Read, read, and read some more 

The PREFACE and SLO County Reads Program has yet to disappoint with its literary selection, (Alice Sebold, anyone?) and this year is no exception.

You, as a county resident, are encouraged to read this year’s book selection, Montana 1948 by Larry Watson, and then participate in upcoming events.

In addition to all of us reading Montana 1948, new Cal Poly students have been asked to read the book over the summer, and then discuss it as a common intellectual experience during fall orientation.

“The program hopes to convey to new students that university learning is not a series of isolated classes but rather a multitude of learning experiences in and out of the classroom,” said Patricia Ponce, PREFACE Coordinator and Director of Summer Academic Programs for Cal Poly. “Cal Poly and the SLO City-County Public Library both believe that reading is akey institutional value and a means for community building, not only across the Cal Poly campus but also with our county residents.”

Upcoming book discussions take place on September 18, from 6 – 8 p.m., at the Los Osos Public Library and on September 23, from 6 – 7 p.m. at the Arroyo Grande Public Library.

In addition, everyone is invited to a free presentation by the author, Larry Watson, on September 24 at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo from 7 – 8 p.m., followed by a Q & A and a book signing.

Info: preface.calpoly.edu or call 756-1380.

About the Book

Montana 1948 is an award winning story told from the view point of a 12 year old boy.David Hayden is looking back forty years at a series of events that formed his own moral center. The son of the local sheriff, he remembers a time of conflict and violence within his family and community and comes to understand how the most important decisions are sometimes made extremely difficult when the only choices are between competing goods.

About the Author

Larry Watson has published several novels and poems that reflect his familiarity with the landscape and people of the western plains. Watson himself was born and raised in North Dakota and is the son and grandson of small-town sheriffs. His other novels include Justice, In a Dark Time, White Crosses, Laura, Orchard, and Sundown Yellow Moon.