Book on Defiance woman picked for CommunityREAD 2026

FINDLAY — The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library's CommunityREAD book selection for 2026 will pay tribute to a Defiance woman who kept her family mostly solvent by writing jingles and contest entries. "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words of Less" by Terry Ryan also ties into America 250 — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and Ohio's celebratory theme of Ohio Goes to the Movies, according to Joel Minty, assistant library director. "Northwest Ohio feels just so evident in this story," he said Area references include the Toledo Blade newspaper, Bowling Green State University and the cities of Kenton and Defiance, he noted. "It's a real person who did all these contests to get the prize money to keep their family afloat," Minty said. "The husband had issue with that because of the times especially. I'm the man. I'm the bread winner." Ryan grew up in Defiance and was a BGSU journalism school graduate. She lived in San Francisco most of her adult life, where she was the writer of a long-running cartoon called T.O. Sylvester in the San Francisco Chronicle. She wrote the book about her family - focusing on her mother, Evelyn Ryan - which was released in 2001. Ryan shares how her mother's winning way defied the church, her alcoholic husband and antiquated views of housewives. To Evelyn, flouting convention was a small price to pay when it came to securing a happy home for her six sons and four daughters. Graced with a rare appreciation for life's inherent hilarity, Evelyn turned every financial challenge into an opportunity for fun and profit. Prizes included a supermarket shopping spree, a Ford Mustang, money and a trip to Switzerland. Evelyn died in 1998. A film based on the book came out in 2005. Terry died two years later. "It was a great movie, and it was too good of an opportunity to tie into America 250 and Ohio Goes to the Movies," said Minty. According to the Ohio Goes to the Movies (OGTTM) website, the program is a statewide celebration of movies showcasing Ohioans both in front of, and behind the camera, as well as Ohio locations and topics. A signature event of America 250, OGTTM will start in mid-February 2026 and run through October 2026. Minty said the library is collaborating with the Hancock Historical Museum on next year's CommunityRead event. "They had the movie license and they were the Ohio Goes to the Movies point person organization for the county," he said. To date, a lecture and movie showing will be held March 20 at Winebrenner Auditorium on the University of Findlay campus. Cortland Rankin, of the Department of Theatre and Film at BGSU, will discuss the book, the Rust Belt and Ohio in film at 6 p.m. A showing of the movie follows at 7. Tickets are not required to attend any CommunityREAD events, said Minty. YouthREAD for youth in grades 3-5 will read a Kit Kittredge book titled "Read All About It." Part of the American Girl series, Kit's books are set during the Depression in Cincinnati. On March 7 at the museum, youth-focused activities will begin at 2 p.m. The movie, "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," starts at 2:30 p.m. An American Girl tea is planned at 11 a.m. March 21 at the museum. "The museum has been doing teas for many years and were generous enough to theme theirs around our YouthREAD," said youth services librarian Sarah Cramer. There will be announcements about books and activities for other ages as CommunityREAD gets closer, they said. "We're really excited to get adults reading, get the youth reading, come and see a movie at the museum, at Winebrenner and just keep the spirit going," said Minty. Copies of the "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" book, large print book, DVD and CD are now available to check out at the library. The audio book can be obtained through Libby. To learn more about Ohio's connections to the movies, visit ohiogoestothemovies.org CommunityREAD 2026, Rankin's presentation and the movie presentation are funded by the Friends of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, a Community Foundation grant, business and private sponsors, and the library's general fund. CommunityREAD is a month-long community event that encourages reading and promotes the benefits of literacy. Originally created by the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation in 2003, the administration of CommunityREAD was assumed by the library in 2012. Each year, a different book is chosen and read by community members during the month of March. Various events and programs are planned throughout the month at the library. Visit www.findlaylibrary.org or call the library at 419-422-1712 for more information.