2010 census reported being foreign born.

For 2014, Big Read grants were awarded to 77 communities nationally, and 13 in California. The Big Read is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities Arts.

Midwest brings touring performing artists, educational outreach activities, conferences, and visual arts exhibitions to performing arts centers, arts councils, colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, community centers, museums, and art center.