Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea has become a classic coming-of-age novel. Originally published as a young-adult fantasy novel in 1968, Le Guin's adventure tale proved so imaginatively engaging and psychologically profound that it captivates readers of all ages.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a 2004 NEA report, identified a critical decline in reading for pleasure among American adults. The Big Read addresses this issue by bringing communities together to read, discuss, and celebrate books and writers from American and world literature.
A great book combines enlightenment with enchantment. It awakens our imagination and enlarges our humanity. It can even offer harrowing insights that somehow console and comfort us. Whether you're a regular reader already or making up for lost time, thank you for joining The Big Read.
Ursula K. Le Guin (Copyright Marian Wood Kolisch)
Map of Earthsea (Copyright Ursula K. Le Guin)
(Copyright David Lomax/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis)
