Author Appearances
Tuesday September 23
Norwich Free Academy – 1 pm (students only)
Norwich Free Academy Slater Auditorium – 7 pm
Wednesday September 24
Bolton High School – 10 am
Coast Guard Academy Leamy Hall – 8 pm
Thursday September 25
Fitch High School – 10 am (students only)
Fitch High School – 7 pm
at the Groton Public Library
All programs begin at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted
July 16 “A Ride on the Rails of History”
Bill Costen, owner of Sky Endeavors, a hot-air balloon business in Bloomfield, will recall his past as a porter on the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1960s. Costen’s grandfather also worked as a porter from the late 1800s into the 1930s. Join us to learn more about this job that George Dawson describes in Life Is So Good.
July 23 Film: Riding the Rails
A tender account of the lives of teenage freight-train riders during the Great Depression. The filmmakers relay the experiences and painful recollections of these now-elderly survivors of the rails.
July 30 Film: Traces of the Trade 
First-time filmmaker Katrina Browne makes a troubling discovery — her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine fellow descendants set off to retrace the Triangle Trade from their old hometown in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana to sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. Step by step, they uncover the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling through the minefield of contemporary race relations. In this bicentennial year of the U.S. abolition of the slave trade, Traces of the Trade offers powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide. An official selection of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. This event is a collaboration with the award-winning documentary series P.O.V. on PBS.
August 6 “The History, Lore and Legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps Camps in Connecticut”
The CCC began on March 31, 1933 under President’s Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to relieve the poverty and unemployment of the Depression. The first year, thirteen camps were set up across Connecticut. The Army Government Dock in New London was the supply depot for all of the CT camps. Join us as Marty Podskoch shares pictures he has gathered from the CT DEP and former CCC members and their families.
August 13 Book Discussion
Susan Topping, Instructor of Humanities at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, leads our discussion of Life Is So Good.
August 20 Family Program: Scrapbooking (Begins at 6:30)
Tell a chapter of your life story through a scrapbook. We’ll help get you started with supplies and advice from experienced scrapbookers.
August 27 Film: 10,000 Black Men Named George
When the Great Depression struck America in the 1920s finding work was hard, but if you were poor and black it was virtually impossible. Working as a porter for the Pullman Rail Company was an option, but it meant taking home a third as much as white employees. This is the story of Asa Phillip Randolph, a black journalist who agrees to fight for the Pullman porters’ cause and form the first black union in America.
Book Discussions
Below is a short list of book discussions that will occur this summer and fall.
Discussions will begin at 7:00 pm unless noted. Susan Topping* of Three Rivers Community College and Gail Turgeon** will lead the discussions marked with asterisks.
July 30 - Mystic & Noank Library, Mystic**
Aug 12 - Cragin Memorial Library, Colchester*
Aug 13 - Groton Public Library, Groton*
Aug 14 - 6:30 pm, Otis Library, Norwich*
Aug 19 - Waterford Public Library, Waterford*
Aug 20 - Bill Library, Ledyard*
Sept 3 - Public Library of New London, New London*
Sept 9 - 1:00 pm, Bill Memorial Library, Groton**
Sept 9 - Wheeler Library, North Stonington*
Sept 9 - East Lyme Public Library, East Lyme**
Sept 11 - Killingly Public Library, Danielson*
Sept 16 - Jonathan Trumbull Library, Lebanon*
Sept 17 - 6:30 pm, Stonington Free Library*
Sept 18 - Bentley Memorial Library, Bolton*
at the Bill Library in Ledyard
Movies
Wednesday, June 25; 7:00 p.m. “Nightjohn”Sarny, a twelve-year-old slave girl learns to read and uses her knowledge to expose and undermine the plantation power structure. Although “Nightjohn” has a strong pro-education message, it is conveyed with plenty of suspenseful drama and a bare minimum of preachiness. (PG-13) (92 mins.)
Wednesday, July 2; 7:00 p.m. “There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace”
This documentary features interviews with baseball Hall of Famers, Satchel Paige, James ‘Cool Papa’ Bell, Buck Leonard, Judy Johnson, Monte Irvin, and Ray Dandridge. The exploits of these talented athletes and the times when baseball was a segregated sport are vividly brought to life. This movie contains rare historical footage showing the ballplayers as they traveled the back roads of America, The Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America. (NR) (58 mins)
Wednesday, July 30; 7:00 p.m. “Resting Place”
This film is about Southern small town prejudice and military procedures. The screenplay is based on a true newspaper accounting of the difficulties involved when a Black American veteran died and his parents attempted to provide an honorable burial. (PG-13) (100 mins)
Tuesday, August 5; 7:00 p.m. “Pride of Jesse Hallam”
Some estimate that there are 25 million functional illiterates in the United States, and this film is purportedly based upon events in the life of one of them. Jesse Hallam, portrayed here by Johnny Cash, is primarily about Hallam’s troubles after moving to a large city ( Cincinnati). Hallam, a miner since the age of14 from the Coal Fields of Western Kentucky, sells his country home to pay for his young daughter’s spinal surgery in the Ohio metropolis. He pits his native intelligence and work ethic against the problem of not being able to read or write to become literate. Scenes involving the methods used in developing his new skills are the most engrossing of the production. (1981- NR) (90 mins.)
Special Events
Wednesday, August 6; 7:00 p.m. Life Long Learning
Representatives from the Boston based Elderhostel and Adventures in Lifelong Learning of Norwich, CT will discuss their organizations activities. These two related not-for-profit organizations provide learning adventures to adults aged 55 and over. They believe learning is a lifelong pursuit that opens minds and enriches lives. Participants come from every walk of life to learn together, to exchange ideas, and to explore the world.
Wednesday, August 13; 7:00 p.m.. Literacy Volunteers of Eastern Connecticut
Susan Townsley, Executive Director of LVEC located inNew London will speak about Literacy in this county of Connecticut and how volunteers are trained to teach English as a Second Language as well as reading and writing in English for those in need.
Wednesday, August 20; 7:00 p.m.
Book Discussion Life is so Good by Richard Glaubman and George Dawson
Susan Topping returns to discuss the OBOR Book with adults. In addition to hearing opinions and ideas from others in this community, Susan usually shares challenging ideas from book discussions she has led at other libraries over the summer.