Forsyth Co. Public Library invites you to join your neighbors, friends and colleagues in a community wide initiative to read and discuss one great work of American literature - "Fahrenheit 451."

Writing in 1950s California, Ray Bradbury was amazing in his ability to imagine the impact that technology and electronic media would have on American society and popular culture. What are now “earbuds” were described by Bradbury as “seashell thimbles.” The wall-to-wall TV screens that make up the “parlor walls” in Fahrenheit 451 are here also in our HD plasma screen TVs. Where is technology and media taking us?

And more to the point for libraries . . . do people read anymore? A 2007 National Endowment for the Arts study, “To Read or Not to Read” has found that Americans are reading less and less:

• Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers
• 38% of employers find high school graduates “Deficient” in reading comprehension
• Only 3% of adult prisoners read at a Proficient level

And yet:

• 84% of proficient readers voted in the 2000 presidential election, compared with 53% of below-basic readers
• Literary readers are more than 3 times as likely as non-readers to visit museums, attend plays or concerts

Reading is essential to our success and well-being. Join in The Big Read and make Forsyth County a community of readers.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.