5 Healthy Towns to Read “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson

The 5 Healthy Towns of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester, and Stockbridge will together read “A Walk in the Woods”, by Bill Bryson. This year’s 5H Community Read supports the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation’s (CWF) Move More initiative.

Following his return to America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail. The “AT”, as it’s affectionately know to thousands of hikers, offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes–and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson–it also provides endless opportunities to test his own powers of ineptitude, and to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. “A Walk in the Woods” is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson’s acute eye is a wise witness to this fragile and beautiful trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America’s last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, a lament, and a celebration, “A Walk in the Woods” is a modern classic of travel literature.

Over 1,500 copies of “A Walk in the Woods” have been distributed throughout the five communities. Books have been placed at doctor’s offices, salons, wellness centers, coffee shops, and churches. If you find a copy in your community, we encourage you to share the book after you’ve read it. If you can’t find a copy around town, visit your library in any of the five participating communities to check out a copy.

Free events supporting the CWF’s Move More initiative will be offered in all five communities September through November to encourage people to get more physically active, starting with a kick off event at the Grass Lake Heritage Day Festival on Saturday, September 7 from 12–2pm. Stop by the 5H Community Read table at the festival to pick up a free copy of the book, and get a free pedometer to track your steps to a healthier life.

The 5H Community Read is a district-wide initiative to promote a more active, and better-connected community, while encouraging a love of reading. The 5H Community Read engages more than 10,000 people by putting a book in their hands. The goal of the 5H Community Read is to bring all five communities together in dialogue on the topic of wellness, focus on the importance of getting people together, and staying active.

For more information and a listing of events in all five communities, visit 5hcommunityread.wordpress.com.

The 5H Community Read is a partnership between the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation, the Chelsea District Library, the Dexter District Library, the Jackson District Library in Grass Lake, the Manchester District Library, and the Capital Area District Libraries in Stockbridge. It is supported by a generous grant from our community partner, the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation.