ReadDavidson

ReadDavidson is a town-wide initiative organized by a group of avid readers, Main Street Books, and the Davidson Public Library. Since 2007, books have been chosen annually, and book-related events have been planned to make each book come to life. Each year citizens are invited to participate in programs and events. 

Thanks to everyone who voted! The 2018 ReadDavidson selection is News of the World by Paulette Jiles.
Here's a synopsis:
In the aftermath of the American Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this morally complex, multi-layered novel of historical fiction.  Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.  In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, Johanna has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.  The captain must hand her over to strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself.

2018 Events


All events are free and open to the public.

Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Davidson Public Library
Join retired Charlotte Observer newspaper writer Mark Washburn for a discussion of News of The World as he shares his perspective on news transmission then and now.

Saturday, April 28 at 4:00 pm. at Main Street Books
Join Dr. Carol Higham, professor of history at UNC-Charlotte and Davidson resident, as she leads a book discussion on News of the World. She’ll provide a historical perspective of what activity was transpiring in that part of the country with Native Americans and the German immigrant population, post-Civil War.

Sponsors


Thank you to our sponsors:
  • Main Street Books
  • Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
  • Davidson Public Library
  • PostNet
  • DavidsonLearns

History


ReadDavidson was first launched in 2007 and is a partnership between the Town of Davidson, the Davidson Public Library, Main Street Books, and several local avid readers.

Past ReadDavidson selections


2007: The Bridge by Doug Marlette
2008: One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash
2009: The Color of Water by James McBride
2010: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
2011: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2012: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
2013: A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
2014: One Second After by William Forstchen
2015: Guests on Earth by Lee Smith
2016: Wherever There is Light by Peter Golden
2017: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
2018: News of the World by Paulette Jiles
News of the World cover