The Belmont Library Foundation is proud to be one of the co-sponsors of Belmont Library’s “Better Through Books” community reading program.  As described so well on the Library website, this year’s community event has been very specifically designed for this moment in time:

The events of 2020 were profound, and we could not simply choose one topic for this year’s community read event, with one book, and the usual slate of programs.

So for 2021 and our eighth community reading program, The Belmont Public Library presents a dual focus which will cover a few different books and multiple programming opportunities that span 2 months, rather than the traditional one-month program. In this unique time, the One Book, One Belmont committee has decided that the theme for our community read must be healing – healing from a devastating year that we will never forget.

The library and our community organization cosponsors invite Belmont residents to read across a variety of titles and participate in all of the exciting programs throughout March and April.

In March, E. Dolores Johnson, author of Say I’m Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love, will be the keynote speaker for our month-long focus on anti-racism and celebration of equity, diversity, and inclusion on March 30th.

In April, the focus shifts to wellness, specifically the need for coping, optimism, and resiliency. There will be many events to attend and books to read, including the thoughtful Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace by Claire B. Willis & Marnie Crawford Samuelson and the uplifting The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by New York Times best-selling author Gabrielle Zevin, who will be joining us on April 28th for a keynote talk.

We hope you can join us!  To register and for more information, visit onebookonebelmont.com.  See below for a flyer of the events for March and keep an eye out for the upcoming April flyer.