It's a novel idea. Choose a book that seeks to address a critical need or topic in the community. Get thousands of people reading it. Follow up with community wide discussion that can lead to positive change.

That's what the second annual On the Same Page citywide reading project does, and citizens in the Greater Cincinnati area should engage.

What better way to develop a sense of community than by, literally, being on the same page?

This year's choice is Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, by Jonathan Kozol, a Harvard-educated social scientist.

A title for younger readers also has been chosen this year. It is Marika by Andrea Cheng, who teaches English as a second language at Cincinnati State.

Kozol's book addresses huge gaps in the education system between rich school districts and poor ones. Members of the On the Same Page selection committee equated the themes of the book to the problems facing the Cincinnati Public Schools.

"I feel it touches upon the most important issues our city and our country face: the education of our children and the effects of extreme economic disparity," Carla Sarr, a local teacher, told the Enquirer.

We all have a stake in this important issue. Every child must be giving the opportunity to succeed. The more we understand the problems we face, the better equipped we will be to address them.

Broad community discussion of Savage Inequalities can spur the community to action and change.

Cheng's book, aimed at 12-year-olds and up, tells the story of her Jewish mother during World War II and the ethnic and religious prejudice she suffered.

Last year's book, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, addressed the issue of race relations at a key time in our city. The result: Thousands of citizens began to talk candidly about racial problems faced here, using the book as an entry point. We hope the reading of these two books can achieve similar results.

The Greater Cincinnati area in 2002 was one of several American communities to bring people together through reading. Chicago read Harper Lee's classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. The state of Kentucky read The Bean Trees, a story of American-Indian culture.

Over the year, local residents can participate in a variety of community discussion groups, meet-the-author forums and other venues related On the Same Page events.

Our community will be better off for it. More information can be obtained at www.cincinnati.com/samepage