Grab a Copy of This Year's Book Selection at a Book Crossing Near You

Grab a Copy of This Year’s Book Selection at a Book Crossing Near You

You don’t have to look too far to find a copy of this year’s Rutherford County One Book, The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters. Just keep an eye out for a Book Crossing. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see one of the Read To Succeed red boxes in local businesses and libraries. Then just help yourself to one of the books inside.

It’s free. You’ll find a sticker on the inside cover with information about how to log on to the One Book page and share your comments about the book after you’ve read it. You can pass it along to a friend to read after that, bring it back to the location where you found it or drop it by any of the other locations listed on the sticker. Ingram Content Group donated the books for the Crossing.
One Book is an initiative to promote reading and unity from Read To Succeed, a local nonprofit designed to encourage literacy. Each year the organization’s One Book Committee reads dozens of books and selects one choice to recommend to the community. Events are planned around the book’s themes, and a partnership is formed with another local nonprofit to participate in cross-promotions.

The premise behind this year’s One Book is that a giant asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, destined to strike and sure to eliminate most life on the planet. The book’s characters react in various ways to the impending catastrophe, some going off to complete their bucket lists, others spending the time in prayer, while many succumb to depression and take their own life.

But Detective Hank Palace, the hero of The Last Policeman just keeps on doing his everyday job. And when a case of apparent suicide occurs, he doesn’t just ignore the small things that don’t add up and instead investigates the incident, determined to do his job as the rest of the world falls apart around him.

Partnering with the One Book Committee this year is the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross, whose volunteers handle a variety of disasters in the same calm, professional and selfless manner as the hero of The Last Policeman, Detective Hank Palace.

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Also partnering with One Book this year is Middle Tennessee State University’s Physics Department. MTSU professor John Wallin will host a special Star Party at 6:30 the evening of Feb. 7 to discuss “Killer Asteroids” and to allow attendees a chance to take a guided look at the stars, weather permitting. The Star Party is free and open to the public, whether you’ve read The Last Policeman or not, and the event is for all ages.

The lecture and star party will be in MTSU’s Wiser-Patten Science Hall, room 102.
The Science Hall is also a location for the Book Crossing. Other Book Crossings include:
• JoZoara Coffee Shop, 536 N. Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro
• Wiser-Patten Science Hall, MTSU
• Linebaugh Library, 111 W. Vine St., Murfreesboro
• Smyrna Public Library, 400 Enon Springs Road W., Smyrna
• La Vergne Library, 5063 Murfreesboro Road, La Vergne
• Donut Palace, 17 S. Lowry St., Smyrna
• Bud’s Tire, 3600 Woodbury Pike, Suite B, Murfreesboro
• Starbucks, 2904 S. Church St., Murfreesboro
• Reveille Joe, 113 N. Maple St., Public Square, Murfreesboro
• Heart of Tennessee American Red Cross, 501 Memorial Blvd., Murfreesboro

About the Author

Read To Succeed is the community collaborative created to promote literacy in Rutherford County. The objective of this partnership between schools, area agencies, and businesses is to support local programming and raise awareness about the importance of literacy. For more information and to find out how you can make a difference in Rutherford County’s literacy rates, visit readtosucceed.org. The opinions expressed in this book review are not necessarily representative of Read To Succeed, but simply intended to promote the joy of reading.