Thomaston Library News

 

 

Intergenerational Book Club to Discuss Wild Swans

On Tuesday, April 21st, at 2:30 PM, the Thomaston Public Library's Intergenerational Book Club will discuss Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.

 

1991's Wild Swans has been published in 37 languages and has sold more than 13 million copies (though it is still banned in mainland China). The book, by Jung Chang, tells the story of three generations of women in the author's family – grandmother, mother, and daughter – and narrates the tragic history of China in the twentieth century.

 

Jung Chang’s grandmother’s feet were bound when she was a child, and she was given to a warlord general as his concubine. As he lay dying, she fled with her infant daughter, who grew up to become active in the Communist movement and eventually became a senior official. Jung Chang herself, the third generation, was raised in the privileged circles of China’s Communist elite. She, however, had the audacity to question Mao. Her parents were denounced and tortured, and Jung Chang was exiled to the edge of the Himalayas.

 

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is a tale of extraordinary cruelty and bravery, of death and survival. Majestic in its scope and vivid in its description of China’s long nightmare, it is both an important work of history and a remarkable human document.

 

On the third Tuesday of every month, the Intergenerational Book Club, a group of men and women of all ages, comes together to share their opinions and ideas about the book selection. Extra copies of the books are purchased by the Friends of the Thomaston Public Library from the Annual Appeal funds. We thank you for your donations. All are welcome at the Thomaston Library on April 21st at 2:30 p.m.

 

If you live in Thomaston and would like to attend but need a ride, please call the library at 354-2453 a week before the discussion date.

 

 

Steven Powell and Thomas Block with one of their

collaborative efforts. Photo by Steven Powell.

 

April Vacation week fun is returning to the

Thomaston Public Library

Our special guests this coming week include Fran Hodgkins introducing her new book

"The Secret Galaxy" from Tilbury House Publishing.

 

On Tuesday at 11am we will be having fun with Legos. 

Wednesday the 22nd at 11am, and on Friday the 24th at 11am Steve Powell and Tom Block

introducing their new collaboration - a book that includes a bear that dresses up like a person.

Thursday at 11am we will be getting messy with finger-paint! Stop by to join in the fun.

 

 

Photo by Tim English

 

 

Tim English's European Backpack Adventure, Part 2

 Wednesday, April 22nd, 7 PM

 

In 2013 local chef and Qi Gong instructor Tim English traveled for three months across Europe. Part 1 of Tim's slide-show of his European backpacking trip was shown in March to an enthusiastic audience of over 30 people.

Part 2 of Tim's slideshow will begin in Germany and proceed to Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Norway, and Finland. The slides are very artistically done and highlight the landscapes and foods of each country. Tim narrates the slide-show, tells anecdotes from his trip, and reads excerpts from his travel journal. This event is armchair travel at its best and the next best thing to being there.

The Thomaston Public Library is located in the Thomaston Academy building at 60 Main Street in Thomaston. Parking and the library entrance are at the rear of the building.

 

Saltwater Film Society Screening of Tunes of Glory

 

On Thursday evening, April 16th, at 6:30 PM, the Saltwater Film Society will show 1960's Tunes of Glory, directed by Ronald Neame.

The incomparable Alec Guinness plays the part of Jock Sinclair, a whiskey-drinking, up-by-the-bootstraps commanding officer of a peacetime Scottish battalion. Sinclair is a career military man who expects loyalty and respect from his men. Enter Basil Barrow -- the educated offspring of a military family -- as Sinclair's replacement. John Mills plays Barrow and won the Best Actor award for it at the 1960 Venice Film Festival. Sinclair and Barrow go head-to-head in a fierce battle for control of the battalion and the hearts and minds of its men.

Based on the novel by James Kennaway and featuring flawless performances by both Guinness and Mills, Tunes of Glory uses the rigidly stratified hierarchy of military life as a vehicle to examine the institutional contradictions and class divisions of English society. The result is an unexpectedly moving film.

This screening takes place in Room 200 of the Thomaston Academy building.

For more information about the Saltwater Film Society, please see their website, http://www.saltwaterfilmsociety.org/.