According to Psychology Today, a respected and long-standing mental health resource, reading offers numerous mental health benefits, including alleviating mental health challenges and enhancing social cognition and empathy for others. Plus, participating in reading programs helps youth through conversation and connection with their peers.
Additionally, according to Dr. Paul Wright of Nuvance Health in Connecticut and New York, reading books keeps the brain active. It promotes mental and emotional fitness, enhances creativity, broadens vocabulary, and stimulates imagination. Dr. Wright also recommends engaging with reading groups where a lively debate can strengthen your brain health through creative and persuasive problem-solving.
Salem Reads for Community
The Book Bin
450 Court Street, Salem
503.361.1235
Perhaps local book clubs like Salem Book Groups or the myriad groups sponsored by local bookstores such as Salem’s Book Bin have always known that reading stories about challenging experiences and then discussing them in a group setting creates an opportunity to discuss difficult topics. Much like Bible study groups at local churches, book discussion is increasingly used to aid youth and adults alike in prompting helpful conversations about spiritual lives and sensitive topics such as substance abuse, violence, mental health, and more. A nod of appreciation is due to the local book clubs for their examples in fostering coping skills.
Salem Public Library main branch
585 Liberty Street SE, Salem
503.588.6315
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Any Book Club
Taproot Lounge and Café
356 State Street, Salem
Meets on the third Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Salem Public Library is enjoying its ninth year of hosting Salem Reads, a local adaptation of the One City, One Book program. The One City, One Book program began in 1998 in Seattle when Nancy Pearl invited the whole city to read one book and then come together to share their thoughts. Pearl says, “A group of people who read the same book develop a common vocabulary, and when you have shared the experience of a book, especially a book that packs a wallop, I think that is something that brings people closer together. Since One City, One Book began, there are purportedly over 400 such cities hosting the one book program all across the United States.”
The program at Salem Public Library takes place in February of each year and coincides with a variety of events and activities centered around the book’s theme. The Salem Public Library also hosts the Any Book Club, where participants meet regularly to discuss books they have read, are currently reading, and plan to read.
Salem Reads for Mental Health
Project ABLE
205 Chemeketa NE, Salem
Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health
2600 Center Street, Salem
971.599.1674
Open Thursday and Friday from 12 to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 12 to 5 p.m.
$8 general admission, $7 for seniors and students
An exciting addition to the Salem reading landscape is an enthusiastic merger of Project ABLE (A Better Life Experience) and the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health. The two organizations have joined forces to promote awareness of the importance of mental health in fostering strong and healthy communities.
To this end, the Mental Fitness Book Club has sprung to life. On the third Wednesday of each month, the reading group meets at the Book Bin in downtown Salem to discuss a book related to mental health. In 2025, the book club’s first year, books alternate between novels, memoirs, and guides, including titles such as “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” by Ken Kesey; “The Body Keeps The Score,” by Bessel van der Kolk; “I Know This Much Is True,” by Wally Lamb, “When The Body Says No,” by Gabor Maté, and more.
The Mental Health Fitness Book Club operates similarly to any other book club, where each participant reads the book independently and then comes together for an hour or so to discuss it. Although the book has the same title and author, the discussion about the book is organic and individual to each participant. The group’s sponsors, Christina from the Oregon State Hospital of Mental Health and Charlie of Project ABLE, guide the group in a relaxed and unobtrusive manner, allowing every reader to explore their impressions of and reactions to what the group has been reading.
Those who attend the Mental Health Book Club will receive a complimentary pass to the Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health, where they can explore not only the progression of mental health care over the years but also see memorabilia from the movie adaptation of the novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the award-winning movie, which was primarily filmed at the Oregon State Hospital, where the museum is located.
