May 13th
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Why write a new book about the most exhaustively chronicled
person in American history? Doris
Kearns Goodwin provides a persuasive answer to that challenge with this
impressive life of the Great Emancipator. With a deep understanding of
how power works, Goodwin couples the
story of Lincoln's rise to the presidency with the stories of Lincoln's
"team of rivals," the remarkable men he defeated and then drafted into
his cabinet. Goodwin
masterfully reveals the growth of Lincoln's political genius within the
context of his times. This meticulously researched ten-year labor of
love is a joy to read.
June 10th
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression. When 23-year-old Jankowski learns that his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of Cornell veterinary school and parlays his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures. He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for.
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The Westerly
Public Library book discussion group is open to all readers of the
current book. Each month's selection is listed on this website and in
the on-paper calendar which is mailed to members of the Friends of the
Library and Park, also available at the Circulation and Reference
desks.
The group meets year-round on the second Tuesday of the
month at 1 pm in the Granite Exhibit area in the lower level stacks.
Participants choose the books and share responsibility for discussions.
Book Discussions