Winter Book Discussion Series

"The Roaring Twenties" will be the theme for the library's Winter 2013 book discussion series. The series will focus on books published in the 1920s that are today regarded as classics of American literature. All discussions will begin at 7:00 PM and will be free and open to the public.

The books scheduled for discussion are:  

• Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson, Monday, January 28;  
• Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis, Monday, February 25; 
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Monday, March 25; 
  
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, Monday, April 22. 

Copies will be available to borrow from the library in advance of the discussions.

The 1920s was a rich period in American literature. In addition to the writers featured in this series, that decade also saw the publication of major works by such authors as Willa Cather, John Dos Passos, Theodore Dreiser, T. S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Katherine Mansfield, Gertrude Stein, Edith Wharton, and Thornton Wilder.

The books chosen for the discussion series convey the range of the American experience during this vibrant period, from the small-town life of Winesburg, Ohio to the Midwestern, mid-sized city of Babbitt, and from the glamor of Jazz Age Manhattan and Long Island in The Great Gatsby to the post-World War I experiences of American expatriates in The Sun Also Rises. These books constitute a record of an extraordinary and influential period in American life and culture.

Immersion in the literature of the 1920s will also prepare readers for the new film version of The Great Gatsby scheduled for release in May.