Mariposa Library’s Book-to-Action program will conclude on Friday, June 19 with a free showing of the movie “The Soloist” at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 4985 Bullion Street.  The movie starts at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a brief discussion period. Complimentary popcorn and lemonade will be included.

The movie is based on a book by the same title by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who befriended Nathanial Ayers,  a gifted musician whose once-promising career ended when he suffered a mental breakdown while a student at  the Julliard School.  Lopez first saw Ayers, alone and homeless, playing his violin on a street corner and was struck by the quality of the music that emanated from his beat-up instrument. 

The Book-to-Action program, funded by a grant from the California State Library and the California Center for the Book, included the distribution of 90 copies of “The Soloist” to local residents followed by a discussion of the book and the issue of homelessness in Mariposa County. The “action” portion, based on the book’s theme, took place when volunteers weeded, mulched and built cold frames for the Manna House garden and did a seasonal laundering and disinfection of bedding for Mariposa Open Arms.

For more information, contact Karen Dusek, 209-966-2140 or karen.dusek@mariposalibrary.org.

Book to Action is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. For more information about the program, call the Library at: 209-966-2140 or email: karen.dusek@mariposalibrary.org.