Embracing Community Book Read presents “Community: The Structure of Belonging”

Embracing Community Book Read focuses on author Peter Block’s bookBook “Community: The Structure of Belonging.” All are invited to a kickoff event beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in the Council Chambers of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street.

City of Naperville Report

The City of Naperville and the Naperville Public Library invite the community to join the Embracing Community Book Read this summer and fall. In the selected book, Community: The Structure of Belonging (2018 edition; Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.), author Peter Block describes how in a true community, everyone is a citizen, relationships are key, and focusing on possibility is transformative. He writes, “Possibility is a declaration of what we create in the world every time we show up.”

Block, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the author of several books.

Join us in person or via Zoom on Wednesday, July 31 at 7:00 p.m.

The Embracing Community Book Read begins with a book talk with Peter Block, joining via Zoom on Wednesday, July 31, at 7 p.m. Participants can attend in person at the Council Chambers in the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St., or remotely via Zoom. The reading event is free and open to all, but registration is required. For registration information, visit naperville.il.us/embrace-community. For online participants, the Zoom link will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

Participants are invited to read the book during the reading window, August 1-October 5. The book is available in bookstores and the Naperville Public Library system, including in audio and e-book formats. Two sessions of volunteer-led small group discussions will be held at various times and locations in October, culminating in a final inclusive community conversation on November 7, where readers will discuss various aspects of the book with the entire community. More specific information, including time and location, about the small group discussions and the November 7 event will be communicated to participants later in the summer, as well as on the city’s website and through other channels.

“The Embracing Community Book Read furthers our efforts to create an ‘inclusive community that values ​​diversity’ and to bring our mission to those who live and work in Naperville,” said Geneace Williams, diversity, equity and inclusion manager for the City of Naperville, in a written statement from the City of Naperville. “All are welcome and encouraged to participate in this community-building activity.”

YouTube video / Produced early 2024

The book reading is part of several inclusive community conversations the city is hosting in 2024 in collaboration with other organizations as part of its “Embracing Community: Widening Our Dialogue, Deepening Our Understanding” series. The conversations will include storytelling and opportunities for the community to engage in intentional, respectful, and ongoing dialogue to deepen understanding while promoting inclusion across generations, cultures, and people with diverse experiences.