Everybody Reads application for classroom participation

Multnomah County Library invites you to participate in Everybody Reads 2023, the library’s 21st annual community reading project, taking place January through March. The book selected is Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being. 

The story follows two characters: Nao is a Japanese teenager who can no longer cope with the bullying she is experiencing at school. She decides to commit suicide, but not before she writes the story of her beloved great-grandmother, who a Zen Buddhist nun. 

On the other side of the Pacific ocean, a novelist named Ruth finds a Hello Kitty lunch box washed up on the shore of her remote island. Inside she finds Nao’s diary. Intrigued, she struggles to understand Nao’s story and what happened to her.

Thanks to the support of The Library Foundation, copies of A Tale for the Time Being will be provided to high school students in Multnomah County. 

Please note that A Tale for the Time Being includes discussions of bullying, self-harm, sexual assault and suicide. These mature themes may make the book better suited to older students. 

Schools and organizations with the greatest educational and financial need will receive first consideration. 

By applying, applicants commit to reading and discussing the book during the program, January through March 2023. They will receive a classroom set of A Tale for the Time Being, with links to discussion guides and further reading. If your school has a book group that would be interested in reading the book, they are also eligible to apply. 

The author lecture will be presented by Literary Arts on Thursday, March 16, 2023. Literary Arts makes a number of free tickets available to participating schools.

Applications must be received no later than December 10, 2022.

Example: 9th to 12th
Please check all three boxes to apply.

If you have any questions about the classroom component of Everybody Reads 2023, please contact Alison Kastner and Haley Isleib by email or phone 503.988.5792.

To be considered, this form must be submitted no later than December 10.

See the latest information and learn more about the book at Everybody Reads.

Everybody Reads, a community reading project of Multnomah County Library, is made possible in part by The Library Foundation with author appearance made possible by Literary Arts.