New Paltz kicks off ‘One Book, One New Paltz’ community-wide reading celebration

NEW PALTZ — “One Book, One New Paltz,” a community-wide book reading, is being launched this week and will culminate with events during the first week of November. The idea of the One Book program is that everyone in New Paltz reads the same book at the same time and then has the opportunity to discuss the book at various events.

The ‘One Book’ everyone will be reading is “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon (2004), a quirky novel told from the perspective of a teenager who is both a math genius and autistic. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow. Christopher sets out to investigate the mysterious death of a neighborhood dog and learns some of his own family’s secrets.

The novel was chosen by a volunteer committee of academics and community members headed by Gerald Benjamin, dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences of SUNY New Paltz.

The committee has organized events during the first week of November for readers who want to enrich their reading experience and meet other readers with whom to discuss the book. Events include a creative writing contest sponsored by the Chronogram; coffeehouse discussions; a public reading by the Mohonk Mountain Players; movie nights; a teaching workshop developed and implemented by graduate students in the SUNY New Paltz School of Education; and a panel discussion of autism moderated by Dr. Jane Nofer Poskanzer, which features keynote speaker Michael John Carley of GRASP, an organization comprised of adults on the autism spectrum.

The book is available at local bookstores and libraries, and “house” copies are being made available for readers at many coffee shops, restaurants, Laundromats and convenience stores throughout New Paltz.

For more information and a complete schedule of events please visit www.onebookonenewpaltz.org or call (845) 257-3520.