In honor of the World War I centennial, Maplewood Memorial Library is hosting a month of special events to honor veterans and active military. The first event, a book club meeting, is tomorrow, Nov. 6.
The library will be closed Tuesday, Nov. 11, for Veteran’s Day.
Here is a look at what’s happening this month.
Thursday Night Book Club
The November book is “Regeneration” by Pat Barker. The novel explores the experience of British army officers being treated for shell shock during World War I. Inspired by her grandfather’s experience of World War I, Barker draws extensively on first-person narratives from the period.
Thursday, November 6, 7:00 pm at Main Library
Author Talk & Book Signing
Meet Christian C. Sahner, author of Among the Ruins: Syria Past and Present.
As a civil war rages in Syria, historian Christian Sahner blends history, reportage and memoir in a piercing account of a country whose rich past resonates in its tragic present.
Sahner is a 2003 graduate of Columbia High School. He studied as a Rhodes Scholar at St John’s College, Oxford and is currently completing his doctorate at Princeton.
Monday, November 10 7:00 pm at Main Library
Art & Music Reception
The November art exhibit, Life During Wartime: iPhone Images from Afghanistan, features the photography of Maplewood resident and award-winning photographer Ben Lowy. Covering stories across the globe, Lowy’s images of Iraq are some of the most iconic of the 21st Century. His image from Hurricane Sandy was the first iPhone photo to appear on the cover Time magazine.
A reception with live music will feature the Maplewood Community Music Trombone Quartet playing military marches, patriotic medlies and War era numbers.
Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, visit Ben Lowy’s website.
Saturday, November 15 1:00 pm at Main Library
World War I: Life in the Trenches
This talk will examine the lives of soldiers on the Western Front during the Great War, including the conditions in the trenches from 1914-1918, the technology and weaponry used, why the trenches were constructed and how the experience of trench warfare shaped the way the war was later perceived and understood.
Mark C. Molesky is Associate Professor of History at Seton Hall University. He received his A.M. and Ph.D. in European history at Harvard University. He is completing a book on the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755.
Monday, November 17 7:00 pm at Main Library
