NEA wants the country to read.(Arts & Entertainment)

Byline: HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press

Uncle Sam wants you to join a book club.

The National Endowment for the Arts announced Tuesday the creation of "The Big Read," a program that will sponsor community reading groups throughout the country. Like the NEA's "Poetry Out Loud," a national competition that was formed last year, the new initiative is a response to the organization's 2004 study, "Reading at Risk," which reported a dramatic rise in nonreading.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said that books have benefits beyond the private enjoyment of a good story.

"There's a whole social aspect to …