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'Magic' of reading impacts troubled teens

On the morning of Friday, October 28, 2016, administrators and key staff from Lake County's Hulse Juvenile Detention Center joined 10 teenage boys for a special meeting of the monthly Read for Life book discussion at Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire. It was the 100th time librarians have led the book group for at-risk youths in Hulse's Family and Community Engaged in Treatment (FACE-IT) program. Since the partnership between the library and detention center began in 2006, it has reached hundreds of young men.

In attendance on a sunny and mild Friday morning were the boys' current teacher, Bob Pakaski, and his predecessor, Jack Cantor (now retired), along with Hulse superintendents, managers and therapists. "The endeavor is the most successful educational program I have ever been associated with and I have been around a few in my time," wrote Cantor about the program in a March 2011 letter to the library.

Also in attendance were the discussion group leaders, Vernon Area Public Library librarians Gina Sheade and Pam Minarik, as well as library director Cindy Fuerst and public services manager Janice Kellman. Sheade and Minarik have an obvious rapport with the youths. "We feel privileged to share our love of books and reading...and to hear them share their insights, feelings and experiences," said Sheade. The young men also view the book group as a privilege. During the discussion of "Prisoner B-3087," a Holocaust novel by Alan Gratz, they paid close attention to the talk around the table, responding to questions about the book, adding their own perceptive questions to the conversation and contributing insightful observations.

The young men in FACE-IT are part of a residential treatment program for probationers ages 14 through 17, who typically stay at the 19th Circuit Court's Hulse facility on South Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills for anywhere from six to nine months. To Sheade and Minarik, they're just teen boys. "We don't know how they landed where they are. Our aim is to change how these intelligent boys look at the world," said Minarik.

The Read for Life book discussions began in June 2006 after Sheade responded to a call for grant applications from the American Library Association's Great Stories Club, a new program funded by Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network. The Great Stories Club was designed to reach underserved library populations through books. In her proposal, Sheade envisioned a discussion group that would "inspire teens who face difficult situations to take control of their lives by embracing the power of reading as a tool for self-exploration and a meaningful way to connect with the wider world."

The Vernon Area Public Library proposal was awarded one of the grants. That first summer Read for Life participants read "Stuck in Neutral" by Terry Trueman, "The First Part Last" by Angela Johnson and "Born Blue" by Han Nolan for their first three discussions. The FACE-IT students received copies of each book to read and keep. The librarians developed discussion questions and selected small treats related to each book's themes for the participants to enjoy.

When the pilot program ended in August 2006, the Lake County Circuit Court concluded in a written statement that it had successfully taught the participants that "the motivation to read can significantly contribute to moral, spiritual and intellectual development." Court and library administrators agreed that the project was too brief and needed to be continued. "You have singlehandedly motivated a group of youngsters to read and to listen...and I cannot tell you the impact it has made. All the boys want to do is to talk to you about books. That's some magic," wrote Jack Cantor to Minarik in October 2006.

Read for Life continued through a combination of a Great Stories grant, private donations and library funding. In the December 2006 edition of the newsletter of the Lake County Circuit Court, Sheade and Minarik were commended for their "superb job of eliciting from the young men their insights, appreciations, concerns, conflicts and resolutions."

For 10 years, Minarik and Sheade have carefully selected each Read for Life book in consultation with the FACE-IT teacher. They have zeroed in on literature that is not only of interest to teens but includes character development, positive role models and problem-solving. A particularly well-liked book that Sheade and Minarik have come back to through the years is "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, about a boy who attends school off his reservation. "Because of its theme of alienation, it is the perfect book," said Minarik. Other favorites of the group have been "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos and Simone Elkeles' "Leaving Paradise" and "Perfect Chemistry."

Elkeles is one of three authors who have attended a Read for Life discussion of their book (the others are Gordon Korman, author of "Born to Rock" and "The Juvie Three," and Mike Mullin, author of "Ashfall"). After her 2011 visit, one of the teens sent Elkeles a thank-you note saying, "Meeting you was a great honor and it felt like I met a celebrity. I love how you kept it REAL with us and you were comfortable talking to us and answering our questions." He added, "You have a crazy imagination that I admire a lot." Another young man wrote, "You made my hopes go up about what you told us. It makes me want to write my story and make a book."

Elkeles, who lives in Buffalo Grove, wrote of the experience, "It was one of the best book discussions I've had, and I've been to many. I have no doubt it has a lifelong effect on these kids."

The positive effects of reading and discussing literature have been seen each time the group has gathered over its first 10 years. "The Read for Life effort is in fact contributing to moving our young men's lives in a positive direction," wrote Cantor in an April 2007 email to the Vernon Area Public Library director.

At today's discussion, which centered on Holocaust survival, Minarik asked the young men what would keep them going during times of adversity. The answers around the table included family, strength, work, telling yourself to not give up, being brave and having an image of hope. Wise words from teen readers.

About the library

The Vernon Area Public Library District serves a population of 42,900 within a 29-square-mile area that includes Lincolnshire, Prairie View and parts of Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills and unincorporated Vernon and Ela townships. For more information about the library and its services, visit http://www.vapld.info.

About FACE-IT

Family and Community Engaged in Treatment (FACE-IT) is an innovative residential treatment program for juvenile probationers, operated by the 19th Judicial Circuit, Lake County, Illinois. It is community-based, family-focused and designed for delinquent youth and families. FACE-IT strives to help meet the basic needs of troubled youths and families in order to enable them to function productively within society, be self-sufficient and obtain a sense of dignity and self-worth without criminal behavior.

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