Join in on Pierce County READS

Be a part of the largest free reading event in Pierce County: Pierce County READS, when thousands of people come together as a community and read copies of the same book at the same time. This year marks the fifth annual Pierce County READS program, which will run now through April 13.

This year people will be reading New York Times Best Seller and award-winning “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” by nationally known, prize-winning author Jamie Ford. “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” tells a gripping account of the Japanese American internment during World War II, through the eyes and voice of a child as he matures through life.

“Hotel” meets all of Pierce County Library System’s criteria for the community one book program. The book has broad appeal and many themes for discussion. Pierce County Library offers the best seller in hardback, paperback, large print, audiobook and downloadable audiobook and e-book. The book has also been translated into 30 languages.

“This is the community’s one book program—and this year it will bring people together for powerful conversations,” said Neel Parikh, executive director, for the Library System. “This year’s selection is especially gripping as it weaves fiction into real-life events and tells a phenomenal story while exploring the history and attitudes of World War II in America, and specifically, in the Pacific Northwest.”

During the Pierce County READS program people may participate in more than 30 free events. Three featured presenters include:

• An individual born in and who lived in the Idaho internment camp highlighted in the book—Larry Matsuda.
• A law professor who served on the legal team in the U.S. Supreme Court that successfully reopened a Japanese American internment case—Lorraine K. Bannai.
• True life internment stories of the Japanese American incarceration experience—Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience.

People may meet the award-winning author Jamie Ford at a free event and book signing at Clover Park Technical College, Sharon McGavick Conference Center, in Lakewood, on Friday, April 13, at 7 p.m.

Pierce County Library and The News Tribune present Pierce County READS, sponsored by KeyBank and Pierce County Library Foundation. Dozens of community partners are participating in Pierce County READS.