In 2001, Lee was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor. In the same year, Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley initiated a reading program throughout the city's libraries, and chose his favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, as the first title of the One City, One Book program. Lee declared that "there is no greater honor the novel could receive"."Chicago Launches City-wide Book Group", Library Journal (August 13, 2001). By 2004, the novel had been chosen by 25 communities for variations of the citywide reading program, more than any other novel."To Read a Mockingbird" Library Journal (September 1, 2004) 129 (14), p. 13. David Kipen of the National Endowment of the Arts, who supervised The Big Read, states "people just seem to connect with it. It dredges up things in their own lives, their interactions across racial lines, legal encounters, and childhood. It's just this skeleton key to so many different parts of people's lives, and they cherish it."Murphy, p. 106.
In 2001, Lee was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor. In the same year, Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley initiated a reading program throughout the city's libraries, and chose his favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, as the first title of the One City, One Book program. Lee declared that "there i:s no greater honor the novel could receive"."Chicago Launches City-wide Book Group", Library Journal (August 13, 2001). By 2004, the novel had been chosen by 25 communities for variations of the citywide reading program, more than any other novel."To Read a Mockingbird" Library Journal (September 1, 2004) 129 (14), p. 13. David Kipen of the National Endowment of the ,Arts, who supervised The Big Read, states "people just seem to connect with it. It d,redges up things in their own lives, their interactions acro?ss racial lines, legal encounters, and childhood. It's just this skeleton key to so many different parts of people's lives, and they: cherish it."Murphy, p. 106.