In celebration of World Book Night, Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society on campus, handed out brand new copies of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, and Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

On April 23, 2012 for their first World Book Night, Sigma Tau Delta drew a large crowd of eager and anxious students. Sigma Tau Delta then addressed the student body by explaining a brief synopsis of each book, the message it presents, and why the students should love the book. Each student then chose one book and many eagerly went off to read as much as they could.

World Book Night is an annual celebration that is designed to spread a love of reading and books. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks. Through social media and other forms of publicity, World Book Night will promote the value of reading, of printed books, and of bookstores and libraries to everyone year-round. Though it started in the United Kingdom, it is now to be held in the U.S. as well as Ireland on April 23, 2012.

President Cara Petitti says that “The goal of World Book Night is to not to just hand out free copies of great books, but to get the campus community more involved in reading books for fun. World Book Night is about spreading the love of reading one book at a time.” Sigma Tau Delta’s goal is to get the University of New Haven student body reading for fun, and not just the textbooks that professors assign.

Sigma Tau Delta strives to foster all aspects of literature, language, and writing; promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members; exhibit high standards of academic excellence; and to serve society by fostering literacy. Sigma Tau Delta’s advisor Diane Russo says that the members of Sigma Tau Delta embrace and invoke all of these traits not only in themselves but in the student body here at The University of New Haven.

After this event, the students are sure to be inspired not only to read but to share the gift of reading to everyone else.