The National Endowment for the Arts has released the following Big Read-related publications. Click on on the thumbnail to download a PDF of the publication. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.
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The Big Read Brochure An introduction to and overview of The Big Read, including the basics of how The Big Read works, a list of materials received by participating communities, highlights from past programming, and how your community can apply for a Big Read grant. [1MB PDF] |
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The Big Read Catalog This publication provides information on the 30 featured authors in the NEA's Big Read initiative, including brief book and author descriptions and information on themes, film adaptations, performance possibilities, and accessibility materials. Information on how to apply to the program is also included here. [1MB PDF] |
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Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy Reading on the Rise documents a definitive increase in rates and numbers of American adults who read literature. This new growth reverses two decades of downward trends cited previously in NEA reports such as Reading at Risk and To Read or Not To Read. Reading on the Rise is based on early results from the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. [847KB PDF] |
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Reading at Risk Executive Summary This document presents a summary of the results from the literature segment of the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted by the Census Bureau in 2002 at the NEA's request. The survey asked more than 17,000 adults if during the previous 12 months they had read any literature that was not required for work or school. The results of this survey sparked The Big Read. [1.2MB PDF] |
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To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence |
To order a hard copy of any of the above publications, or to view additional publications from the NEA's Literature department, visit the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Publications Web site.
