Amarillo Reads club kicks off

'Cold Sassy Tree' selected

In the works for months, Amarillo Reads has settled on "Cold Sassy Tree" as its first communitywide book club selection.

Amarillo Reads, part of the Celebrate Education program spearheaded by the Amarillo Globe-News and its corporate partners, officially kicked off with a celebration Thursday at the Central Library.

Celebrate Education is a yearlong program designed to bring awareness to and begin to address the issues of raising the education level of the Amarillo workforce.

"Reading is good for you," said Mayor Debra McCartt. "A lot of thought went into selecting 'Cold Sassy Tree.' It contains a good lesson, and it's one that would be enjoyable to all ages. It has lasting appeal, and I hope you'll join me (in reading the book)."

"Cold Sassy Tree," by Olive Ann Burns, tells of the passions and intrigues of the people who populate a small Georgia town whose sense of propriety is challenged.

McCartt admitted she's not a reader by nature but "really enjoyed 'Cold Sassy Tree.' "

Celebrate Education and Amarillo Reads are yearlong initiatives, she said.

"I think we've picked the perfect book (to begin with)," McCartt said.

The novel's selection came independently of the announcement that the Amarillo Opera would stage a version of "Cold Sassy Tree" on April 26 at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.

"This couldn't have worked any better, now that the Opera's doing this," said Les Simpson, publisher of the Globe-News.

For the next month or so, the branches of the Amarillo Public Library will have events tied to "Cold Sassy Tree" to enhance the experience and make the communitywide effort more enjoyable, said Stacy Yates of the library.

McCartt also will be at Hastings Books, Music & Entertainment, 2001 S. Georgia St., at 10 a.m. Saturday to share coffee, talk about books and encourage participation in Amarillo Reads.