Monrovia High School Launches Community Book Club

The inaugural book for One Town, One Book, Monrovia High School’s community book club, was Those Who Wish Me Dead by Hoosier author Michael Koryta. In March, one book was presented to each student household, each staff member household and stocked at the Morgan County Public Library, Monrovia branch. The extra-curricular book club could be joined by any member of the community.

The book was distributed in mid-March, with a six-week suggested timeline to read the book. A student group that volunteered to pre-read the novel planned and hosted events that were open to all high school students, high school staff and members of the Monrovia community. The events, designed to tie into the plot and characters of the novel, ranged from a firefighter talk to daily trivia questions and a school pep session at the end of April. Students were not required to read the novel, but many who chose to were riveted by the compelling novel of suspense and action surrounding a teenage boy hiding from harm in the Montana wilderness.

One Town, One Book was made possible with funding from the Community Foundation of Morgan County’s Thrive grant. CFMC matched the generosity of our other partners – Morgan County Coalition for Literacy, Morgan County Public Libraries, Tri-Kappa and Monrovia High School. The financial support of CFMC’s Thrive grant helped our book club take off. With over 500 copies of the novel purchased from independent bookseller Morgenstern Books in Bloomington, One Town, One Book unified groups throughout Morgan County around a passion for reading.

This year’s novel created a buzz of discussion and attracted hundreds of readers. Please join us next March when we unveil the 2024 novel. Dates and events will be announced on the Monrovia High School website as well as through our public library’s social media. Be a part of Monrovia’s expansion of literacy and love of reading. Be a part of One Town, One Book.