'Walk in my Shoes' Commemorative Book Available at Madigan Library

The "Walk in my Shoes" exhibit at The Madigan Library is over, but the stories that were shared live on in a commemorative book containing the pictures of all the shoes that were collected over a six-month period and the very moving stories that went with them.

The exhibit was part of the Big Read program, an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. In Lycoming County, libraries, schools, colleges, museums, community groups and cultural centers were invited to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.



A quote by Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in the book, was the impetus behind the shoe exhibit: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view − until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Many comments have been received concerning the exhibit as well as the book:

• "Thank you for sharing my story and the story of others who have endured, overcome, and accomplished."


• "I was blown away by the book."


• "The book that you designed for all of us who contributed our shoes is beautiful and I will cherish mine for the rest of my life. I will be proud to hand it down along with my boots to my children."


• "The exhibit was so inspiring and the book captured its spirit perfectly."

The final addition to the collection was a pair of shoes owned by Lynne H. Koskie, library acquisitions manager and creator of the "Walk in my Shoes" exhibit.

She included them as a "Thank you" to all who shared their shoes and stories with the hundreds of people who visited the exhibit. She stated that her goal through the exhibit was to show the depth and richness of the lives of ordinary people who, in reality, are quite extraordinary.

The book, with stories compiled by Koskie and photos by Amanda M. Williamson, part-time student photographer, and Phillip C.Warner, Web designer, costs $10 and can be ordered at The Madigan Library main circulation desk.