The Two Books, Two Communities project presents a reading and Q&A session with The WOmen of the Copper Country author Mary Doria Russell at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. The event will be virtual and will be streamed live from the Beaumier Center's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BeaumierNMU. It is free and open to the public, and there is no need to register. The Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU, Munising Public Library and Peter White Public Library are co-sponsoring the event.
Russell's latest novel tells the story of the young union organizer Annie Clements, who was once known as America's Joan of Arc. She and other members of the Women's Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners were key in supporting strikers during the very contentious Copper Country Strike of 1913 in Calumet. The book details the challenges, triumphs and losses that Clements and her followers faced, culminating with the Italian Hall tragedy on Dec. 24, 1913.
Widely praised for meticulous research, fine prose, and the compelling narrative drive of her stories, Russell is the award-winning author of seven bestselling novels, including the science fiction classics The Sparrow and Children of God; the World War II thriller, A Thread of Grace; and a political romance set in 1921 Cairo called Dreamers of the Day. With her novels Doc and Epitaph, she has redefined two towering figures of the American West: the lawman Wyatt Earp and the dental surgeon Doc Holliday.
The "Two Books Two Communities" program encourages the Marquette County, Alger County and NMU communities to read the same book and to come together to discuss it in a variety of settings. Its goals are to foster a sense of community by bringing NMU and Marquette and Alger County readers together with a common book and to introduce new Northern Michigan University students to our community and to an academic life through the reading and discussion of a chosen book. For a list of events, visit www.nmu.edu/onebook/twobooks