ATTLEBORO - Cell phones were silenced, and so were most crowd members gathered at Jaec's Cafe Friday night.

Many sat with books in hand, following along to Ray Bradbury's classic novel "Fahrenheit 451" while selected readers took turns speaking a few pages into a microphone to an audience of about three dozen.

It was the city's first-ever read-a-thon, organized by The Big Read and Attleboro's 1ABC ("1 Adventure, 1 Book, 1 Community") in an effort to unite the community and spark a renewed interest in reading.

The marathon, which coincided with the library's centennial celebration, began at 4 p.m. and included an array of readers, from Mayor Kevin Dumas and Police Chief Richard Pierce to a number of local students, politicians and community members.

With the snack spread and live music in between readings, it was more like a scene at Harvard Square than a coffee shop in Attleboro. Event organizers say they hope it becomes the norm. "We all know reading is on the decline," said Vic Bonneville, co-chair of the 1ABC committee. "So we've tried to really get the community to read the book, and whether they like it or not, at least talk about it."

Apparently it's working.

Events Chairperson Kathy Hickman said a number of "heated" discussions have resulted about the novel, which paints a picture of a futuristic society in which books and reading are banned. The title refers to the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns.

"Some people have hated it, some people have loved it, some people have been in between," Hickman said. "But it has lent itself to discussions like you can't imagine."

Keith Raho, 22, of Wrentham said the book is a little on the "melodramatic" side and not among his favorites.

"I think '1984' is a lot better," he said. "It's a good book, though. It's well done."

Raho, a college graduate who majored in English and an avid reader, said he came to his first-ever read-a-thon in support of the endeavor of reading.

The read-a-thon is one of two in the state and one of 117 across the country designed to bring reading back to the forefront.

As Bradbury himself said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."