Remembering: The First Five Years

Here at the Big Read, we are excited to be getting closer to announcing our book for the 2023 program. As we approach the tenth anniversary of the Big Read Lakeshore program, we want to take the time to look back at where we started with the first five books. The Big Read started in …

Banned Books

As a prospective secondary English teacher, my placement teachers and classes have mentioned the recent conversations about banning books in various states. Several states across the United States are considering or crafting legislation to ban books that contain themes related to sexuality, racism, explicit language, or other areas. This article by The Atlantic called “Read …

The Asian American Community is too, America

In light of news reports of increased anti-Asian American violence, our Big Read team can’t help but reflect back on our 2017 Big Read program with Julia Otsuka’s When the Emperor Was Divine and the powerful discussions we had about prejudice and discrimination both in our nation’s past and present. Along with Otsuka’s book and …