Today I want to tell you about a book I just read. Called The Displacements, it’s written by Bruce Holsinger. It’s a really good story and a fast read – I read it in a day last week (to be fair, I was working the election that day and it was very slow, so I had a lot of time to read).
As the cover blurb notes, this is “a gripping, full-throttle page-turner.” Other reviews are equally laudatory. Briefly, this book tells the story of Luna, the first Category 6 hurricane to be assigned to this new category of hurricanes, and let’s just say that things don’t go well for South Florida or Southeast Texas after the storm makes double landfall in these two parts of the country. The story traces the saga of one family displaced from Coral Gables to an IDP (internally displaced persons – can’t call them refugees) Camp in Oklahoma. If anything, I think the book downplays the consequences of Luna, but that was probably necessary for the story to actually end.
If you are wondering about global warming, this book will tell you some terrifying things that we can expect.
But that’s not the only reason I’m writing about this book today. I came across it in my public library last week, where I saw a display of books labeled “One Book, One Community.” I had read the book this program chose last year, and I wanted to play again.
Here’s the idea as explained on the library website:
Williamsburg Regional Library and William & Mary Libraries partner for One Book One Community, an annual event that encourages our community to come together to have a shared reading experience. WRL hosts a series of events throughout the month that tie into the book. These programs complement the One Book One Community keystone event, a visit from the author.
The library catalog tells me that the library has ordered over 200 copies of this book. The library has scheduled events in March to tap into various elements of the book. Here’s what they have planned:
March 11: a program about the Williamsburg Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program focused on preparedness for disasters like Luna.
March 13: a talk by Eric Seymour, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from the National Weather Service, about tropical weather with a view of weather products specific to the tropical program and threats associated with hurricanes.
March 15: Local artist Lynn Trott will provide materials and teach participants how to make a small bowl. Finished bowls will be glazed, fired, and returned to the library for pickup. This seems odd until you remember that the main character in the book is a potter. I might go make a bowl.
March 16, 19, and 21: in-person and Zoom book discussion groups
March 20: A talk presented by the book’s author, Bruce Holsinger. He is the author of four novels, including The Displacements and The Gifted School, and many works of nonfiction. His books have been recognized with the Colorado Book Award, the John Hurt Fisher Prize, the Philip Brett Award, the John Nicholas Brown Prize, the Modern Language Association’s Prize for a First Book, and others. He has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and many other publications and has been interviewed on NPR’s Weekend Edition, Here & Now, and Marketplace. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He teaches in the Department of English at the University of Virginia, where he specializes in medieval literature and modern critical thought and serves as editor of the quarterly journal New Literary History.
March 22: a program on Hurricane and Natural Disaster Preparedness presented by Michael Teener, Emergency Management Planner for James City County. The presentation will include insight into working with FEMA, the disaster recovery process, as well as tips for individual & household emergency preparedness.
March 26: A 10-minute virtual reality experience about how climate change is fueling more forest fires in the American West.
March 28: Rising Tides, Sinking Coast: How Coastal Communities Can Adapt to Surging Sea Levels. Dr. Molly Mitchell, a Research Assistant Professor with the Center for Coastal Resources Management at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, has made it her life’s work to understand these threats and how they affect communities. Dr. Mitchell will give us a primer on sea level rise – what causes it, how it is changing around the United States, and what can be done to address it – as well as share the work she does to promote resilience in coastal communities.
More than 150 communities across the country are participating in a “one book, one Community” in 2024. Each community goes through a selection process to choose a book. You can check to see if your local library/community is sponsoring a program like this. It’s a fun way to connect with people who live around you.
Every time a hurricane threatened Brunswick, Georgia, where I lived for eight years, a friend of mine would say, "This place could use a good rinse." Probably true in more ways than one, but... I need to check this out. Thanks!
I’ll be checking my library here, too. Thanks for the info, Karen. Win, you’re right. Some things are better left unsaid. 😎