Intriguing idea, isn't it?

Everyone in the Richmond area reading the same book.

At the same time.

It would be like everyone watching the Super Bowl or "Survivor," except, of course, that it would be reading.

We remember reading. It's what we used to do before TV.
Sort of like FDR's fireside chats.
Only reading.

Jonathan Silverman, a Virginia Commonwealth University instructor, tipped me to a news article on a project in Rochester, N.Y.
They are reading one book.
Everyone in town.

Well, everyone who wants to.

They are talking about it in schools, in panel discussions, in book clubs.
They kick it over in coffee shops and cocktail parties.

Book stores and libraries set up displays, give away materials and have
discussions. A local theater even is staging a theatrical version of the novel to run through April.

The author came to town for three days of readings, signings, appearances and discussions.

The one-book idea is not new.

Seattle did it in 1999. Buffalo did it last year. Rochester's Writers &
Books group used it to launch its annual membership drive in January. The group's director identified at least seven benefits to "If All of Rochester Read the Same Book":

interaction based on a shared reading experience;

broader and deeper appreciation for books;

a jumping-off point to discuss social issues;

more people in libraries, bookstores and other literary institutions;

more libraries with book discussion groups;

more people in the groups;

more opportunities for young people and adults to talk.

The book they chose was "A Lesson Before Dying" by Ernest P. Gaines, author of "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.

The book, written in 1993, is set in 1940s Cajun Louisiana.
An Associated Press article on Rochester's project reports: "The tale of a young black man wrongly convicted of murder and a disillusioned teacher who struggles to help him face death with dignity has become a springboard for debating literacy, the death penalty, civic engagement and sometimes thornier topics like race relations." There are impromptu discussions in elevators, museum galleries and supermarkets, many sparked by buttons handed out by Writers & Books, saying: "I'm reading Ernest Gaines."

The county library had 116 back orders. The book keeps selling out at Barnes & Noble. Amazon.com says it is one of the most ordered books in surrounding communities: No. 1 in Pittston, No. 3 in Hamburg, No. 3 in East Aurora, No. 5 in Fairport.

So could it work in Richmond?

One city, one book?

Of course, you know the first choice in Richmond would be "Gone With the Wind."

Let's say you couldn't go with that. Would you pick another classic, or
popular fiction?

Would you go with something with local flavor, (say, Tom Robbins' "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" or Adriana Trigiani's "Big Stone Gap"?) or forgo regionalism? Would characters or ideas drive your choice?

Let us know. We'll share your thoughts here.
What book could be read - and why?

What groups would have to be involved - and how?

And which groups could you personally bring to the table?
Or maybe it's just a stupid idea. If so, though, don't blame me.
Blame Rochester.

Rochester's program is detailed online at
www.wab.org/allofrochester/allofrochester.html

Ray's column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Write him at the
Times-Dispatch, Box 85333, Richmond VA 23293, call (804) 649-6333, fax (804) 775-8059, or e-mail rmcallister@timesdispatch.com.

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