Here's Dearborn's Big Read Book For The Year

DEARBORN, MI — October has brought the launch of the Dearborn Public Library’s fourth Big Read program, focusing on Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl.

It's a memoir that tells the story of a young woman who finds friendship in odd places, battles bipolar disorder, perseveres through setbacks and relishes hard-earned triumphs, eventually becoming a respected scientist and passionate observer of the natural world.

Lab Girl, published in 2016, quickly earned critical acclaim, being called one of the best books of the year, and is a National Book Critic Circle Award Winner.

The theme of the 2020 Big Read-Dearborn is “The World is Your Lab,” and programming will focus on science and nature. Throughout March and April 2020, there will be many events for the community to participate in, including lectures, films, book discussions, nature walks and other activities centered on STEAM. A kick-off event will be on March 7 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at The Henry Ford Museum.

To put the program together, Dearborn Public Library and the City of Dearborn are partnering with The Henry Ford, the Arab American National Museum, AAUW-Dearborn, the Dearborn Community Fund, Dearborn Public Schools, Artspace, Dearborn Library Foundation, Dearborn Library Commission, Friends of the Library-Dearborn, University of Michigan-Dearborn Mardigian Library and the Environmental Interpretive Center, Henry Ford College Eshleman Library, Beaumont Medical Library, East & West Dearborn Downtown Development authorities, Friends of the Rouge, The Dearborn Inn, Green Brain Comics and Dearborn Heights Libraries.

On Oct. 4, Mayor John B. O’Reilly Jr., University of Michigan-Dearborn Chancellor Domenico Grasso, Library Director Maryanne Bartles, Councilwoman Leslie Herrick, and several other city officials, supporters and community members were in attendance to celebrate the launch of the Big Read. The event took place at the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC) at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

The Big Read Program is an initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Arts Midwest that aims to broaden our understanding of our world, communities and ourselves through sharing the joy of a good book.

Dearborn’s first Big Read was focused on The Call of the Wild by Jack London in 2013-14, the second was inspired by Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe 2015-16 and the third was centered on The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri in 2017-18.

Organizations or businesses interested in participating to help make the Big Read a community-wide experience should contact the library at 313-943-2037.

Organizations or businesses interested in participating to help make the Big Read a community-wide experience should contact the library at 313-943-2037. Visit dearbornlibrary.org or bigreaddearborn.org for updates on the 2019-2020 Big Read.