By Elizabeth Miller
Are you looking for an enjoyable new year’s resolution? Why not consider reading more and better yet, joining a book group? Reeves Library can help with these goals. Not only does the library have an extensive collection of academic books, as well as bestsellers, but Reeves Library also sponsors a community book discussion group that meets about four times a year. The group is open to everyone. Past titles have included the following:
- Leaves of Grass (selections) by Walt Whitman
- They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School by Bev Sellars
- Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
- Freshwater Road by Denise Nicholas
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Educated by Tara Westover
- Bowlaway: A Novel by Elizabeth McCracken
The community book group will be meeting again on February 24 at 10:30 am via Zoom. In honor of Black History month, the group will discuss the award winning book All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles. This tale traces the history of a cloth sack that an enslaved mother (Rose) gave her daughter (Ashley) shortly before the two were separated. Miles shares the significance of the contents of the sack and researches the history of five generations of women, starting with Rose, and ending with Dorothy, the great granddaughter of Ashley. Weaving the stories of other black women, especially enslaved women, into the narrative, Miles’ research paints a picture of what life may have been like for Rose and her descendants.
In addition to discussing specific titles, the group also shares book recommendations. If you are looking for some titles to add to your reading list and enjoy discussing books, you need not look any further. Reeves Library’s community book discussion group is a welcoming and inclusive group. For more details and to be added to the mailing list for future book discussions, please contact Elizabeth Young Miller (millere@moravian.edu). Happy reading!