Pages Through the Ages is a book discussion group focused on both historical non-fiction and fiction. This month the group will discuss the Pulitzer Prize winning The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.
Copies of the books are available at The Westport Library patron service desk or electronically.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this #1 New York Times bestseller chronicles a young slave’s adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. An outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is on the cusp of womanhood — where greater pain awaits. And so when Caesar, a slave who has recently arrived from Virginia, urges her to join him on the Underground Railroad, she seizes the opportunity and escapes with him. In Colson Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora embarks on a harrowing flight from one state to the next, encountering, like Gulliver, strange yet familiar iterations of her own world at each stop.
History 101
History of the World
Join other members of the community in discussing the 2023 WestportREADS selection, Firekeeper's Daughter.
Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley, is the celebrated young adult novel centered on 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a Native teen who must navigate family tragedy, new relationships, and an FBI investigation to root out the corruption in her community.
Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Firekeeper’s Daughter was named a Printz Medal Winner, Morris Award Winner, American Indian Youth Literature Award YA Honor Book, TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time Selection, 2021 Kids’ Indie Next List Selection, Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Selection, and PopSugar Best March 2021 YA Book Selection.
“A contemplative exploration of existing between two cultural identities meets fake relationship romance meets backwoods thriller in this absolute powerhouse of a debut,” said NPR.
Copies of the book are available for borrowing now at The Westport Library. Firekeeper’s Daughter is also available as a digital copy (e-book) and as an audiobook.
Pages Through the Ages is a book discussion group hosted jointly by the Westport Museum for History and Culture and the Library. This month the group will discuss The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
Meetings will alternate between the buildings, so please check the venue prior to attending! Copies of the books are available at the Westport Library patron service desk or electronically.
Registration suggested for this in-person event.
History 101
History of the World
Join Silvermoon LaRose of the Tomaquag Museum for an engaging discussion of Firekeeper’s Daughter. Although this literary work focuses on the Anishinaabe communities of the Great Lakes, the copious cultural nuances described in the book are relatable to Indigenous communities far and wide. Together we will explore this exciting publication and the relevance to the Indigenous communities of Southern New England that makes Firekeeper's Daughter meaningful to so many.
Silvermoon Mars LaRose, a member of the Narragansett Tribe, is the assistant director of the Tomaquag Museum in Rhode Island. She assists the museum's executive director with managing the museum’s collections and archives, cultural education, and the Indigenous Empowerment projects. Silvermoon has worked in tribal communities for more than 20 years, serving in the areas of health and human services and education. Throughout her career, Silvermoon has had the opportunity to travel extensively, learning from Indigenous communities throughout the United States. Silvermoon is also a member of the Rhode Island Foundation’s inaugural cohort of the Equity Leadership Initiative.
As a public servant, Silvermoon serves as the secretary for the Charlestown Conservation Commission. As an artist and educator, she hopes to foster Indigenous empowerment through education, community building, and the sharing of cultural knowledge and traditional arts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with a minor in Justice Law and Society, from the University of Rhode Island, and a partially completed Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from Western Washington University.
Registration is strongly suggested for this event. CLICK HERE to register to attend in person.
To watch the replay of this event, click here.
Celebrate Native American Culture
Firekeeper's Daughter Read Alikes
Local Indigenous Peoples
Join other members of the community in discussing the 2023 WestportREADS selection, Firekeeper's Daughter.
Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley, is the celebrated young adult novel centered on 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a Native teen who must navigate family tragedy, new relationships, and an FBI investigation to root out the corruption in her community.
Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Firekeeper’s Daughter was named a Printz Medal Winner, Morris Award Winner, American Indian Youth Literature Award YA Honor Book, TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time Selection, 2021 Kids’ Indie Next List Selection, Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Books of 2021 Selection, and PopSugar Best March 2021 YA Book Selection.
“A contemplative exploration of existing between two cultural identities meets fake relationship romance meets backwoods thriller in this absolute powerhouse of a debut,” said NPR.
Copies of the book are available for borrowing now at The Westport Library. Firekeeper’s Daughter is also available as a digital copy (e-book) and as an audiobook.
Angelline Bouley
Firekeeper's Daughter Book Guide
Firekeeper's Daughter Read Alikes
Pages Through the Ages is a book discussion group hosted jointly by the Westport Museum for History and Culture and the Library. Compare and contrast The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli and Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power.
Meetings will alternate between the buildings, so please check the venue prior to attending! Copies of the books are available at the Westport Library patron service desk or electronically.
Registration suggested for this in-person event.
There have been many political philosophies published throughout the time of literate man, but few have made such an impact in so few words as Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. This eminently quotable treatise on the nature of rulers is unsettling in that it does not merely discuss the specific political geography of 16th century Europe, a world comprised of kings and nobles who ruled absolutely; it has endured for nearly 500 years because it is an all-encompassing understanding of men in power, and the common traits, motives and struggles which have characterized leaders from Roman emperors to modern-day presidents.
