Dal Reads

Uniting for the love of a good book!

Dalhousie students, faculty, and staff are being encouraged to read the Dal Reads novel for 2012-13, Twenty-Six by Leo McKay Jr.

Based on the events of the 1992 Westray mining disaster, in which 26 coal miners were killed in an explosion in the Westray Mine in Pictou County, N.S., Twenty-Six is a beautifully written story about family, love, grief, and the politics of greed. Without resorting to melodrama, it brilliantly depicts the tragedy of the mine explosion, but even more so, the tragedy of a family unraveling from despair, loneliness, and bullheadedness.

Started in 2009, Dal Reads is a program designed to encourage members of the Dalhousie community to share their love of books by reading the same novel. In that first year, the chosen book was Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes.

This year, Dal is partnering with Libraries Nova Scotia and its new One Book Nova Scotia initiative, by adopting its chosen book, Twenty-Six, as the Dal Reads novel. The One Book movement started in Seattle in 1998, and has since spread to many other cities, states, and provinces in North America. Its purpose is for “people to read the same book and share the same story.”

Author reading

Dal will host a reading by Leo McKay Jr. on Friday, October 12 in the University Club Pub. The free event starts at 7 p.m. with a reception to follow. Seating is limited so please arrive early.