Hundreds of Leyden High School District 212 students delved into Erin Jade Lange’s book, “Butter,” as part of the district’s “One Book One Leyden” program, with the author making appearances at both of the district’s high schools.
Lange, whose book is described by the publisher as the story of a lonely obese boy who plans to eat himself to death live on the internet, visited West Leyden High School in Northlake and East Leyden High School in Franklin Park.
“I try to pick different genres and different types of themes. This time it was a socio-emotional book, which dealt with body image,” West Leyden High School librarian Janine Asmus, who started One Book One Leyden in 2014, told Pioneer Press.
Asmus said she typically starts the program each school year in October – around Columbus Day weekend – by giving copies of the featured book to employees. They are asked to read their copies and hand them off to students.
“I have teachers that get really excited about it. They have a whole class set aside and they teach the novel. It’s that much more meaningful,” Asmus said.
According to Asmus, momentum for One Book One Leyden is driven partly through student ambassadors who wear T-shirts they receive after signing up.
After months of marketing the One Book One Leyden title to students, the author visits, Asmus said.
“I got to connect with hundreds of incredible students to discuss empathy, the creative process and the power of words. I was blown away by the wisdom of every young person I met,” Lange posted on her Facebook page about her “two awesome days of school visits” at West and East Leyden high schools.
According to Asmus, approximately 650 students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, attended Lange’s Feb. 15 presentation in the West Leyden auditorium.
Asmus said the morning session was followed by about 150 student ambassadors eating lunch, which was prepared by family and consumer sciences students, with Lange in the library.
“There’s a lot of goodwill that comes from our One Book One Leyden experience,” Asmus said.
A new activity that Asmus said she added was student ambassadors heading back to the auditorium to watch the film “Butter,” which was released theatrically in 2022 and stars Mira Sorvino, Mykelti Williamson, Brian Van Holt, Ravi Patel, Annabeth Gish and Alex Kersting.
Asmus said the afternoon activity at West Leyden High School with One Book One Leyden student ambassadors, who earned teen mental health first aid certification, included a question and answer session with “Butter” director Paul A. Kaufman.
“The kids asked really good questions,” Asmus said.
The panel that helped lead the discussion included mental health professionals such as Leyden social workers, Illinois Association of Behavioral Health representatives and peer leaders, she explained.
“We talked about the tough scenes in the movie where Butter was being bullied, where he didn’t feel like he wanted to live anymore,” Asmus said.
Lange also gave a presentation Feb. 16 at East Leyden High School where librarian Gina Caneva coordinated One Book One Leyden activities with a smaller group of students.
“Her kids who read the book had lunch with the author,” said Asmus about the question and answer session in the library.
Asmus, who is set to retire at the end of the school year after 35 years at West Leyden High School, thanked District 212 Superintendent Nick Polyak for helping her get One Book One Leyden started.
“This is something different. The words are literally going to dance off the page as you get to meet the person who wrote it,” Asmus said.
Jessi Virtusio is a freelancer.