History 101
History of the World
Discuss "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. A powerful novel that use our obsession with beauty and its impact on race, gender and societal norms. For copies of the book, phone 203.291.4807. New participants always welcome. Room 210 . Contact Carolyn Karwoski, [email protected] for more information.
Pages Through the Ages is a book discussion group hosted jointly by the Westport Museum for History and Culture and the Library. Discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles with Bruce McGuirk and other history buffs. Meetings will alternate between the buildings, so please check the venue prior to attending! Copies of the book are available at the Westport Library patron service desk or electronically.
Registration suggested for this in-person event.
Pages Through the Ages is a book discussion group hosted jointly by the Westport Museum for History and Culture and the Library. Discuss Emma Southon's A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Bruce McGuirk and other history buffs. Meetings will alternate between the buildings, so please check the venue prior to attending! Copies of the book are available at the Westport Library patron service desk or electronically.
Registration suggested for this in-person event.
This is a cultural history of murder in Ancient Rome. In Ancient Rome all the best stories have one thing in common - murder. Romulus killed Remus to found the city; Caesar was assassinated to save the Republic. Caligula was butchered in the theatre, Claudius was poisoned at dinner and Galba was beheaded in the forum. In one fifty-year period, twenty-six emperors were murdered.
But what did killing mean in a city where gladiators fought to the death to sate a crowd? Emma Southon examines real-life homicides from Roman history to explore how perpetrator, victim and the act itself were regarded by ordinary people. Inside Ancient Rome's unique culture of crime and punishment, we see how the Romans viewed life, death, and what it means to be human.
Community Partner: Westport Museum for History & Culture
Celebrate Oaktober by joining members of the Earthplace naturalist team and the Westport Tree Board in discussing The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Doug Tallamy. This event is scheduled to be at Earthplace, 10 Woodside Lane.
Reservations are suggested for this in-person event. Copies of the book are available at the patron service desk at the Westport Library and electronically.
With Bringing Nature Home, Doug Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, the New York Times bestseller Nature’s Best Hope, urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he turns his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom—the mighty oak tree.
Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife. The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.
Community Partners: The Westport Tree Board, Earthplace,
Join members of the Earthplace naturalist team in discussing topics of environmental issues, sustainability, nature or science. This month's book is All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson.
Named one of the best books of the year by Smithsonian Magazine! There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration. While it’s clear that women and girls are vital voices and agents of change for this planet, they are too often missing from the proverbial table. More than a problem of bias, it’s a dynamic that sets us up for failure. To change everything, we need everyone.
This event is scheduled to be at Earthplace, 10 Woodside Lane. Reservations are suggested for this in-person event.
Copies of the book are available at the patron service desk at the Westport Library.
All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States—scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, wonks, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race—and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.
Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to give up on one another or our collective future. Curated by two climate leaders, the book is a collection and celebration of visionaries who are leading us on a path toward all we can save.
Read the Rolling Stone Magazine article
With essays and poems by: Emily Atkin • Xiye Bastida • Ellen Bass • Colette Pichon Battle • Jainey K. Bavishi • Janine Benyus • adrienne maree brown • Régine Clément • Abigail Dillen • Camille T. Dungy • Rhiana Gunn-Wright • Joy Harjo • Katharine Hayhoe • Mary Annaïse Heglar • Jane Hirshfield • Mary Anne Hitt • Ailish Hopper • Tara Houska, Zhaabowekwe • Emily N. Johnston • Joan Naviyuk Kane • Naomi Klein • Kate Knuth • Ada Limón • Louise Maher-Johnson • Kate Marvel • Gina McCarthy • Anne Haven McDonnell • Sarah Miller • Sherri Mitchell, Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset • Susanne C. Moser • Lynna Odel • Sharon Olds • Mary Oliver • Kate Orff • Jacqui Patterson • Leah Penniman • Catherine Pierce • Marge Piercy • Kendra Pierre-Louis • Varshini • Prakash • Janisse Ray • Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez • Favianna Rodriguez • Cameron Russell • Ash Sanders • Judith D. Schwartz • Patricia Smith • Emily Stengel • Sarah Stillman • Leah Cardamore Stokes • Amanda Sturgeon • Maggie Thomas • Heather McTeer Toney • Alexandria Villaseñor • Alice Walker • Amy Westervelt • Jane Zelikova
Community Partner: Earthplace
Join members of the Earthplace naturalist team in discussing topics of environmental issues, sustainability, nature or science. This month's book is Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach. This event is scheduled to be at Earthplace, 10 Woodside Lane.
Reservations are suggested for this in-person event. Copies of the book are available at the patron service desk at the Westport Library.
What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.
Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to “problem” wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.
“Nobody does weird science quite like [Mary Roach].” —Lexi Pandell, Wired
Read the New York Times review.
Community Partner: Earthplace
