Letter: Thousands of Residents, Students Made Greenwich Reads Together A Success

To the Editor:

This year, the Greenwich community participated even more enthusiastically in Greenwich Reads Together (GRT), the fourth community-wide reading experience. During the month of October, Greenwich became engaged in the exploration of a single book, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. This compelling non-fiction narrative about a rowing team that overcame enormous odds to win the 1936 Olympics was incredibly popular, circulating over 2,300 times.

A total of 6,500 residents turned out for 61 different events - readings, expert panels, book discussions, storytelling and film screenings sponsored by many town-based organizations. The experience concluded with a warm and engaging talk by the author, Daniel James Brown. In case you missed it, you can listen to a podcast on our website www.greenwichreadstogether.org.

In the Greenwich Public Schools, more than 5,000 students, parents, and faculty participated in Greenwich Reads Together in over 40 programs for all grade levels across the district - over two thousand more than last year. Three companion books were selected, enabling younger children at the elementary and middle school level to participate as well. The essay contest sponsored by the Greenwich Rotary Club received a record 75 submissions.

This community-building program would not be possible without the generous funding provided by Connecticut Humanities, Friends of Greenwich Library, Greenwich Library Board of Trustees, Anne F. Jeffery and Rotary Club of Greenwich. I would also like to thank the Greenwich Reads Together Steering Committee which includes Greenwich Library, Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich Historical Society, Greenwich Alliance for Education, Greenwich Pen Women, Greenwich Public and Independent Schools, and Friends of Greenwich Library.

I thank all of you for joining us in exploring The Boys in the Boat.

Barbara Ormerod-Glynn

Greenwich Library Director