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The San Jose Public Library Foundation and the Santa Clara County Office of Education have launched the "Silicon Valley Reads: One Book, One Community" campaign. The reading program was unveiled at a reception for community, government and business leaders hosted by Adobe Systems Inc., at 345 Park Ave., San Jose.
Colleen Wilcox, county superintendent of schools, said that Silicon Valley Reads is similar to other successful nationwide reading initiatives, yet it is different because the public will be asked to vote on the one book the community will read. Also unique, according to Wilcox, will be the availability of an eBook in Adobe PDF format that will accompany the selected book.
The three book finalists announced were Catfish and Mandala, by Andrew X. Pham, Breaking Through, by Francisco Jimenez, and The Bonesetter's Daughter, by Amy Tan.
The finalists needed to appeal to a diverse audience, be appropriate for both adults and young adults, be available in more than one language, and the authors had to still be living.
The public was invited to vote for their preference via www.siliconvalleyreads.org or at their local branch of the San Jose Public Library.
Adobe co-founder Charles Geschke hosted the kickoff event at Adobe.
"Adobe is proud to support the Silicon Valley Reads program with our eBook technology," said Geschke at the event. "Libraries remain a cornerstone for any forward-looking community, and eBooks allow libraries to deliver written works to patrons in an easy-to-use electronic format that enhances the reading experience."
Other cities have successfully implemented community reading programs. Seattle was the first, in 1998, with Russell Banks' The Sweet Hereafter. Chicago selected Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Recently, California announced John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath as the choice for a statewide reading initiative.
For more information, visit www.siliconvalleyreads.org or call Karen Storey, program coordinator, at 408.298.5381.
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