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By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
reporter@arkcity.net

A good book sometimes makes a good movie, and Arkansas City readers had a chance to see two examples of this in recent months.

In February and again in March Arkansas City Public Library patrons could see a movie then read the book and discuss it, or vice-versa, all within just a few days.

"It was fortuitous, just a happy coincidence," said Robin Sandwina, a circulation and reference librarian at the public library. She referred to "Because of Winn-Dixie," the first in a series of books in an adult discussion program. The series is entitled "Southern Fried Fiction."

Hundreds of copies of the "Because Winn-Dixie" book had been distributed and read just prior to the opening of a movie of the same name, on Feb. 18. That same night, readers were invited to a "one book, one community" party sponsored by the library and held in Cowley College's Brown Center.

"Because of Winn-Dixie" is a popular children's book focusing on the story of a 10-year-old girl named Opal who adopts a mixed-breed dog; the two become inseparable. Named after the store where they meet, the dog helps Opal make friends around town.

The second book in the discussion series was "To Kill a Mockingbird," the classic novel by Harper Lee about a lawyer in a small Alabama town who defends an innocent black man who has been charged with raping a white woman. It is told through the eyes of Scout, the six-year-old daughter of the lawyer, named Atticus Finch.

Through coordination with Cowley College and Gary Gackstatter, the director of the of the Winfield Symphony, a discussion on "To Kill a Mockingbird" was held just a few days after the black-and-white movie of the same name was shown at the college. And on a Saturday night, a day after the movie was shown, there was a performance by the symphony of the film score.

Two actors from the movie came to Arkansas City to attend the concert and present their memories of making the film, which starred Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. They were Mary Badham, who played Scout, and Philip Alford, who played her brother, Jem.

Badham and Alford both said that making the movie had a profound and enduring effect on their lives. They have stayed in touch over the years and, along with others in the cast, have become a "Mockingbird family," Badham said.

"This is a bigger story than black and white issues of the '30s," Badham said in a phone interview a few days before the concert. "All these issues (bigotry, racism and tolerance) are still true today. We need to grab hold of them and ask ourselves what's important: We've got to get along with each other or we'll tear each other apart."

More book discussions are planned for the future, including a two-book series this summer entitled "Key Ingredients." It coincides with a Smithsonian food exhibit in America that will be displayed at the Denton Art Center.

For more information on the library's book discussion programs, check its Web site: www.acpl.org.