This fall, Newton Public Library presents “Community: The Way We Live,” a three-part TALK (Talk About Literature in Kansas) book discussion series.
The quest for community has taken many forms in the history of the United States. Today, we worry about the erosion of community. This series explores some of the ways we live together, from rural New Mexico, to Alabama, to an island off the coast of Washington state. Neighbors who’ve known each other all their lives, and lonely folks slipiping through the cracks of society, all have something to teach us about how to depend on one another – about our need for support, for tolerance, for forgiveness.
Members of the public are invited to participate in any or all of these free discussions. Thanks to a grant from Humanities Kansas, each will be led by a special guest.
Copies of the selected books are available for borrowing. Ask at the public service desk, email library@newtonplks.org, or call 316-283-2890.
• Thursday, Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m.: “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe,” by Fannie Flagg. Discussion leader: Rachel Goossen, professor emerita of history at Washburn University.
This endearing novel travels from the 1980s back to the 1930s, when Idgie and Ruth’s Alabama cafe offered good barbecue, love, laughter, and even an occasional murder.
• Tuesday, Oct. 1, 6:30 p.m.: “Snow Falling on Cedars,” by David Guterson. Discussion leader: Trish Reeves, poet and retired professor of creative writing at Haskell Indian Nations University.
A fisherman drowns, and a Japanese American is charged with his murder, forcing the island residents of San Piedro to come to terms with their past, including the exile of local Japanese families during World War II.
• Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m.: “The Milagro Beanfield War,” by John Nichols. Discussion leader: Anne Hawkins, Kansas historian and educator.
When feisty Joe Mondragon decides to irrigate his bean crop with “stolen” water, he drags the neighbors in his New Mexico village into a hilarious battle to save their community.