All patrons and friends of the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library are welcome to join the Page Turners, the Library’s book discussion group.  We are currently meeting online.  

Our selection for October 11 is Paule Marshall’s Praisesong for the Widow (1983) which chronicles in lyrical prose an African-American woman’s transformative experiences on a Caribbean island after she makes an impulsive choice.  As we come to understand Avey’s history as a Black American, we also see aspects of Caribbean life and culture through her eyes.  If you are having difficulty locating a copy of Praisesong, Page Turners may be able to help.

Our book selection for November 8 will be Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed’s On Juneteenth (2021), a brief, powerful, and personal exploration by a native Texan of the emergence of Juneteenth as a historical occasion and a site for reflective commemoration. The Minerva Library Network holds some thirty copies of this book, which is also available for purchase in print and kindle forms.  And on December 13, we will be discussing E. M. Forster’s classic Howard’s End (1910), often considered the author’s masterpiece and widely available on Minerva, in paper and electronic versions, and for free at Project Gutenberg.

Page Turners also maintains a discussion list for our members, at which you can receive advance discussion questions in preparation for our gatherings.  If you would like further information about this group or wish to attend an upcoming meeting, please contact Sue Lanser at lanser@brandeis.edu or 925-6244.