Celebrate One City, One StoryChosen from a field of thought-provoking nominees, the book selection for Pasadena’s 20th One City, One Story community reading celebration is In the Country of Women by author Susan Straight.
This national bestseller has sparked an intriguing blend of book discussions, films, lectures and events throughout March, encouraging the community to join in conversation about the book. Hosted by Pasadena Public Library, all events are free and open to the public. In the Country of Women is set in the inland Southern California city of Riverside, near the desert and the Mexican border. There Straight, a white self-proclaimed book nerd, and Dwayne Sims, an African American basketball player, started dating in high school. After college, they married and drove to Amherst, Massachusetts, where Straight met her teacher and mentor, James Baldwin, who encouraged her to write. Once back in Riverside, at weekly driveway barbecues and fish fries with the large, close-knit Sims family, Straight―and eventually her three daughters―learned the stories of Dwayne’s ancestors. Some women escaped violence in post-slavery Tennessee, some escaped murder in Jim Crow Mississippi, and some fled abusive men. Straight’s mother-in-law, Alberta Sims, is the descendant at the heart of this memoir. Straight’s family, too, reflects the hardship and gumption of women pushing onward―from Switzerland, Wisconsin, Canada and the Colorado Rockies to California. In the Country of Women is a valuable social history and a personal narrative that reads like a love song to America and indomitable women. Author Susan Straight will discuss her experiences writing In the Country of Women via Zoom. A question-and-answer session will immediately follow. To attend the 20th Annual One City, One Story Author Event, sign up here https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5668.Thursday, March 10 • 7 p.m. • Zoom COMMUNITY EVENTS • Lecture – A People’s History of the Inland Empire, From Citrus to Logistics Dr. Cathy Gudis will focus on race and the power of place, as seen through the transformations of the cultural landscape of inland Southern California and the people who have helped shape it, from the era when citrus was king to today’s Inland Empire of warehouses and logistics. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5667.Tuesday, March 15 • 5 p.m. • Zoom • Lecture – Remember When You Ate Here. Author George Geary will discuss his book, Made in California: The California Born Burger Joints, Diners, Fast Food and Restaurants that Changed America including The Copper Penny family restaurants in Riverside. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5620.Wednesday, March 16 • 5 p.m. • Zoom Lecture – Heading West to Riverside. California and the West attracted those seeking their fortune, warm weather and a healthier climate. Learn more about immigration and migration to the West and California during the 1900s from Dr. William Deverell. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5622.Monday, March 21 • 5 p.m. • Zoom • Lecture – The History of the Mission Inn. Steve Lech, president of the Riverside Historical Society, Mission Inn will present a history of the Mission Inn and its center in Riverside’s civic life. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5623.Wednesday, March 23 • 5 p.m. • Zoom • Lecture – Pictorial presentation of California Citrus Crate Labels. Discover Pomona Public Library’s outstanding Citrus Crate Label Collection acquired during the 1960s-1970s and containing over 3,500 citrus crate labels created for California and other West Coast fruit growers from the 1880s through the 1950s. Presented by Allan Lagumbay, Pomona Public Library. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5669.Tuesday, March 29 • 5 p.m. • Zoom • Lecture – Riverside Citrus Story Citrus diversity was a key character driving the economic development and culture of Riverside and numerous other Southern California cities. The Givaudan Citrus Variety Collection at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) preserves and utilizes over 1,000 cultivars and species for research, teaching and to extend knowledge on citrus diversity. Dr. Tracy L. Kahn explains why Riverside and UCR are still key drivers for advancing knowledge for the global citrus industry. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5625.Wednesday, March 30 • 5 p.m. • Zoom • Lecture – What She Reads Reading was an essential part of author Susan Straight’s life. Books mattered; they inspired and opened up her world. Pick up a reading list at Pasadena Public Library and join the program for a highlight of some of the many books she has read and mentioned in her memoir, In the Country of Women. To attend the event, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5626. Thursday, March 31 • 5 p.m. • Zoom Mondays, March 14, 21 & 28 Great Literature & Discussion Group, 11 a.m. Lamanda Park Branch Library, 140 S. Altadena Dr.. Saturday, March 19, 10:30 a.m. Hill Avenue Book Discussion Group To attend the book discussion, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5579. Saturday, March 19, 11 a.m. West Pasadena Book Discussion Group, Linda Vista and San Rafael branches joint book group.To attend the book discussion, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails? EventId=5617. COMMUNITY BOOK DISCUSSIONS: Mondays, March 14, 21 & 28 Great Literature & Discussion Group, 11 a.m. Lamanda Park Branch Library, 140 S. Altadena Dr.. Saturday, March 19, 10:30 a.m. Hill Avenue Book Discussion Group To attend the book discussion, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=5579. Saturday, March 19, 11 a.m. West Pasadena Book Discussion Group, Linda Vista and San Rafael branches joint book group.To attend the book discussion, sign up at https://pasadena.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails? FILM SERIES View our One City, One Story film selection anytime you wish at home, available through hoopla. To access it go to https://hoopladigital.com. Create your own login complete with email and password. Then select “Pasadena Public Library.” Finally, enter your 14-digit library card number. The Loving Story (2011) NR - Documentary: The moving story of an interracial couple in 1960s Virginia who fought a long battle against the state’s prohibition of mixed marriage. The Revolt of Mother (1988) NR: Father is going to build a new barn. Mother wants the new house she’s been promised. A simple story, yet one that reveals so much about love and respect and the often-difficult times between those who strive and work to build a life together. Pasadena Public Library’s annual One City, One Story program is designed to broaden and deepen an appreciation of reading and literature in the community, engage participants in dialogue and bring Pasadenans together by promoting greater understanding of differing points of view. The novel is available for check-out at all Pasadena public libraries and for sale at local bookstores. For more information, visit http://cityofpasadena.libguides.com/onecityonestory or call (626) 744-7076. EventId=5617. |
|