The Augusta Public Library will offer a four-part book discussion series August through November entitled "World War II Generation." Members of the community are invited to attend the free programs, which will take place at the library, 1609 State St.
The series is sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council, a nonprofit cultural organization, as part of its Talk About Literature in Kansas (TALK) program. The Council's Resource Center is furnishing the books and discussion leaders for the Augusta TALK series.
The first meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. Linda M. Lewis will lead a discussion of Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene, where the citizens of North Platte, Nebraska, found a unique way to express their own patriotism: by giving the troops who passed through their city a final home-cooked meal before they headed off to war. The meals led to much else – lasting friendships, love relationships, and a solidarity among the citizens of the city. Lewis is the Margaret H. Mountcastle Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Bethany College, Lindsborg.
World War II profoundly reshaped the world, in part because it was so total a war, engaging civilian populations so fully and covering so much of the globe. As a result, it has proven to be an irresistible subject for literature and film. This reading series bypasses the more familiar territories of the war by selecting recent books that address less-familiar aspects of this world-wide conflict.
The series continues with The Cloud Atlas by Liam Callanan (Sept. 25), When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe (Oct. 9), and The Gardens of Kyoto by Kate Walbert (Nov. 6).
Those interested in attending the discussions may check out copies of the books from the library. For more information, contact 775-2681. For more information about KHC, visit:www.kansashumanities.org.
