Or at least promise yourself you’ll join us on Saturday, April 14, at 2 PM in the Carnegie Room when the St. Charles Library Foundation, in celebration of National Library Week, welcomes author Alice Ozma.
Alice’s memoir, The Reading Promise: My Father, and the Books We Shared , tells the story of a reading project she and her father started when she was 9 years old. Every night, for 100 nights, Alice’s father read out loud to her. They called this “The Streak.” On the morning of the 101st day, Alice asked why The Streak had to end. The answer was — it didn’t. And so Alice’s father, a school librarian and soon-to-be-single father, read out loud to Alice for 3,218 nights. The Streak ended on the day he drove Alice off to begin her freshman year of college; their final reading session took place on her dormitory staircase.
The Streak survived bouts of laryngitis and spells of stomach flu. It survived Alice’s parents’ separation and divorce and her older sister’s college years abroad. It survived first dates and senior proms, school play rehearsals and final exams. And it created an unbreakable bond between a father and daughter and instilled in Alice a lifelong love of reading and passion for books. In fact, Alice has made a commitment to spread the word about the joys of reading and the importance of making a reading promise — to a child, a friend, a family member — even oneself.
We’ve fallen in love with Alice and we’re sure you will, too! Check out her video and then join us on Saturday, April 14, at 2 PM in the Carnegie Room. It will be a great afternoon. Promise.
Really looking forward to this program!