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Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion

"News of the world" by Paulette Jiles

2024-10-03 13:30:00 2024-10-03 14:30:00 America/New_York Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion Do you have afternoons available? Join us at the library for some coffee, confections, and conversation about the newest titles on our shelves! 📚 ☕ James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library - Beth Patridge Meeting Room

Thursday, October 03
1:30pm - 2:30pm

Add to Calendar 2024-10-03 13:30:00 2024-10-03 14:30:00 America/New_York Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion Do you have afternoons available? Join us at the library for some coffee, confections, and conversation about the newest titles on our shelves! 📚 ☕ James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library - Beth Patridge Meeting Room

James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library

Beth Patridge Meeting Room

Do you have afternoons available? Join us at the library for some coffee, confections, and conversation about the newest titles on our shelves! 📚 ☕

This month we will be reading: "News of the World" by Paulette Jiles

"In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction from the author of Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust. In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.

In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.

Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act “civilized.” Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.

Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself."

✨ Be sure to put it on hold in advance either in book, e-book, or audiobook form by clicking on the book title above or by downloading the Libby App! 

👈 Register for book club reminders! 

AGE GROUP: | Seniors | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Book Discussion Groups |

TAGS: | book group | Book discussion groups | book club |

James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library

kpayne@alexlibraryva.org
Phone: 703.746.1705
Fax: 703.746.1785

Hours
Mon, Dec 16 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Dec 17 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Dec 18 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Dec 19 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Dec 20 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sat, Dec 21 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Dec 22 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Parking: There is a small lot with 9 spaces.  On street parking is available.

Public Transit:

  • Metrorail: Yellow and Blue lines at Braddock Road (1.3 miles) and King Street Stations (1.5 miles)
  • Metrobus: 10A, 10B
  • DASH Bus: 33

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact jgregorio@alexlibraryva.org or call 703.746.1701 or TTY 703.746.1790.

Upcoming Events

Sun, Dec 22, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Bring your preschooler to the Duncan Library on Sunday afternoons to explore STEAM activities (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)! This is a drop in event. Recommended ages 3-6