The Most Direct Solution to AnyProblem

When trying to solve various problems in life，an approach I find very useful is to first identify what I'd consider the mostdirect solution，regardless of how I feel about actually implementing (实施)it.What is the clearest，most direct path to my goal or the most efficient way to get around an obstacle?

Many problems will have multiple direct solutions，butoften these solutions will be unpleasant at first glance because they'llrequire courage，selfdiscipline，creativity，or persistence to implement.

For example，supposeyou want to lose weight. And suppose we can say that one of direct solutions isto eat the same as you're eating now and increase your exercise output by 500 calories a day. It may require discipline and persistence，but most people would agree that itwill work if you follow through.

Another example：However，you don't know how that person feels about you.One direct solution would be to simply walk up，explain your thoughts and feelings，and ask if she or he is interested in discussing the possibility of a closer relationship.This will take less than aminute to say，and whatever the outcome is，at least you know where you stand. Anyhow it's very simple and straightforward.

What'sthe simplest and quickest way to reach your goal，assuming that you had limitless courage and discipline?

A．Of course this solution may require alot of courage to overcome the possibility of rejection.

B．But if we can get ourselves to followthrough，weknow the solutions will actually work.

C．See if you can identify the mostdirect solution to some of your problems.

D．So the best way to overcome thedifficulty is to ask your friends for advice.

E．If you implement this rather simplesolution，you'lllose weight.

F．Suppose you're interested in startinga relationship with someone.

G．However，thesolution implemented does not work.

“One City One Book” is a generic name (通称) for a community reading program that attempts to get everyone in a city to read and discuss the same book.Popular book picks have been Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird ， Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying ， and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

“One City One Book” programs take the idea of a localized book discussion club and expand it to cover a whole city.The first such program was “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” in 1998，started by Nancy Pearl at Seattle Public Library's Washington Center for the Book.The book chosen for the program was The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks，written in 1991.Other cities copied the idea，and the Library of Congress listed 404 programs occurring in 2007.

Each city's program has its own goals；these typically include building a sense of community and promoting literacy.Nancy Pearl warns against expecting too much from a program：“Keep in mind that this is a library program，it's not an exercise in civics，and that it's not intended to have literature cure the racial divide.This is about a work of literature.”

        Programs typically involve more than having everyone read the same book.Some other activities that have been included are：book discussion sessions，scholarly lectures on the book or related topics，a visit by the author，exhibits，related arts programming (especially showing a movie of the book if there is one)，and integration into school curricula.In Boston the “One City One Story” program used shorter stories and distributed tens of thousands of free copies of the story over the course of a month.

        American Library Association puts out a detailed step­by­step guide on how to organize a local program，including the critical step of picking the one book.The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress tracks all known programs and the books they have used.

—This Saturday evening，if it________you.