Darien Public Schools Launch 'Byrne’s Book Club' With Community Discussion At Local Library

DARIEN, CT — Darien Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Byrne on Wednesday, Jan. 14, hosted the first in a planned series of book club discussions in partnership with the Darien Public Library.

The inaugural session, held at 7 p.m. in the library’s Community Room, followed Byrne’s announcement before the holiday recess of a new initiative called "Byrne’s Book Club," which is intended to bring parents and families together for community discussion. The books will vary in subject, but will all be relevant to DPS students and the community.

"Book Club discussions can be so fruitful as a way of serving as foundations for important topics and issues we need to tackle as a school community," said Byrne in a news release. "I launched a similar initiative in my previous district and it not only grew in popularity, but also as a new means of open dialogue and communication between the administration and families."

The first book selected for the group was "Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic — and What We Can Do About It" by Jennifer Breheny Wallace.

Byrne was joined by DPS Director of Mental Health Dr. Alycia Dadd to help lead the discussion and share perspectives connected to the Darien community.

The next book club meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, at the Darien Public Library. The next book selection will be announced in the coming weeks.