The UKs largest ever mass reading project has been launched in four cities to mark the 200th anniversary of the passing of the Slave Trade Abolition Bill. The project, Small Island Read 2007, brings together Aye Write! Glasgows book festival, the Bristol and South West Great Reading Adventures, Hull Libraries, and Liverpool Reads in community-based activity that encourages people in the different locations to read the award-winning novel Small Island by Andrea Levy.
Thousands of copies of the book are being made available for loan and for free in the participating locations, all of which were involved in the slave trade and the campaign for its abolition. Two books aimed at younger readers, Benjamin Zephaniahs Refugee Boy and Mary Hoffmans Amazing Grace, are also being distributed through the project to ensure that all age groups can take part. Launching the project, Andrea Levy, said, It has always been one of the aims of my writing to make the history of African-Caribbean people in this country more visible and to show their story to be an important part of British history. I hope everyone who takes part in the Small Island Read 2007 really enjoys the experience.
Published: 15-01-2007