Does the Community Book In Common matter?
Here is a partial list of what has happened in Butte County regarding The Soloist. If you have additional information, BThorlaksson@csuchico.edu
Butte County Library: In October, the first town hall discussion on the issues in the book was held in Oroville.
Butte Community College: The book is being used in 12 classes and increased contributions to the campus food pantry.
Passages: Volunteers made scarves for the Jesus Center; had book group discussions with clients in their homes; and are serving meals at the Jesus Center.
CSU, Chico: Many events, films, concerts, art shows, and discussions have occurred, and the book is being used extensively.
Town Hall: The FYE program held a very well attended Town Hall and are now developing a plan of action.
Book in Common
2009-2010 One Book, One Community
The Soloist by Steve Lopez
The Book in Common for this academic year (2009-2010) is The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez. The Soloist takes us to the streets of LA where newspaper columnist, Steve Lopez, encounters a homeless musician playing a two-stringed violin in a park by a statue of Beethoven. Through a growing friendship with the musician, Nathaniel Ayres, Lopez begins a tentative and somewhat reluctant entry into the world of the homeless in LA and the difficult life of the mentally ill.
The Soloist was selected by a committee of faculty, staff, and students who found this book to be a great read because it focuses on issues with which many of us come into contact with on a fairly frequent basis, but that few understand. (More)
— CSU, Chico President Paul Zingg