It may have seemed a long time coming to our area. Everyone else seems to have one.

But when Go Read was announced at a kickoff at the Library of Virginia yesterday - and Ernest J. Gaines' "A Lesson Before Dying" was announced as the book - boy, it sure seemed like it had come together at warp speed.

Let's go back a little over a year.

A Virginia Commonwealth University instructor sent me an article on Rochester, N.Y. Everyone in that town - well, everyone who wanted to - was reading "A Lesson Before Dying." They were talking about it in schools, panel discussions, book clubs, coffee shops and at cocktail parties.

The one-book idea was not new. Rochester had ripped it off from Buffalo.

Buffalo had ripped it off from Seattle.

So how about us?

A column here ("If Richmond Read the Same Book," April 20, 2001) brought interest and enough suggested books from readers for a follow-up ("What Should Richmond's Book Be?" April 26, 2001).

Everyone wanted to help.

But no one said, "I will set it up."

Months went by.

Finally, in the fall, four serious volunteers arrived: Sandy Stoddart, director of the Circuit City Foundation; Missie Hersey, owner of Picture This custom framing; Mary Flinn, director of the New Virginia Review; and Robert D'O. Rieffel, city librarian.

One thing led to another - mostly one meeting led to another meeting - and more people came on.

A three-year program materialized. One book would be read and discussed throughout the community each fall, followed, ideally, by a visit from the author.

I did essentially nothing.

But I was in place to see it all happen. The enthusiasm was infectious.

Schools from Richmond, and Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties signed on. (The program was announced yesterday in part to get the book on summer reading lists.) James River High School, in Chesterfield, already had a similar schoolwide project with "A Lesson Before Dying."

Other libraries and bookstores jumped in, promising to have discussion groups and extra books.

Stoddart, who would emerge as a leader, lined up Leadership Metro Richmond to help with organization. New Virginia Review would handle business aspects. The Times-Dispatch would run a Web site. Carter Ryley Thomas would promote the venture.

A diverse cross-section of people and groups eagerly joined. Corporations, too. Scarcely a request was refused.

Who doesn't support reading?

Who doesn't support communication?

Chesterfield School Superintendent. Billy Cannady and Gail W. Johnson of Rainbow Station agreed to be co-chairs.

"A Lesson Before Dying" was chosen as the inaugural book. Go Read! will piggy-back work by other cities and by James River High School.

I intentionally haven't read the book - I'm waiting until September for the official reading time, you know.

But any book that wins the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and is selected by Oprah can't be but so bad. Some say it has "To Kill a Mockingbird" overtones - and then some. Expect to be enriched. Expect to be shaken.

The title of the project became "Go Read" after the previous summer's successful and quirky Go Fish!" program, which populated local sidewalks with fish statues.

Go Read! should be one heck of an experience.

By the way, someone joked that the title might not be specific enough. What if people took it to mean just go read anything?

What if they read the wrong book?

Guess we'll have to live with that.

GO READ! Web site maintained by timesdispatch.com