Libraries join summer reading program

For the fifth year, Berks County Public Libraries will join multiple counties across Pennsylvania in “A Summer Read.”

The initiative, which runs July through September, provides the public with a collective read on a topic about health and wellness.

This year’s selection, “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy” by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, is available to check out at all 23 locations in the county.

The topic of the 2020 selection is timely, focusing on using stories, research, and practical advice to help readers build strength to help them face life’s challenges — and then help their families and communities do the same.

“Option B” details the struggles that Sheryl Sandberg felt after the sudden death of her husband. Her friend, Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build.

“Libraries are a valued community resource that provide services far beyond loaning books,” Amy Resh, system administrator of Berks County Public Libraries, said in a news release. “We see the Summer Read program as a way to elevate the quality of life for the Berks County residents we serve by helping our patrons become more informed and empowered to manage their own well-being.”

Berks County libraries are going beyond the pages, providing virtual programs focusing on the themes within “Option B.” Programming across all library locations will be added to the Berks County Public Libraries website throughout the summer.

Copies of “Option B” are available on the countywide catalog and can be requested online or checked out at any Berks public libraries location. Cardholders can also read the e-book or listen to the e-audiobook version from their desktop, tablet or mobile device.