NORWAY – A novel about the effects of a strike on a paper mill town in Maine has been chosen as the first book to be read in several communities at the same time as part of the One Book, One Community library reading program.

Norway librarian Ann Seikman said Monica Wood’s novel, “Ernie’s Ark,” set in the fictitious Maine town of Abbott’s Falls, was chosen because “we very much wanted it to be a book that focused on the meaning of community.”

Seikman said One Book projects, initiated by the Washington Center for the Book in 1998, have been popular nationally, and in some of the larger cities in Maine. The program, she said, has “proven that a single book can help build a sense of community.”

The idea to start a One Book program in the Oxford Hills came up at an area librarian’s meeting last spring. Erika Frank, librarian at Poland Regional High School, spoke to the group about the success of the program at the high school, Seikman said, and the librarians decided to try it on a larger scale.

The program, to take place in February and March, will involve libraries in Otisfield, Oxford, Harrison, Norway, Paris, Waterford and West Paris, as well as the school library at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and the library at Hebron Academy and at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway.

“I think it’s a great thing to do for the community,” Seikman said. She said Wood will be offering creative writing workshops as part of the program, on dates to be announced. Participation is easy, Seikman said. People can borrow a copy of the book at their local library, or buy a discounted copy of the book that will be made available.

A kick-off event for the program will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Forum at OHCHS.

The program will go beyond the typical book discussion group by hosting programs and activities related to the themes of the book. Topics included in these events will be local mill history, family tap dancing, boat building in Maine, journal keeping, and the challenges of change. All of these programs and events will be free and open to the public, said Seikman, thanks to the sponsorship of the Davis Family Foundation, the Maine Humanities Council and the Norway Savings Bank.