After House nod, whale tale’s niche debated

LYNN – The Massachusetts House wants to make a weighty tale of man versus world’s biggest mammal the official state novel.The North Common Street library has several copies of Moby Dick on its shelves and the editions range from a fully annotated text of 800-plus pages to a 170-page young readers’ version.The idea of declaring Herman Melville’s classic the official state novel appeals to Nahant Librarian Dan deStefano.”Anything that gets people reading is great,” he said, adding, “Doesn’t the Legislature have anything better to do?”As an afterthought, deStefano noted that many people tend to find Moby Dick tedious. He prefers Melville’s non-fiction accounts of his time on the high seas, including his adventures among cannibals.Michelle Romano, community relations manager at the Saugus Barnes & Noble, admitted she couldn’t remember if she’d in fact ever read Moby Dick but the notion of making the book the state’s official tome intrigued her. She also agreed with deStefano.”I don’t really know how to respond,” she said with a laugh. “But I will say that I’m excited for whatever book they choose that will get people reading. It’s a great way to build community.”The half-dozen or so volumes of Moby Dick in the Lynn Public Library have been checked out about 75 times in the last several years and most of the readers, according to library employees, are school students who ended up with Ahab’s saga on their required reading list.The state House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill naming Moby Dick the official “epic novel” of Massachusetts although some lawmakers wondered whether it should be named the official book over classics by Nathaniel Hawthorne or Louisa May Alcott, not to mention Jack Kerouac.DeStefano’s preferences run to Robert Parker and Nancy Zaroulis. Nahant’s Tom McGrath occupies a special place in his heart.Rep. Christopher Speranzo sponsored the Moby Dick bill at the urging of elementary school students in his Berkshires district. Melville wrote the book in Pittsfield. The bill needs to pass the Senate and get the governor’s signature.