Celebrate the importance of reading and join the community-wide discussion in September as Charleston County Public Library kicks off One Book Charleston County and tackles the raw emotional drama depicted in the international bestseller Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.
Set in New York City, the novel follows the life of nine-year-old Oskar Schell as he learns about his father's death in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The book was made into a movie starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
The public can join this community-wide event by reading the book, watching the movie, attending a program, checking out a book club kit, participating in a scavenger hunt, submitting entries for a display or joining a book discussion. One Book Charleston County starts September 11 and continues through October 23 when the author visits and speaks at the College of Charleston. More than 600 copies of the book are available to check out as hard copies, audio books on CD, downloadable eBooks and downloadable audio books plus copies of Hanks-Bullock movie are available.
Although highly intelligent, the book's nine-year-old main character displays symptoms of Autism and lacks the social and communication skills needed to help him cope with his overwhelming sense of loss. His misses the special bond and adventures shared with his father, and he doesn't know how to talk to his mother, who is going through her own feelings of grief and despair. A year after the attacks, he discovers a key in an envelope in his father's closet. The envelope has the word "Black" on the outside, and he creates an elaborate, methodical plan to visit every person named Black in New York City to find out who the key belonged to and what it opened. His travels take him to people all over the city, each with their own story about how 9/11 impacted their life.
The programs include a discussion about media coverage in the age of 24-hour news coverage, a program on the epidemic growth of Autism, an eyewitness account from two local first responders who went to New York and Washington, D.C. and a look at how this event impact the country's view of religion and religious tolerance.
Local residents also will be able to write special notes of thanks for a display honoring first responders, with the notes being given to local first responders after One Book Charleston County concludes. Book discussions and movie showings are scheduled at branch libraries throughout the county.
For more information, please contact Jamie Thomas, Public Relations and Marketing Manager, Charleston County Public Library, 843.805.6817 or thomasj@ccpl.org.
