Galesburg is one of 62 communities nationwide participating in the National Endowment for the Art’s Big Read in April.
This is the 15th year Galesburg has participated in the community-wide shared reading program.
This year’s book is the novel “Interior Chinatown” by Charles Yu.
It follows the story of Willis Yu, a Taiwanese American living in Chinatown who dreams of being a kung fu actor but has a bit part in a police procedural show.
“It talks a lot about Asian and Asian-American experiences in the United States, the ideas of being stereotyped and overlooked,” said Eileen Castro, reference librarian and grant coordinator for the Galesburg Public Library.
“Interior Chinatown” is written in the format of a screenplay. It won the National Book Award for fiction in 2020.
Castro said every year the library tries to pick a book that will have wide reader appeal but also introduce readers to different genres, ideas, or cultures.
“So this one we thought would be something good to talk about the Asian American experience, especially coming out of the pandemic,” Castro said.
In addition to book discussions throughout the month of April, many other events are planned to complement the book’s themes.
The Big Read kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 1 with a free improv comedy show at The Orpheum Theatre.
The event features Stir Friday Night, an Asian American comedy team in Chicago, performing their latest show, the Improvised Martial Art Movie
Copies of “Interior Chinatown” will be available at the performance.
Other events planned include free tai chi classes, craft programs, and a presentation by Dr. Ada Cheng about the “othering” of Asian Americans.
A full schedule of Big Read events is on the library’s website.
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