About the library > News Releases > 2006 > Midnight at the Dragon Café selected for community reading project
Midnight at the Dragon Café selected for library's fifth annual community reading project
June 9, 2006
Contact:
- Terrilyn Chun, Public Programs, 503.988.5469
- Lynne McKay, Public Programs, 503.988.3496
PORTLAND, OR – Midnight at the Dragon Café, (Counterpoint Press, 2005) by Judy Fong Bates, is the selection for Multnomah County Library's Everybody Reads communitywide reading project for 2007. The novel tells the story of Su-Jen Chou, the only daughter of an unhappy and isolated immigrant family who leave China to seek a better life only to encounter new challenges as they try to fit into their adopted homeland while preserving their heritage.
Hailed by Publisher's Weekly as "a deeply affecting debut novel" conveying "the anger, disappointment, vulnerability and pride of people struggling to balance duty and passion," the book examines the tensions between tradition and assimilation, and filial duty and the pursuit of individual happiness.
Everybody Reads 2007 will be the fifth annual community reading project of Multnomah County Library, made possible by The Library Foundation and numerous corporate and private sponsors. Modeled after similar projects which take place worldwide, the goal of Everybody Reads is to get people reading and connecting with each other around a single book. The project kicks off in late January with events, book discussions and other programming taking place throughout the month of February at libraries and other locations in the community.
"Midnight at the Dragon Café provides readers with a look at the culture and traditions of Chinese immigrants as well as a compelling personal story that will present many opportunities for rich discussions in our community," says Molly Raphael, director of libraries. "Each year, Everybody Reads participants tell us that sharing ideas and experiences is one of the most rewarding aspects of this project; we look forward to continuing this tradition."
For Everybody Reads updates, check the project website at www.multcolib.org/reads/.