"Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer was announced Wednesday as the 2011 choice for "One Book One Town," a program in which Fairfield residents are invited to read a book and attend discussion groups, lectures, a film series and a visit by the author.

Librarians at the announcement in Fairfield Public Library said "Eating Animals" was challenging and dealt with a difficult subject, but they believed the book would inspire thoughtful debate during discussion groups, a schedule of which will be announced in January. Foer is scheduled to discuss his book on March 29 at Fairfield Warde High School, and writing contests on the subject of "Food Memoirs" also will be held.

"It is a harsh subject matter, but it's something near and dear to our hearts," said Town Librarian Karen Ronald. "We're really looking at what we do as far as what we eat."

Mary Coe, reference librarian at the Fairfield Woods Branch Library, said Foer's third book was "an important book by an important author" and dealt with a "timely and difficult topic."

"Yes it's challenging. I believe they will be up for the challenge," Coe said of Fairfield readers.

Librarians said "Eating Animals" wasn't a screed for vegetarianism but examined where food comes from. They described Foer's book as part memoir and part investigative report and said he was inspired to write the book when his wife was pregnant because he wanted to know what he would be feeding his first child.

"Foer does not set out to dictate our choice, but rather to inform it," Coe said.

Nicole Scherer, Teen Services librarian, said, "This book is encouraging people to be informed about their food choices."

"We, as humans, are eating animals and we should know where our food is coming from," Scherer said. "For this book, we want to inspire a thoughtful conversation about food and why we eat the way we do. It's a powerful piece of literature, and I think it's going to inspire the thoughtful conversation we're looking for."

Scherer said she read Foer's book when it first came out in one sitting and said Foer was a masterful, unique and modern writer and had been named one of "New Yorker" magazine's top 20 authors under the age of 40. "The way he frames...his arguments makes a real mark. An unforgettable shift occurs when you read his writing," she said.

"Eating Animals," a non-fiction book, is aimed at adult readers, though "Our Farm: By the Animals of Farm Sanctuary" by Maya Gottfried was announced Wednesday as a companion book for younger readers.

Ronald said a committee of library staff and volunteers spent about five months and read 38 books before deciding on Foer's book. "It has been a trying process, but I believe a rewarding one," she said.

Scherer said 100 copies of "Eating Animals" were available for loan from Fairfield Public Library and 50 copies were available for loan from Fairfield Woods Branch Library and Pequot Library. Copies are available for sale at Borders Books downtown.

First Selectman Ken Flatto, who was the first to take "Eating Animals" out on loan from the downtown library, said One Book One Town was "an incredible program around the country and around Fairfield."

"We encourage people in the community to participate, and we get wonderful involvement," he said. Of this year's selection, Flatto said, "Health and nutrition is one of the most important subjects out there."

Flatto thanked Friends of the Fairfield Public Library for their help in funding the One Book One Town program.

"Eating Animals" was the fourth book selected in the annual One Book One Town program. Previous books were "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick, and "Into the Beautiful North" by Luis Alberto Urrea.

Librarians said they look for different subject matters each year and especially look for books that will inspire thoughtful debate. "Every single book we've chosen has struck a nerve in both directions," Scherer said.

Foer's two previous books were "Everything is Illuminated" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close."

Publisher's Weekly reviewed Foer's latest book by saying: "Foer combines an array of facts, astutely-written anecdotes, and his furious, inward-spinning energy to make a personal, highly-entertaining take on an incredibly visible...moral question," according to a press release that accompanied Wednesday's announcement.

Glen Colello, owner of Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe on Unquowa Road, came to Wednesday's announcement and said he was looking forward to reading "Eating Animals."

"I'm very excited to do it. I think it's really going to create some intense awareness in town about what people are putting on their plate...I'm excited. I'm going to go back and get my library card and take one of these out," Colello said.

Partners in the One Book One Town program include Pequot Library, a privately-owned library in the town's Southport neighborhood that is open to the public, Fairfield University, the Fairfield Arts Council and Borders Books, Ronald said.