Washington, Jul 20 -  Western North Carolina Representative Charles Taylor joined First Lady Laura Bush today to kick off “The Big Read” for libraries in the Eleventh District. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is designed to revitalize the role of literature in American popular culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens. The Big Read works with multiple partners across the country to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. A 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young. The Big Read aims to address this crisis by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities.

“The program is a perfect compliment to the many other education initiatives I have been successful at bringing to Western North Carolina,” said Rep. Taylor. “