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Join the rest of Greenville County by taking part in The
Amazing Read! Pick up a copy of The
Pleasure Was Mine by Tommy Hays. Read
the book, participate
in events,
and spread the word.
Book discussion guide
About The Amazing Read
What would happen if everyone in Greenville County read the same book?
The Greenville County Library System in cooperation with Greenville
Forward’s Vision 2025 Education Task Force have chosen the novel The
Pleasure Was Mine by Tommy Hays for Greenville County’s first community-wide,
one-book reading initiative: The Amazing Read. The initiative will encourage
reading, connect neighbors and families through literature, and increase
awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Amazing Read is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Greenville, the Institute
of Museum and Library Services through the South Carolina State Library, AT&T,
and the Friends of the Greenville County Library System.
For more information about The Pleasure Was Mine and Tommy Hays, visit www.tommyhays.com
About the Book
The Pleasure Was Mine is the story of three men:
Prate, his grown son Newell, and his nine-year-old grandson Jackson —
as they come to terms with the fading of Irene, heart and center of the
family. Set in Greenville and Western North Carolina, the book is narrated
by Prate, a prickly house painter who retires to care for Irene. As Prate
adjusts to these life changes, Newell, a recently widowed art teacher
in Asheville, needs to spend the summer at Penland, an art colony in
the mountains. He leaves Jackson, his reticent, bookish son, with Prate
for the summer, and Prate finds himself in the uncomfortable position
of having to get to know his moody grandson.
The Pleasure Was Mine was a 2006 SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance) Fiction Finalist and was read on National Public Radio's "Radio Reader" hosted by Dick Estell and SCETV-Radio's "Southern Read" hosted by Walter Edgar.
Praise for The Pleasure Was Mine -
“Novelist Hays beautifully captures a husband’s grief as he watches his beloved
wife slip into Alzheimer’s. Colloquial in tone, braced by its narrator’s stoic,
plainspoken candor, Hays’s latest outing feels timely and true. An intimate,
love portrait of a dreaded disease’s devastating effects.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Once in a blessed while, in this era of edgy, postmodern fiction, you
come across a novel that is old-fashioned in the best sense. … The Pleasure
Was Mine is just that sort of novel — charming, unpretentious, and easy to
read but deeply engaging. … It's a tender, affecting story, simply but powerfully
told."
—Polly Paddock, the Charlotte Observer |
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Get the Book
Copies of The Pleasure Was Mine are available throughout the Greenville
County Library System and may be purchased at the following local book sellers:
Event Schedule
| Mon, January 7, 9:00a
| 6:00p |
Free copies of The Pleasure Was
Mine available for giveaway at all library branches. First half of books
will be given out starting at 9:00a; second half will be given out starting
at 6:00p. First come, first served. |
Thurs, January 17, 7:00p
|
Event
postponed. Rescheduled
for Friday, January 25 at 7:00p at the Hughes Main Library.
Tommy Hays Reading and
Speaking
Hughes Main Library
25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville
|
Mon, January 21, 12:00p
|
Radio Interview
with Tommy Hays (recorded)
On "Your Day"
WEPR 90.1 FM
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Tues, January 22, 7:00p
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Book Discussion
Fountain Inn (Kerry Ann Younts Culp) Branch Library
311 N. Main St., Fountain Inn |
Fri, January
25, 7:00p
|
Tommy Hays Reading and
Speaking
Hughes Main Library
25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville
This event originally scheduled for Fri, January
17 |
Sun, January 27, 6:00p
|
Radio Book Discussion
Live on the air with Tommy Hays
On "The Intersection"
WOLT 103.3 FM
Call in 1-864-751-1033 |
Tues, January 29, 7:00p
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Alzheimer’s Disease Panel Discussion
Hughes Main Library
25 Heritage Green Place, Greenville |
Tues, February 5, 7:00p
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Tommy Hays Speaking
Furman University Younts Center |
Wed, February 13, 8:00p
|
Contra Dance in partnership
with the Harvest Moon Folk Society
YWCA Greenville
700 Augusta Street, Greenville
|
Thurs, February 21, 3:00p
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Alzheimer’s Disease Panel Discussion
University Center Auditorium
225 S. Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville
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Tues, February 26, 1:00p
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Amazing Read Book Discussion
Pelham Road - F.W Symmes Branch
1508 Pelham Rd, Greenville
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Sat, March 1, 3:00p
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Tommy Hays Reading & Speaking
Rolling Green Village
1 Hoke Smith Blvd., Greenville
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Tues, March 4, 7:30p
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Staged Reading of The
Pleasure Was Mine
Greenville Little Theatre
444 College St., Greenville
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Wed, March 12, 1:00p
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Book Discussion
Berea (Sarah Dobey Jones) Branch Library
111 N. Hwy 25 Bypass, Greenville
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Saturday, March 22, 1:00p
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The Amazing Read in Spanish
Greenville Technical College, Northwest Campus
8109 White Horse Rd, Greenville
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The Amazing Read Sponsors
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