| Label | Information |
|---|---|
| Dates & times |
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| Category | Book Club |
| Age Groups | Adult |
7-8pm, 2nd Tuesday of the month
Come in person (Library Community Room) or join virtually using this link. Joining the book discussion virtually will require the installation of the Zoom client on your computer (microphone and speakers required for audio, camera for video) or the Zoom app on your mobile device. Additional help using Zoom.
Join us for a relaxed, open-minded, varied discussion of this month's selection. New people are always welcome; no sign-up is required, but you can register here for an email reminder.
Extra copies available at the 1st Floor Desk. (Not the Book Club for you? Learn about other Book Clubs at Wright Library)
October 10
What Comes After
by Joanne Tompkins
Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2022 Fiction Runner-up
After the shocking death of two teenage boys tears apart a community in the Pacific Northwest, a mysterious pregnant girl emerges out of the woods and into the lives of those same boys’ families—a moving and hopeful novel about forgiveness and human connection.
In misty, coastal Washington State, Isaac lives alone with his dog, grieving the recent death of his teenage son, Daniel. Next door, Lorrie, a working single mother, struggles with a heinous act committed by her own teenage son. Separated by only a silvery stretch of trees, the two parents are emotionally stranded, isolated by their great losses—until Evangeline, an unfamiliar sixteen-year-old girl, shows up, bridges the gap, and changes everything.
With a propulsive mystery at its core, What Comes After offers an unforgettable story of loss and anger, but also of kindness and hope, courage and forgiveness. It is a deeply moving account of strangers and friends not only helping each other forward after tragedy but inspiring a new kind of family.
“[A] story about forgiving the unforgivable, gaining new family, and hope.” —Shondaland.com
November 14
Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
by Eli Saslow
Dayton Literary Peace Prize 2019 Nonfiction Winner
The powerful story of how a prominent white supremacist changed his heart and mind. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, this is a book to help us understand the American moment and to help us better understand one another.
Derek Black grew up at the epicenter of white nationalism. His father founded Stormfront, the largest racist community on the Internet. His godfather, David Duke, was a KKK Grand Wizard. By the time Derek turned nineteen, he had become an elected politician with his own daily radio show—already regarded as the "the leading light" of the burgeoning white nationalist movement. "We can infiltrate," Derek once told a crowd of white nationalists. "We can take the country back."
Then he went to college. At New College of Florida, he continued to broadcast his radio show in secret each morning, living a double life until a classmate uncovered his identity and sent an email to the entire school. "Derek Black ... white supremacist, radio host ... New College student???" The ensuing uproar overtook one of the most liberal colleges in the country. Some students protested Derek's presence on campus, forcing him to reconcile for the first time with the ugliness of his beliefs. Other students found the courage to reach out to him, including an Orthodox Jew who invited Derek to attend weekly Shabbat dinners. It was because of those dinners—and the wide-ranging relationships formed at that table—that Derek started to question the science, history, and prejudices behind his worldview. As white nationalism infiltrated the political mainstream, Derek decided to confront the damage he had done.
With great empathy and narrative verve, Eli Saslow asks what Derek Black's story can tell us about America's increasingly divided nature.
"No one can match Eli Saslow's skill at telling the most improbable, humane, and riveting tales of our time. Anyone despairing at the hate that has fueled so much of America's politics ought to read this unforgettable story." —Jane Mayer, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Money
