One Book. Thousands of Readers. A Chance to Strengthen How We Know One Another.
What if reading one book together could help us become better neighbors? This fall, Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute is inviting people across the country to participate in the Weave BIG READ , a shared reading and conversation experience centered on David Brooks’ book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen . The BIG READ will take place Oct. 1 to Nov. 5, 2026 , bringing together thousands of people to read, reflect, talk, and practice the skills that help us better understand one another. And for anyone interested in neighboring and building stronger communities, this seems like a particularly timely opportunity. Why This Book—and Why Now? We spend a lot of time talking about loneliness, polarization, declining trust, and the weakening of community connections. But rebuilding our social fabric ultimately requires more than identifying the problem. It requires learning how to relate to one another differently. That...