Ela Library Kicks-off 6th Annual One Book Community Reading Project

The Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich recently kicked-off its sixth annual community-wide reading project with the award-winning novel Life, On the Line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death and Redefining the Way We Eat  by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. 

In 2007, chef Grant Achatz seemingly had it made. He had been named one of the best new chefs in American by Food & Wine in 2002, received the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2003, and in 2005 he and Nick Kokonas opened the conceptually radical restaurant Alinea, which was named Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine. Then, positioned firmly in the world’s culinary spotlight, Achatz was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma-tongue cancer. Life, On the Line tells the story of a culinary trailblazer’s love affair with cooking, but it is also a book about survival, nurturing, creativity and profound friendship.

The goal of Ela’s One Book, One Reading Community project is to encourage all adults in the Library’s district to read and discuss the same book at the same time. Whether you’re a regular reader already or making up for lost time, join us in reading this year’s selection.

Along with some special programming, the Library’s Readers’ Services Department has planned several books discussion this summer. Join the library on the following dates for some lively conversation:

            Thursday, June 21, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Library

            Thursday, July 19, from 7-8 p.m. at Starbucks in Lake Zurich, 195 S. Rand Road (Participants will receive a $5 Starbucks gift card to buy a beverage.)

For more information about this community reading project or related programming, please call the Library at 847/438-3433 or visit the Ela Area Library website.