23 Oct One Town, One Read
2019 selection for One Town One Read
You voted and the results are in! Shakespeare Saved My Life by Indiana author Laura Bates is our first One Town, One Read selection. One Town, One Read is a program that encourages everyone in the same community to read the same book and then discuss it. We will read this selection throughout the winter. The library has several copies to check out, so just ask one of our staff to help. And be sure to look for programs about this book in the spring!
Shakespeare Saved My Life follows Dr. Bates’ journey volunteering to teach Shakespeare in the one place where it had never been taught before – the supermax solitary confinement in Indiana’s Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. There she met Larry Newton, a convicted murderer with several escape attempts under his belt. While he was considered the “most dangerous” of the most dangerous, he also had an incredibly sharp mind; eventually becoming one of Dr. Bates’ best students. They spent 10 years discussing Shakespeare, developing a very strong bond, and creating one of the most unlikely, yet long-lasting friendships.
Dr. Bates is currently an English professor at Indiana State University and lives in Terre Haute.
