#Lowell Reads Great Expectations (June—August 2012) #lowellreads12

In concert with the citywide Dickens in Lowell Celebration, the Pollard is resurrecting the Lowell Reads program. The aim of this program is to promote literacy and to foster a better sense of community by creating an opportunity for Lowellians engage with their neighbors in a meaningful discussion over a treasured classic. Beginning June 2nd, the Pollard Library will have book club kits of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations available for patrons to borrow to host and facilitate  discussions. In addition we will have copies of the novel in many formats for individuals to borrow. Readers can also pose questions and share their thoughts on the online discussion forum at www.lowellreads.org or join the conversation on Twitter @pollardml #lowellreads12. The library will be host a series of in person book discussions, films, and more.  For a full list of events you can visit our library calendar page, or our facebook events page, or stop by the library (or the Friends Book Sale this weekend) to pick up a brochure. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Widely considered the best of Dickens’ novels, Great Expectations, tells the story of a young man named Pip and his education and ascension through the classes in Victorian England. Originally released in weekly installments between 1860-1861 the novel is full of intrigue, mystery and suspense. It unfolds in a masterful plotted scheme as engaging to modern readers as it was to those subscribers who originally read it in weekly serial format. The richly drawn characters speak highly of Dickens’ keen awareness of the universal foibles of human nature. So whether you’re reading this masterwork for the first time, or you’re reacquainting yourself with the likes of Estella, Miss Havisham, Joe Gargery and Pip join in on the conversation this summer as Lowell Reads Great Expectations.

LOWELL READS GREAT EXPECTATIONS is part of the citywide DICKENS IN LOWELL CELEBRATION happening throughout 2012. For more information please visit www.uml.edu/dickens. Dickens in Lowell is sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in partnership with the Lowell National Historical Park, the Tsongas Industrial History Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Charles Dickens Museum London, and with generous support from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation and the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. In addition, Lowell Reads Great Expectations, is made possible  by The Pollard Memorial Library Foundation and the Friends of the Pollard Memorial Library.

If you have any questions, or want more info please call or email Sean Thibodeau, Community Planning Librarian, 978-674-1542 or sthibodeau@mvlc.org. Happy Reading!