UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, located within the Education Library of Penn State University Libraries, has selected Kelly Starling Lyons’ I Can Read comic for young readers, “Ty’s Travels: Camp Out,” published by Harper Alley, and Leon Ford’s adult memoir, “An Unspeakable Hope: Brutality, Forgiveness, and Building a Better Future for My Son,” published by Atria, to represent Pennsylvania in the Library of Congress Center for the Book’s 2024 Great Reads program.
The national Great Reads from Great Places program highlights the literary heritage of all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Marianas by publicizing a list of titles written by authors from, taking place in or celebrating the culture and heritage of each location. Each state and territorial Center for the Book typically selects one children’s and one adult title, which are promoted at the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival. A press release from the Library of Congress shares further details about the 2024 festival and provides a comprehensive list of this year’s Great Reads. This national initiative is made possible by the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from Chief Officers of State Library Agencies.
After surveying titles published over the previous two years and soliciting recommendations from Pennsylvania librarians, the center chose Starling Lyons’ and Ford’s works for inclusion in the national program based on their relevance to Pennsylvania; excellence in writing and other features; reflection of the diversity of Pennsylvania residents; appropriateness for statewide promotion; and alignment with the center’s and the Great Reads mission.
The Ty’s Travels series is part of HarperCollins’ I Can Read Comics series and is intended for beginning readers, ages 4 to 6 years old. Published in 2022, "Camp Out" shows Ty’s and his family’s pluck when bad weather seems to quash their plans for a camping trip. Ty’s imagination saves the day and family fun is shared in this high interest, vibrantly illustrated comic narrative for beginning readers.
"An Unspeakable Hope: Brutality, Forgiveness, and Building a Better Future for My Son" chronicles the journey of Pittsburgh native Leon Ford from his adolescent experiences in the drug trade, to the life-changing moment when he was shot by a police officer and the aftermath of those experiences. Through reading both Ford’s raw portrayals of the violence, traumas and anger he experienced, and the wisdom he gleaned from his family, mentors, hard work and soul-searching, Ford shares valuable insights on masculinity, poverty, mental health, social activism and many other topics.
Founded in 2000, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book is a state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. Its mission is to is to study, honor, celebrate and promote books, reading, libraries and literacy to the citizens and residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.