First Lady’s Literacy Cause Gets a Boost

A beaming First Lady Laura Bush opened the first National Book Festival on Saturday by hailing it as an “exciting chapter for American book lovers”--thousands of whom turned out to hear a diverse array of prominent authors discuss and read from their works.

The event, the brainchild of Laura Bush, was the first major venture by the first lady promoting her signature cause of literacy.

But, as with most things in Washington, political concerns also were part of the mix. The festival not only kicked off a White House push to highlight the importance of reading skills but also was invoked by President Bush in a speech intended to increase pressure on Congress to approve his education bill, which aims to improve struggling schools.

“Teaching every child to read is critical to making sure every child has the opportunity to realize the American dream,” the president said Saturday in his weekly radio address. “The American people are counting on us to deliver on our promise of reform for the public schools.”

Democrats say the president’s plan to improve student test scores will not succeed without additional money for schools that teach students from poor families.

Saturday’s event was modeled on the Texas Book Festival that Laura Bush, a former librarian and teacher, led as that state’s first lady. Many similar events are held in other cities nationwide.

On a sun-drenched day, about 60 authors shared venues set up outside the Capitol and in the Library of Congress with musicians, children’s book illustrators and cartoon characters.

The festival featured a sprawling cast, superb storytelling and memorable scenes--prompting enthusiastic reviews from young and old alike. Literary heavyweights such as David McCullough and Stephen E. Ambrose shared marquee billing with the likes of offbeat country musician-turned-novelist Kinky Friedman and kids’ favorite Arthur the Aardvark.

A group of basketball players participated as part of the NBA’s “Read to Achieve” campaign. Pat Garrity of the Orlando Magic suggested that J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye” be mandatory reading for all those ages 10 to 18.

Laura Bush won praise from various authors for an occasion some thought was overdue.

“This is phenomenal what she’s doing,” said playwright and novelist J. California Cooper. “Why is it the first? Reading is the fundamental of the whole . . . world. Reading is what has carried intelligence, passed it on.”

Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki Indian writer and storyteller, said reading is especially important to give young people a wider sense of themselves when they feel isolated in momentary despair.

“Reading takes that little box you’re caught in and opens a door. It’s a way out and also a way into your heart,” Bruchac said. Hence, the festival was “speaking to a great need in our culture.”

The turnout seemed to support that notion; the day’s biggest complaints were about long lines for food or writers’ autographs. The six tents where many of the readings were held on the Capitol’s East Lawn often were overflowing. The crowd during the seven hours of readings, book signings and performances was estimated at more than 20,000, said Jill Brett, spokeswoman for the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress sponsored the event. It cost slightly more than $1 million to stage and was paid for by private sponsors.

Janice Simmons, a retired teacher from Hyattsville, Md., said the festival was “a great experience . . . well rounded, well thought out, with something for everyone.”

Susannah Piersol, a budding writer at age 10 from Richmond, Va., found it “really interesting how [authors] got their ideas for writing books.” As a result, she said, “I really think anyone can be a great author.”

Mystery writer Walter Mosley said the festival provided him with one of his largest audiences and was an impressive showcase for a cross-section of quality writers.

But he said he hopes future events will address hard questions: “How do we increase our literacy? How do we talk to young people? How do we talk to young people’s parents about reading?”

Mosley was one of several authors who said they joined the festival even though they disagreed with many policies of the Bush administration. “If you don’t participate in this, you don’t participate in America,” he said.

Historical context was provided, fittingly enough, by presidential biographer Michael Beschloss. He attended a black-tie gala Friday night with the president and first lady at the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building, where six authors read.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the nation’s most learned presidents, was such a voracious reader that he designed a stand to hold several books so he could read them simultaneously.

“The dream of someone like Jefferson,” Beschloss said, “was that 200 years hence, you’d have an evening just like we saw last night--in Washington, in the library that Jefferson was responsible for, political figures mixing easily with authors and sitting in an auditorium in a way that was natural and not forced.

“That was the kind of evening that really would have pleased him.”