UB Libraries join WNY reading initiative

Libraries, book stores and community organizations across Western New York will unite throughout the month of May for the “One Community, One Book” initiative, a county-wide program created to provide shared experiences through reading and dialogue.

The program centers on Daniel James Brown’s New York Times best-selling book, “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” the tale of working class college students who, despite the challenges of the Great Depression, found the strength to defeat the best rowing teams in the world.

The UB Libraries will hold an informative program related to the book at 4 p.m. May 4 in 310 Silverman Library in Capen Hall, North Campus. The program is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

Speakers include Bob Poczik, a retired education administrator who will discuss the impact of the Great Depression and the propaganda that Nazi Germany presented to the world around the time of the 1936 Olympic Games, and UB web developer Katie Barnum, who will share her experiences with rowing and her role with the Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association.

Members of the UB Men’s Rowing Club also will be there to answer questions about the club and art of rowing. Other guests include members of We Can Row, a wellness and rehabilitation program designed for breast cancer and all female cancer survivors.

One Community, One book, initiated by the Clarence Public Library and Buffalo & Erie County Public Library system, has grown to include the UB Libraries, Barnes & Noble, the Buffalo Maritime Center, Town of Clarence Youth Bureau, Monkey See Monkey Do Bookstore and Bistro Bookers.

Dozens of free public activities and discussions relating to the book will take place during May throughout Western New York. A young-reader edition of “The Boys in the Boat” by the same author is available for children interested in participating.