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Press Contact:
Cisco DeVries
(510) 981-7103

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 27, 2006

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAYOR'S OFFICE AND LOCAL RESIDENTS PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY READ ALOUD

Berkeley Reads Together: California Stories Community Read Aloud at the West Berkeley Senior Center September 30, 2006.

Berkeley, CA - On September 30^th representatives from the Mayor's Office, Berkeley Public Library, the Persian Center and local residents will kick-off the 2^nd Annual Berkeley Reads Together: California Stories.  This year, two books were selected - Funny in Farsi and The Circuit. 

Both books describe the experiences of people who came to California from other countries.  Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas, is about an Iranian woman who arrived here as a teenager and The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez, is about a man who arrived here from Mexico as a young child.  Two very different experiences, yet similarities in how one assimilate and accommodates to a new community and culture.

Berkeley Reads Together is a wonderful opportunity to build community and promote literacy throughout the City by encouraging all Berkeleyans to read the same book at the same time and then discuss it with their families, friends and neighbors. Last month, Mayor Bates and the Berkeley Public Library distributed hundreds of free copies through the branch libraries, the city's senior centers and summer programs that participated in the Mayor's Project BUILD literacy programs.

"Over the summer months I work with the library and community partners to promote literacy among our youth.  Berkeley Reads Together is a great way to broaden that effort to include young and old alike," said Mayor Tom Bates. "This year's books are wonderful pieces of literature and a very creative look at the issue of immigration."

Who:                Library representatives, elected officials, local community

What:               Community Read Aloud

Where:             West Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Sixth Street at Hearst

When:              September 30^th, 11:00 a.m.

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