"Read It Forward" program

St. Louis Library's "gift" book has harsh tone

The book the St. Louis Public Library is using in its unique "Read It Forward" program for kids has a strong urban school theme. It also echoes the present-day reality in its portrayal of violence in schools.

In the "Read It Forward" program, the city public libraries are lending 500 books to kids and they don't have to return them. What they do have to do is agree to pass them along to other kids so they can enjoy reading too.

In turn, the next kids pass them on to others or notify a branch library that they'd like to pass them to someone on the waiting list. Library officials say that some of the "Read It Forward" books from last year have been through 20 to 30 kids.

This unique "gift" lending is trying to get city kids interested in reading and libraries.

The city library started the program a year ago. Then, starting in March, the libraries lent out 500 copies of author Jamie Adoff's book, "Names Will Never Hurt Me."

Last month, Adoff was in St. Louis for talks with kids at Beaumont High School, Webster Middle School and at the Schlafly branch library in the Central West End.

Most of his "Names" books have been lent out a first time. But, kids can sign up on a waiting list for notification when a book has been finished by one kid.

(To learn more about "Read It Forward", visit www.slpl.org. To sign up for waiting list, e-mail readitforward@slpl.org. To buy the book, click on Amazon logo on home page. )

Carrie Dietz is the SLPL young authors librarian. She said the library already has picked a new book for the next "Read It Forward" distribution. In mid-October, the library will buy 500 copies of author Sheila P. Moses' book, "I, Dred Scott."

This book is a fictionalized account of former St. Louisan Dred Scott's fight through the state and federal court system in his bid to escape slavery.

Jaime Adoff

Ms. Dietz said the library had selected Mr. Adoff's book as a "Read It Forward" offering "many months ago." But she said, "It was eerie how the subjects of bullying, loners and violence in schools mirrored recent news stories."

She said she was explaining to kids at Cardinal Ritter High School about the book the same day of the killings by a loner student on the Virginia Tech campus.

Adoff's book tells the story of one day in the lives of four students. But, unlike the Virginia Tech shootings, the loner in Adoff's book ends up as the hero.

SLPL's "gift" book program tries to select books and authors of interest to kids.

In Adoff's case, his path to becoming a children's book author was a very unique one.

He was born into an inter-racial family with two famous authors. His mother was the late Newberry Award author Virginia Hamilton. His father was published poet Arnold Adoff.

"Of course, with two powerhouse authors as parents, I was certain I'd never be a writer," he told the Schlafly library audience.

In his teens, he got interested in music and "I wanted to be a rock and roll star." He said he played drums in a "garage band" but the best gig was "fronting at our school prom."

In college, he played in four or five different bands. After college, he went to New York to try for a recording contract.

He said, "I finally decided it wasn't going to happen in music. I was playing with a band in a small smoky bar in New Jersey. There were only three people in the bar and they all had their backs to the band."

During most of his life, he had kept daily journals of his activities. He decided to try his hand at writing. His first efforts were in the form of "hip-hop" poetry.

His first published book was poems about music, "The Song Shoots Out of My Mouth."

The "Names" book was his first novel. It tells about the lives of four kids, what happens to them externally and what they think about internally. Kurt is the loner who is constantly bullied by his classmates.

But, at the end of the book, he's the one who is the hero. Mr. Adoff said, "In the end, he's the one who does the right thing."

Several of the kids in the Schlafly audience asked him about his rough language and descriptions of school violence. He said, "After what happens to them, I doubt if they would describe that with "gee" and "golly."

But, he said he's an "optimistic person" who believes in the eventual goodness of people.

He's thinking about a "Names" sequel, telling how the four turn out later in life.