Community Read

Ian’s Ride: A Long-Distance Journey to Joy by Karen Polinsky

The City of Port Townsend has proclaimed March as the official "Reading Month." Community Read is designed to promote closer ties among community members through the shared experience of reading, sharing and discussing the same book and ideas related to topics raised by the book.

• A limited number of free copies of the book will be available at the Port Townsend Public Library on a first-come first-served basis. Additional copies will be available at the Library, or you may purchase a copy at Imprint Bookshop.
• Read the book, then pass it on to others. 
• Prepare for a discussion about the book with your own book group or join in the groups listed below. A brochure with discussion issues and questions is available at the Library.
• Attend the many in-person events during the month of March.

About the Book

“Fast-paced and honest to the bone, Ian’s Ride is a well-told story about the powers of perseverance and love. Ian’s resolve is breathtaking, but so is his mother’s and that of his family, friends and caregivers. The book is both a harrowing adventure and a guide to the unthinkable challenges of being a quadriplegic or caring for one. Peppered with real-time observations, the narrative builds to a profound understanding of what we are capable of accomplishing. But perhaps more importantly, Ian’s Ride shows us how rewarding it can be to help people.”

— Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide

While studying as a biology undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, Ian Mackay crashed his bike into a tree on campus. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, Mackay adapted to his new life with the help of his dedicated family, particularly his mother, Teena Woodward, and a group of quirky friends. After years of despair, and against all odds, he became an inspiring leader, an innovator with Apple, and a world-record-breaking athlete. In this intimate biography based on more than one hundred hours of interviews, journal entries, and more, writer Karen Polinsky recounts Ian’s accident and determined recovery, in which he discovered the healing power of nature and community. Ian’s Ride is both a personal journey and an adventure quest for nature lovers, endurance athletes, and anyone struggling with a life-changing loss or diagnosis. This deeply moving true story examines how we exist in our bodies, adapt to and overcome adversity, and what it means to push our limits.

Author Profile

KAREN POLINSKY is a former journalist and high school teacher and currently a novelist and playwright living in Portland, Oregon. Her first book, Dungeness, like Ian’s Ride is set on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. She’s written more than a dozen staged plays. She enjoys camping and biking and hiking with her husband Michael and her border collie Pearl.

Special Events (All Events Free!)

ALL MONTH MARCH 1–31 

Soundcheck – Community Read Kickoff Pancake Breakfast
March 1 (Sunday) Fort Worden Commons 9:00–11:00 am
Followed by a self-guided walk with your Community Read Adventure Log.

Brewocracy Now – KPTZ
March 5 (Thursday) KPTZ 91.9 FM 12:30 pm

Technology and Accessibility with the Quadfather Todd Stabelfeldt
March 5 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 6:00 pm

Book Lover’s Café – Ian’s Ride: A Long-Distance Journey to Joy
March 5 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 2:00 pm
Join the library’s book club for a group discussion.

ADA Accessibility and Active Transportation Plan in Port Townsend with Assistant City Engineer Jeff Kostechka and DASH
March 12 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 6:00 pm

Storytime Connections with Judith Bows
March 18 (Wednesday) Children’s Room 2:00 pm
Kids and families – join us for an afternoon of stories, arts & crafts, and other activities.

Olympic Discovery Trail Talk with Peninsula Trails Coalition
March 19 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 6:00 pm

Guided Birding Walk with Rainshadow Bird Alliance
March 22 (Sunday) Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park 9:00 am
Join experienced birders for this all-ages, accessible interpretive walk.

Meet the Author: Karen Polinsky and Ian Mackay
March 26 (Thursday) Northwest Maritime Center 6:00 pm
Join a presentation and reading, followed by a book signing and books for sale from Imprint Books.

Art in Action: Bike Repair with the Recyclery
March 27 (Friday) Port Townsend Public Library 3:00 pm
Watch a live demonstration on how to fix your bike.

PTFF & The Rose Theatre Presents: Soul Surfer (Free Film – PG)
March 28 (Saturday) Rose Theatre 1:00 pm

Choose Your Own Adventure Log beginning March 1–31
Walk, roll, and run throughout March keeping track on your library adventure log. Pick up your log at the library March 1st. Submit at the end of the month for a chance to win prizes!

StoryWalk March 1–31 Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park
A fun outdoor daylight adventure for the whole family to enjoy. Explore anytime during March.

Book Discussions:

March 11 (Wednesday) Pour House 5:00 pm
March 18 (Wednesday) Aldrich’s Mezzanine 10:30 am

Thank you to all of our sponsors:

SPONSORS: Port Townsend Library Friends and Foundation and our community partners: The Port Townsend Film Festival, Rose Theatre, Imprint Bookshop, DASH, Rainshadow Bird Alliance, Northwest Maritime Center, Aldrich's, Pour House, Port Townsend School District, Port Townsend Jefferson County Leader, Peninsula Daily News, and KPTZ 91.9 FM.

Past Community Reads:
2025 Big in Sweden by Sally Franson
2024 On the Way To the End of the World by Adrianne Harun
2023 Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer & Adapted by Monique Gray Smith 
2022 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
2021 House Lessons, Erica Bauermeister
2020 Whiskey When We're Dry, John Larison 
2019 Piano Tide, Kathleen Dean Moore
2018 My Old Man and the Mountain: A Memoir, Leif Whittaker
2017 Before the Wind, Jim Lynch 
2016 This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein 
2015 Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra, Jason Fry
2014 Turn Here Sweet Corn, Atina Diffley
2013 Contents May Have Shifted, Pam Houston
2013 Teen Community Read - Life Is So Good, George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
2012 Winterkill, Craig Lesley
2012 Teen Community Read - Blank Confession, Pete Hautman
2011 The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland
2011 Teen Community Read, Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
2010 The Hungry Ocean, Linda Greenlaw
2009 The Measure of a Mountain, Bruce Barcott
2008 Once in a Promised Land, Laila Halaby
2007 Where Rivers Change Direction and An Unfinished Life,  Mark Spragg
2006 Counting Coup, Larry Colton