Big Read
February/March 2009
Their Eyes were Watching God

THE BIG READ provides our citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within our community. J-MRL invites all book lovers to participate in this exciting program that will be held throughout the months of February and March 2009. The Library is partnering with the Virginia Foundation Center for the Book in THE BIG READ* designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. Visit the Center's BIG READ.

Creating a Nation of Readers

The Library's goal is to encourage all residents of Central Virginia to read and discuss "Their Eyes were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston during this time. There will be many programs discussing the book and the time period.

Check the catalog for Library sources and author information.

Zora Neale Hurston's vibrant novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" presents Janie Mae Crawford's growth from a voiceless teenage girl into a woman who takes charge of her own destiny.

Zora Neale Hurston To call Hurston's novel an "African American feminist classic" may be an accurate statement-it is certainly a frequent statement-but it is a misleadingly narrow and rather dull way to introduce a vibrant and achingly human novel. The syncopated beauty of Hurston's prose, her remarkable gift for comedy, the sheer visceral terror of the book's climax, all transcend any label that critics have tried to put on this remarkable work.

First published amid controversy in 1937, the novel was then rescued from obscurity four decades later. Although Hurston wrote the novel in only seven weeks, Their Eyes Were Watching God breathes and bleeds a whole life's worth of urgent experience.

Exhibits

Starr Hill Neighborhood Exhibit: Feb 2 - Mar 30

Zora Neale Hurston's novel illustrates the life and community of a woman named Janie Crawford, descended from the daughter of an enslaved woman in early 20th century in Florida. At the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society there will be an exhibit on the lives of local African-Americans who lived at Starr Hill in the 1930s. This illustrated exhibit will provide historic and cultural background on the families and businesses in this centrally located yet often forgotten neighborhood.

Albemarle Families of Diverse Heritage: Feb 2 - Mar 30

This exhibit prepared by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society traces the African American experience in Charlottesville through the lens of three local families, the Bowles, the Scotts and the Taylors with photographs and documents.
Location: Northside Library.

Each a Mighty Voice: the African-American Presence in Albemarle County: Feb 6 - 28

This exhibit prepared by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society presents the history of African Americans in Charlottesville and Albemarle from the 16th through the 20th centuries using photographs, documents and oral histories.
Location: Fellini's #9

Harlem Renaissance Era: Feb 2 - 28

Come see rarities from Zora Neale Hurston and her Harlem Renaissance contemporaries on display in the lobby of the Special Collections Library.
Location: Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, UVA

Walking Tours

History of African Americans at UVA

Covers the entire history of African Americans at UVA. Visitors learn about the lives of the very first African Americans at the University and the influential ground breakers who paved the way for African American students to gain admittance to the University. Free.
Time & Location: the Rotunda steps facing the lawn, Fridays at 4 pm. Tour runs approximately one hour.

Starr Hill Neighborhood

The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society will offer free tours of the Starr Hill neighborhood, remembered in local history as an important African-American community. On the tour we see homes, businesses, churches and schools which have been part of the life of the neighborhood over time.
Time & Location: Jefferson School on 4th Street NW. Sat, Mar 21 at 10 am & Sun Mar 22 at 1 pm. Rain dates are Mar 28 & Mar 29. Tour lasts approximately one hour. more info: 434-296-1492.

History of Women at UVA

Covers the entire history of women at the University of Virginia. From being denied admittance to the official coeducation in 1970, women’s struggle in the fight for an education at the University of Virginia is one worth noting. Completely transforming the student population of the University, women comprise a majority of the students who attend the University today. Free.
Time & Location: the Rotunda steps facing the lawn, Sat, Mar 28, 1 pm. Tour runs approximately 45 minutes.

THE BIG READ For Little Readers

There are special programs connected to THE BIG READ at the Central Library, Crozet Library and Northside Library. Check the Kids Programs webpage to see what is available.

*THE BIG READ program is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Arts Midwest.

For questions or if you would like to participate in some way please contact: bigread@jmrl.org

THE BIG READ is supported by the Art and Jane Hess Fund of the Library Endowment