Summit Seniors Receive "Bel Canto" for World Book Night

World Book Night’s National Chairperson is the Pulitzer Prize winning Anna Quindlen. Her mission is to encourage reading and enjoyment of the written word in print.  Celebrated simultaneously in the U.S.A, Great Britain and Ireland, World Book Night hopes to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free paperback books.

Locally, Melissa Kuzma, Deputy Executive Director of the , helped celebrate World Book Night on Monday, April 23 at the Vito Gallo Senior Center on Chestnut Avenue. She was chosen to be one of 25,000 representatives in the United States to hand out free books to commemorate the annual event. 

Each of the representatives  chooses a book from a list of 30 popular titles. They then receive 20 copies of that book, donated by each publisher, to distribute to their group or organization. The lucky residents of the Senior Center were treated to Bel Canto, written by Ann Patchett and donated by Perennial Press. This book was published in 2001 and was the Pen/Faulkner Award winner that year. “Bel Canto is a favorite of mine and it was a joy to be able to share its magic with the community," said Kuzma.

For more information on World Book Night, you may visit them on their web site, www.worldbooknight.org.

By Lee Radsch, Volunteer News Consultant, Summit Housing Authority