By the Herald editorial staff
The Big Read would be a good idea anytime.
These days, it's a great plan. A change of pace -- something fun that has nothing to do with conflicts in the Middle East, the recession or health care -- is the perfect prescription for what ails us.
The concept is simple. Get as many people as possible reading and talking about the same book.
To get us all on the same page, literally, the Mid-Columbia Library District is giving away 1,800 paperback copies of the Maltese Falcon this month, paid for through a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Big Read kicks off at 7 tonight with free books and refreshments at the Kennewick branch, 1620 S. Union St. Free usually means there's a catch, but in this case the only expectation is to share an adventure.
Sam Spade, the private eye who unravels the mystery of the Maltese Falcon, is the prototype for 80 years of detective stories.
Every fictional gumshoe since owes a tip of the fedora to Dashiell Hammett's creation.
If you can't make tonight's event, don't worry. A series of programs is planned throughout October. The schedule is on the web at www.midcolumbia reads.com.
At least 30 book clubs have made the classic story of greed and double-dealing their book of the month for October. College and high school courses also are using the novel.
It's worth your time to be part of the adventure too.
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