Need some summer reading? The DavidsonREADS committee has just the book to put at the top of your list. “One Foot in Eden,” by North Carolina writer Ron Rash, is the 2008 selection for a community read. The book will be available for purchase on Davidson Town Day, May 3, at a table in front of Main Street Books.

DavidsonREADS Chair Cristina Shaul hopes readers will pick up the book now, read it over the summer, and then be ready to talk about it in the fall.

DavidsonREADS is a town-wide program to get community members reading and talking about the same book. It is a partnership between the Town of Davidson Parks & Recreation Department, the Davidson Public Library, Main Street Books and local reaaders.

Formed in the summer, the committee’s debut selection was “The Bridge” by Doug Marlette.

“We had so many enthusiastic participants last year and we are thrilled that Ron Rash will be coming to Davidson in October,” said Ms. Shaul in the press release announcing the new selection. “We hope people will read ‘One Foot in Eden’ this summer and attend some of the many events we have planned for the fall.”

Publisher’s Weekly describes “One Foot in Eden” (at left) as “a potent slice of Southern gothic fiction centered on a murder and its devastating effect on a small Appalachian town in the 1950s.”

The story is told from several different perspectives and is set in a fictional location on a river between the borders of North and South Carolina. Shaul said the plot resonates with some of the controversies surrounding the flooding of the Catawba River.

DavidsonREADS has planned a full slate of activities to involve readers in issues related to the book, including a family day at the Duke Energy Explorium in August, where guides will be able to discuss the Catawba flooding, and a talk by Davidson historian Carol Higham on local Native American tribes, including the Catawba. There will also be public book discussions and a chance to meet and talk with author Ron Rash.

DavidsonREADS events –

• Saturday, Aug. 23, 2:00 p.m. – Family Day at the Duke Energy Explorium in Huntersville. Meet at the Explorium on Highway 73. Take a hike on the nature trail by the lake.
• Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. – Book Discussion by Susan Lawson, Davidson Public Library
• Thursday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m. – Book Discussion by Tony Abbott, The Pines
• Thursday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. – Lecture on Native Americans by Carol Higham, Davidson Public Library
• Friday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. – Meet the author, Davidson Public Library
• Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 – 11:30 a.m. – Author book signing at Main Street Books
• Friday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. – Lecture by Amy Naylor, Davidson Public Library
• Sunday, Nov. 16, 4-5 p.m. – Finale: Davidson Historical Society presentation on Lake Norman