Big READ and Book Discussion Group
The Caldwell Public Library is joining this year’s “Big Read” program, sponsored by the Cabin, a Literary Center for Idaho in reading Willa Cather’s book “My Antonia.” In celebration of the Big Read program, the Library is sponsoring a book discussion program entitled The Pioneer Experience featuring the following books:
“O Rugged Land of Gold” by Martha Martin. This story is of a female Robinson Crusoe, stranded alone and injured for one winter on a rugged island in Southeast Alaska in the 1920’s. Imagine for a moment, you are alone in the wilderness, pregnant, not knowing if your husband is dead or alive and praying fervently for the latter. Would you have the inner strength to endure? Could you survive Alaska’s harsh winter in a small cabin with bears as your only neighbors? “O Rugged Land of Gold” will be discussed on Monday, March 3, 2008 @ 7:00pm.
“My Antonia” is a look at the hard life of Antonia Shimerda, an immigrant girl from Bohemia through the memories of her childhood friend Jim Burden. The novel “teems with romance, violence, tenderness, cruelty and tragedy” in the prairie of Nebraska.The program will be on Monday, March 17, 2008 @ 7:00pm.
The third title is “Giants in the Earth” by O.E. Rolvaag. This story takes place in the late 1800’s. It is about Norwegian immigrants making a new start in the ‘land of milk and honey,’ - the Dakota Territory. They face locusts, language barriers and harsh winters. The wife/mother yearns for her home country. Who are the giants in the earth? Is it the cost one pays for manifest destiny? Please join us in a discussion of “Giants in the Earth” on Monday March 31st at 7:00pm.
The last book in the series is “Let the Hurricane Roar” (also known as “Young Pioneers”) by Rose Wilder Lane, daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This story takes place in the mid 1800’s. A newly married couple make their dream come true by moving many, many miles from “home”. They purchase land and a house, (a dugout) and start farming. Locusts destroy their dream crop and David must leave Molly to find work. She is left alone, pregnant and with neighbors who only speak Norwegian. Can she survive the loneliness? Take care of the stock in mid-winter? How? Please join us to find the answers to these questions on April 14, 7:00pm.
All discussions take place in the Dean E. Miller Community Room. Refreshments will be served. The library has a limited number of copies of the books on hand. For more information about the Big Read program please contact the Cabin at: (208) 331-8000.
Computer Classes:
The Library offers computer classes for the following applications: Word,Word II, Excel, Publisher, Basic Computer, Internet, Search Engines, TechTools. Please phone the library for more information 459-3242 Ext 11.
