CARLISLE READS
What if all of Carlisle read and discussed one book? Carlisle's 5th annual community read was The River of Doubt, by Candice Millard, with events and discussions in January 2013.
Thank you to all our participants and volunteers for a great program! If you have suggestions for future titles or programs, or if you'd be interested in helping to plan Carlisle Reads, please email Martha at mpatten@mvlc.org or ask at the Library any time.
Carlisle Reads is sponsored by the Friends of the Gleason Public Library. Would you like to receive updates on library events? Click here to subscribe to our monthly enewsletter.
ABOUT THE RIVER OF DOUBT
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard, former editor and writer for National Geographic Magazine, sets the stage for one of Teddy Roosevelt's most fantastic feats - one that would forever change the maps of the Western Hemisphere. After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, he set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find. He accepted an invitation to South America and soon spun the invitation into an elaborate plan to travel one of the planet's most dangerous rivers (the River of Doubt, a tributary of the Amazon River) which snakes through one of the planet's most dangerous jungles. Roosevelt and a brazen team of explorers would face innumerable hardships and not everyone on the team would survive. Cannibals, disease and starvation were but a few of the threats, against a landscape where the flora and fauna were by turns gorgeous and nightmarish.
Roosevelt's fervent desire for adventure and self-acceptance would appeal to naturalists, conservationists, history buffs, risk-takers and psychologists.
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PROGRAM OF EVENTS
- Thursday, January 3, 1:30 p.m.: Film on Teddy Roosevelt
- Wednesday, January 9, 7 p.m.: Book Discussion with Steve Golson
- Saturday, January 12, 1:30 p.m.: Amazon Explorers film/discussion (with Andy Gill)
- Tuesday, January 15, 10:15 a.m.: Book Discussion with Mary Zoll
- Tuesday, January 22, 10:30 a.m.: Reading Poetry: Edwin Arlington Robinson (Mary Zoll)
- Tuesday, January 22, 7 p.m.: (at Union Hall) Peter Alden: The Amazon Today (snow date 1/31)
- Wednesday, January 23, 1:30 p.m.: (at St Irene): An Afternoon with Teddy Roosevelt: Mind, Body, and Spirit, with actor and author Ted Zalewski
- Saturday, January 26, 12 noon (at Carlisle Congregational Church): Brazilian cuisine with Tony DiRomualdo ($10)
- Wednesday, January 30, 7 p.m.: Film on Teddy Roosevelt
Discussions and Films
What did you think of The River of Doubt? Join neighbors and friends to share your thoughts and questions on this riveting tale and its themes. Book discussions will be held at the library on Wednesday, January 9, at 7 p.m. with Steve Golson and Tuesday, January 15, at 10:15 a.m. with Mary Zoll. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Karen Trittipo will offer an expert point of view at both discussions on the psychology of risky behavior.
What motivates explorers and adventurers to engage in their dangerous pursuits? On Saturday, January 12, at 1:30 p.m., local Harvard psychiatrist Andy Gill will be on hand to offer insights into the underlying neuropsychological factors that lead to risk-taking behavior. The discussion will be accompanied by selections from a documentary on Amazon exploration, including Roosevelt's trip.
On Thursday, January 3, at 1:30 p.m., come watch selections from a documentary on the life and personality of Theodore Roosevelt, heroic figure of boundless energy and bleak emotions. Family letters and diaries, authentic film footage and interviews with family members and others profile an ambitious man: fearless in combat, loving and generous with family, and unafraid to take on powerful financial interests. We will have a repeat showing of this film on Wednesday, January 30, at 7 p.m.
