UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania — For the eighth consecutive year, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book is participating in Route 1 Reads, a road trip-inspired reading list that explores diverse genres through the State Center for the Book’s affiliate network located along the road. 1. In 2022, the theme of the reading list is literary fiction.
The book selected to represent Pennsylvania is “Wonder Boys” by University of Pittsburgh alumnus Michael Chabon (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008). “Wonder Boys” follows the diversions of a flawed English teacher and his protege who find themselves immersed in locations in their college town of Pittsburgh, each haunted by the aspiration to publish a book – while writing this novel delivers a meta-statement about the turbulent pursuit of his craft.
The diverse reading list created by Route 1 Reads highlights each State Center for the Book affiliate, while celebrating the East Coast as a whole. The full list of literary fiction titles from the Route 1 Reads 2022 initiative can be found at Route1Reads.org.
Route 1 Reads is a partnership between the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and its affiliates in: Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Caroline from the south; Virginia; and Washington, DC The initiative was launched at the 2015 National Book Festival in Washington, DC For more information, visit Route1Reads.org.
About the Center for the Book and the Pennsylvania Center for the Book
The Library of Congress Center for the Book was established by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading” and is a national force for the promotion of reading and literacy. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated state centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading promotion partners, and through its Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress.
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book is affiliated with the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. In partnership with and housed at Penn State University Libraries since 2000, it encourages citizens and residents of Pennsylvania to study, honor, celebrate, and promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy.
In addition to Route 1 Reads, the Pennsylvania Center for the Book administers: The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize, The Public Poetry Project, A Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy, Poems from Life, Words of Art, interactive maps of Pennsylvania’s literary and cultural heritage, and curriculum and educational materials. The Center’s public initiatives provide access to free content that includes poetry posters, live and recorded presentations, lesson plans, reviews and more.
For more information about Route 1 Reads in Pennsylvania, contact Nicole Miyashiro, writer-in-residence, at nmm16@psu.edu.
