‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ is selection for Wyoming County Reads

Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.

The Tunkhannock Public Library and the Dietrich Theater invite everyone to read the 2018 novel by Delia Owens “Where the Crawdads Sing,” as part of this year’s Wyoming County Reads project.

Wyoming County Reads is sponsored by the Wyoming County Commissioners, and all are welcome to borrow copies of the book from the Tunkhannock Public Library, take part in book discussions facilitated by Mary Zbegner, and see the 2022 film adaptation of the novel at the Dietrich Theater.

Initiated by the Dietrich’s founding Cultural Programming Director Margie Young this will be the 20th year of the Tunkhannock Public Library’s and the Dietrich Theater’s partnership on this project. The only criteria used when selecting books and films for Wyoming County Reads is that they are acclaimed, and this book and movie have received high praise from the public. “Where the Crawdads Sing” topped The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 and The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2020. By February 2022, the book had spent 150 weeks on the best seller list. It also won the British Book Awards – Book of the Year (Page Turner) and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

Produced by Reese Witherspoon, the film adaptation of “Where the Crawdads Sing” stars Daisy Edgar-Jones in the lead role. The film was a nominee for Best Drama Movie at the 2022 People’s Choice Award. On Rotten Tomatoes, film and television’s leading review website, the movie’s audience score is 96% fresh. “Carolina”, a song written by Taylor Swift specifically for Where the Crawdads Sing, also received the MTV Movie & TV Award Best Song of the Year in 2023. The song was also nominated as Best Song of the Year at the 2023 People’s Choice Awards and 2023 Golden Globes.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” tells the story of a woman, Kya, who was left to raise herself in the marshes of the deep South where she becomes a suspect in the murder of a man with whom she was once involved. Penned by Delia Owens, “Where the Crawdads Sing” is her first novel. Owens was born and raised in Southern Georgia, where she spent most of her life in or near the wilderness. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from the University of Georgia, and a Ph. D. in animal behavior from the University of California, Davis. Delia Owens also co-authored three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa, including Cry of the Kalahari. She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, The African Journal of Ecology, and many other publications.

The following is the schedule of events for this year’s Wyoming County Reads:

Wednesdays, Feb. 21 and 28 at 7 p.m. – Free book discussion of Where the Crawdads Sing at the Tunkhannock Public Library. On Feb. 28 Janet MacKay of the Victims Resource Center will help co-facilitate the discussion with Mary Zbegner, as the main character Kya’s victimization will be brought up in the discussion.

Wednesday, March 6 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. – Free movie showings of Where the Crawdads Sing at the Dietrich Theater

Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. – Free book/film comparison of Where the Crawdads Sing at the Tunkhannock Public Library

When asked why she is looking forward to Wyoming County Reads, book discussion facilitator Zbegner said, “’Where the Crawdads Sing’ is a beautifully written book with a very surprising twist. There are many interesting themes to discuss, too, such as poverty, isolation, family dysfunction, literacy, nature, kindness, love, deceit, and survival.”

Zbegner is the secretary of the Tunkhannock Public Library’s Board of Trustees. She was a secondary English teacher at Lackawanna Trail School District and has an MFA from Wilkes University in Creative Writing as well as a Masters in Education from the University of Scranton.

To learn more about Wyoming County Reads, please call the Dietrich at 570-836-1022 x3 or the Tunkhannock Public Library at 570-836-1677. Free tickets to the movie showings of Where the Crawdads Sing can be picked up at the Dietrich Theater ticket booth or reserved by calling the Dietrich’s number mentioned above.