What do Coffeyville, Harper, La Cygne, Lansing, Manhattan, and Wamego all have in common? Beginning this fall, residents of the six communities will be reading and discussing The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien as part of The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. KHC recently received a Big Read grant to support reading and discussion activities in the six communities.
 The Things They Carried is a novel in stories about a young platoon in the Vietnam War. The book's subject matter lends itself to a larger discussion about military service and veterans' issues, a timely and important topic in Kansas communities. "With a strong military presence due to our proximity to Fort Riley, the community regularly rallies around veterans," shared Kelley Nordberg, director of the Wamego Public Library. "Our American Legion currently works within the community to make people aware of the importance of recognizing the hard work and sacrifice that military veterans and their families make on a daily basis. Having the book The Things They Carried will open an interesting conversation that will be embraced by our community."
Libraries partnering with KHC for The Big Read project include: Coffeyville Public Library, Harper Public Library, Lansing Community Library, Library District #2 of Linn County (La Cygne), Manhattan Public Library, and Wamego Public Library.
Follow KHC on Twitter and Facebook and check the KHC Calendar of Events in the coming months for information about The Big Read events. For more information, contact Leslie Von Holten, director of programs.
P.S. For more about The Things They Carried, listen to this 2010 interview with Tim O'Brien on NPR's Talk of the Nation.
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