The Tortilla Curtain touches on themes of immigration and the "collisions" of diverse people in a community

A poignant and gripping novel about two couples on both sides of the illegal immigrant issue has been selected for Silicon Valley Reads 2007, the community reads program that asks everyone in the 15 cities of Santa Clara County to read the same book and discuss it.

"The Tortilla Curtain" by T.C. Boyle tells the story of two couples in Southern California who live in close proximity geographically but are worlds apart in every other way. A chance encounter brings together the "haves" and "have nots" with dramatic consequences.

This is the fifth year of Silicon Valley Reads which is co-sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Library, and San Jose Public Library Foundation. The goals of the program are to promote reading and literacy while building community through an open dialogue that leads to a valuable exchange of perspectives, life experiences and understanding among widely-diverse readers.

Activities are now being planned for Silicon Valley Reads Month in February, 2007 that will appeal to a wide variety of community members – from avid readers to those with limited literacy skills. The book will also be incorporated into curriculum in some local high school and college classes.

"I am both pleased and honored to have The Tortilla Curtain selected for the Silicon Valley Reads program," said author T.C. Boyle. "Not only is it every author's dream to have an entire community focus on one of his books, but with the recent debates in Congress, The Tortilla Curtain seems more relevant now even than when it was first published in 1995. It is a provocative, and, I hope, compassionate book that offers no easy solutions but rather asks the reader to enter into the minds of its characters and re-evaluate his or her feelings. It should provide plenty of lively debate and broaden the discussion on the issue of illegal immigration in the Silicon Valley community--and I guarantee that it will offer a very compelling read."

Further information is available at www.siliconvalleyreads.org or call Diane McNutt at (408) 354-1242.