Father, daughter to share story of reading bond

DOWNEY -- Author Alice Ozma and her father, Jim Brozina, will speak March 22 in City Council chambers as part of a free event sponsored by Friends of the Downey City Library.They will discuss her book, "The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared," from 7-8 p.m. Admission to the event is free and copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. In 1988, when school librarian Brozina was suddenly single, he wanted to find a way to stay connected with his 9-year-old daughter, Alice. With a desire to share his love of reading, Brozina and his daughter created a lasting bond through books. The two made a pact to read aloud together for 100 consecutive nights. When they reached their goal, neither one wanted to stop. Their reading streak continued for nine years, until Alice entered college. As Alice grew older, their reading habit became harder to achieve, but the pair persisted, even on the night of her high school prom. For her dad, the hardest part was not maintaining the reading streak -- it was ending it. The two had shared years of reading chapter books, classics and Shakespeare. But on the night before Alice left for college, he chose to read "The Wizard of Oz," the book that first started their 3,218 consecutive days of reading. Brozina's message is simple: "Every parent should read to their child." People interested in attending the event should register by calling the library at (562) 904-7360, ext. 132.

********** Published: March 08, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 47