Read any good books lately? If you’ve resolved to make 2017 the year that you can answer that question with a resounding “yes,” then be sure to check out the upcoming “One Book, One Community” reading program spearheaded by the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and UW-Eau Claire’s McIntyre Library.

Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 4, a series of community events will focus on the book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, which explores the issue of housing instability among low-income families in Milwaukee. (Not exactly light reading, we admit, but it was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2016 by The New York Times Book Review.)

The book was written by Harvard professor and UW-Madison alum Matthew Desmond. According to a press release, “Through the interwoven stories of eight families living in Milwaukee, Desmond illustrates the human impacts of a shifting economic and policy landscape.”

The program is certainly worth your time if you’re interested in understanding the challenges many people in our community face. The schedule of events includes book discussions on campus and at the library downtown; panel discussions with local professors, journalists, and elected officials; and more.

For a full schedule of events, check out www.ecpubliclibrary.info/events/. And if you want to get reading, the Friends of the Library has donated 50 copies, and even more are available through the local library system.

Next: Family Time Downtown