December 11, 2019 [Dedham, MA] — The Dedham Human Rights Commission, the Dedham Public Library, Library Trustees, Friends of the Dedham Public Library and the Dedham Library Innovation Team are teaming up to announce One Book Dedham, a new annual community-wide reading program beginning in January 2020. One Book Dedham is designed to engage local adults, teens, and young children in reading titles surrounding a common theme, and to prompt participation in related discussions and activities.
In its inaugural year, the theme for One Book Dedham will be mental health and the specific issues of depression and anxiety. We are pleased to announce this year’s selection, Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig, which describes the author’s own journey with depression, how it almost destroyed him, and how he learned to live again.
Other age groups are also encouraged to join in on the community read with the following titles:
Young Adult Books
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- Darius The Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
Elementary
- The Science of Breakable Things by Tae Kellet
- Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Community book discussions and events intended to help eliminate stigma and deepen our understanding of these conditions will follow. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, depression affects about 16 million American adults every year, and approximately 1 out of every 6 adults in the United States will struggle with the disorder at some point in their life. Anxiety disorders often go hand in hand with depression. In a 2011-2012 study, one in twenty US children ages 6-17 had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression.
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One Book Dedham organizers hope that residents will read selected titles during the month of January in preparation for free programs and discussions that will be held community-wide beginning in mid February. The Dedham Public Library will stock extra copies of each book to be borrowed. Program schedules for book discussion groups, lectures and other innovative activities will be announced soon.