|
20 School Street
Sunderland, MA 01375
Phone: 413-665-2642 | Fax: 413-665-1435
|
|
||||||||||||
On the Same Page 2008: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
This year, our community will be reading The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan as part of the library's ongoing On the Same Page program.
Sunderland Public Library will be participating in a combined program this year with six other towns: S. Deerfield, Wendell, Leverett, Montague, New Salem and Shutesbury. We are calling our program "A Tale for Seven Towns." You can read more about this year's program and exciting events:
- Program Description (January - March 2008)
- About the Book
- About the Author
- A Tale for Seven Towns program and events
- Sunderland Public Library events:
- Movie Nights
- Surviving the Dust Bowl Wed. Feb. 6th, 2008 at 6 p.m.
- The Plow That Broke the Plains Tues. Feb. 12th, 2008 at 6 p.m.
- The Grapes of Wrath Wed. Feb. 20th, 2008 at 6 p.m.
- Wild About Weather Sat. Feb. 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
- Pizza and Pages A Book Discussion Group for Young Adults: Wed. March 5th, 2008 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.
- Book Discussion: The Worst Hard Time Tues. March 11th, 2008 from 6 - 8 p.m.
- Found Sound Create your own musical instruments (Young Adults): Wed. March 12th, 2008 from 6:30 - 8 p.m.
- Weathering Hard Times Tues. March 18th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
- Song-Writing for Young Adults: Wed. March 19th, 2008 from 6:30 - 8 p.m.
- Special Preschool Storytime Fri. March 21st, 2008 at 11 a.m.
- So… What’s Up with Global Warming and Climate Change? Wed. March 26th, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
- Movie Nights
You can also view a map of the participating libraries.
There are a variety of other resources about the Dust Bowl.
Program Description
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
A critically-acclaimed book that provides a look back at the natural and man-made conditions that led to the period of the Great American Dust Bowl &emdash; and explores the lives of the hardy individuals who survived it.
Read the book and share the experience!
| Registration/Books Available: | January 14 — February 2, 2008 |
| Program Length: | February 4 — March 31, 2008 |
- Discussion groups.
- Guest speakers.
- Programs for young adults.
- Programs for children.
- Movie nights.
On the Same Page is being funded through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners with funds from the Library Services and Technology Act, a federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional funding is generously provided by the Friends of the Sunderland Public Library and the Sunderland Cultural Council.
About the Book
The Worst Hard Time
On April 14, 1935, the biggest dust storm on record descended over five states, from the Dakotas to Amarillo, Texas. People standing a few feet apart could not see each other; if they touched, they risked being knocked over by the static electricity that the dust created in the air. The Dust Bowl was the product of reckless, market-driven farming that had so abused the land that, when dry weather came, the wind lifted up millions of acres of topsoil and whipped it around in "black blizzards," which blew as far east as New York. This ecological disaster rapidly disfigured whole communities. Egan's portraits of the families who stayed behind are sobering and far less familiar than those of the "exodusters" who staggered out of the High Plains. He tells of towns depopulated to this day, a mother who watched her baby die of "dust pneumonia," and farmers who gathered tumbleweed as food for their cattle and, eventually, for their children.
About the Author
Timothy Egan
Timothy Egan is a national enterprise reporter for the New York Times. He is the author of five books and the recipient of several awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
A Tale for Seven Towns: Program and Events
A Tale for Seven Towns is supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners; by grants from the Deerfield, Leverett, Sunderland and Wendell Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; the Friends of the Sunderland Public Library; the Friends of the Tilton Library; the Friends of the Leverett Library; the Friends of the M.N. Spear Memorial Library; the Friends of the Wendell Free Library; Florence Savings Bank and by State Aid to Public Libraries.
Read the Book and Share the Experience!
The idea behind A Tale for Seven Towns is to create a kind of community-wide book club throughout our seven towns. Reading great books provokes us to think about ourselves, our environment and our relationships. Talking about great books with friends, family and neighbors often adds richness and depth to the reading experience. We hope you will read and enjoy The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan and …
- Talk about it with your friends and neighbors.
- Attend the book discussions and related programs listed in this brochure.
- Learn more about the Great American Dust Bowl.
- Read more for pleasure and encourage your children to do so.
- Meet new people and share ideas.
All programs are free and open to the public.
Be sure to stop by any one of the seven town libraries to pick up a copy of The Worst Hard Time in hardcover, paperback or audio. Also available will be discussion guides and A Tale for Seven Towns buttons.
Registration/Books Available: January 14 – February 2, 2008
Program Length: February 4 - March 31, 2008
Attend one or attend all events and be entered to win an autographed hardcover copy of The Worst Hard Time.
Community Book Discussions
Deerfield Library (Tilton) (D)
- Thursday, March 13; 6:30pm.
Leverett Library (L)
- Adults - Tuesday, March 11; 7pm. With a performance by the Leverett Chorus.
- 5th-8th graders - Out of the Dust. Tuesday, March 18; 5:30pm.
Montague Public Libraries (M)
- Tuesday, March 4; 6:30pm. Carnegie Library, Turners Falls.
- Tuesday, March 18, 6:30pm. Millers Falls Library.
- Wednesday, March 19; 6:30pm. Montague Center Library.
New Salem Public Library (NS)
- Sunday, February 24; 3pm.
Shutesbury Library (M.N. Spear Memorial) (S)
- Sunday, March 9; 6:30pm. Shutesbury Athletic Club.
Sunderland Public Library (SPL)
- Adults - Tuesday, March 11; 6:pm.
- Young Adults - Wednesday, March 5; 6:30pm.
Wendell Free Library (W)
- Wednesday, February 27; 7pm.
Films
Surviving the Dust Bowl
- (L) - Sunday, February 3; 3pm.
- (SPL) - Wednesday, February 6; 6pm.
- (W) - Wednesday, February 13; 7pm.
- (NS) - Friday, February 15; 7pm.
The Plow that Broke the Plains
- (D) - Thursday, February 7; 6:30pm.
- (L) - Sunday, February 10; 3pm.
- (SPL) - Tuesday, February 12; 6pm.
- (W) - Wednesday, February 20; 7pm.
- (NS) - Thursday, March 14; 7pm.
The Grapes of Wrath
- (SPL) - Wednesday, February 20; 6pm.
- (L) - Sunday, March 2; 3pm.
Related Programming
Scrapbooking
- (SPL) - Wednesday, February 13; 6pm.
- (SPL) - Wednesday, March 12; 6pm.
Remembering the Thirties - an Oral History Project
- (D) - Thursday, February 21; 2pm.
Wild About the Weather (for children of all ages)
- (SPL) - Saturday, February 23; 11am.
Special Preschool Storytime
- (SPL) - Friday, March 21; 11am.
Photographing the Great Depression
- (L) - Wednesday, February 27; 7pm.
Weathering Hard Times
- (SPL) - Tuesday, March 18; 6:30pm.
Speakers
Ray Bradley
- (L) - Monday, March 24.
Margaret Christie
- (D) - Supporting Local Agriculture in the Pioneer Valley. Special appearance by the Frontier Regional High School Senior Chorus. Monday, March 17; 6:30pm.
Brian Donahue
- (W) - New England Ecological Land Use Past & Future. Thursday, March 6; 7pm.
David Foster
- (S) - Sunday, March 30; 7pm.
Cliff Hatch
- (M) - Agriculture From a Local Perspective. Tuesday, March 11; 6:30pm. Carnegie Library, Turners Falls.
Frank Keimig
- (SPL) - So...What’s Up with Global Warming and Climate Change? Wednesday, March 26; 6:30pm.