Newtown High School is set to launch a new book discussion group and members of the community are invited to join.

The first book discussion group meeting is set for February 16 at 6 pm at NHS’s Library Media Center, as announced by NHS librarian Liza Zandonella and district Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Wesley L. Johnson II.

Zandonella said community members are welcome to attend even if they have not read the book yet, and she promises the book is a heartwarming and eye opening story.

A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team, by Arshay Cooper was selected as the first book for the new group, which is called NHS DEep dIve Book Discussion Group.

Zandonella explained the book group was a brainchild of talks between her and Johnson. Once the idea came together, they reached out to C.H. Booth Library to make it a “real community experience.” NHS parents are invited to join the group along with their children.

“It’s such a great district-wide initiative,” said Zandonella.

And the book? Johnson was mid-way through reading it recently when he observed, during a phone interview, that it is “really a great read.”

“Their story is really captivating and the odds they overcame...” Johnson said, adding that the story is unique.

NHS made three hard copies of the book available for students, and Zandonella said C.H. Booth Library has some available too, along with e-book options available from NHS and C.H. Booth Library.

Zandonella said that as she and Johnson were working on details for the new book discussion group.

The pair chose to launch the group during Black History Month, and there are big hopes for the group’s future reads, events, and plans. Community members can keep up with each new read by checking the library’s website, and new reads are planned to be announced in The Newtown Bee.

An announcement for the new book discussion group reads, “We are starting a book discussion group here at NHS called DEep dIve! We’ll be exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by reading and discussing outstanding young adult and adult literature. We hope you are as excited as we are about this new adventure we are embarking upon! It might be a bit touch and go as we begin. Our hope is that after we get the ball rolling a bit, we can start doing book-based giveaways and even hosting interviews with some of the authors of the books we read!”

As the February 16 event will be the first meeting, Zandonella said she is hoping for parent and teacher participation along with the students attending.

“We want as many kids as possible to be able to participate,” said Zandonella.

Zandonella hopes the book discussion group will meet monthly and a list of future reads will be discussed at the first meeting.

And A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team is the perfect book to kick-off the new group as Zandonella called it “incredibly inspiring.”

The book is also available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and through other book sellers. A description for the book reads, “The moving true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago’s west side who form the first all-Black high school rowing team in the nation, and in doing so not only transform a sport, but also their lives.”

“I thought this would be a fun book to kick it off with,” Zandonella observed.

Education Reporter Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.