Eleanor Roosevelt topic of Lewes library's History Book Festival Discussion Group June 20

The Lewes Public Library will host its monthly History Book Festival discussion Wednesday, June 20, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., in the library's medium meeting room. The library is located at 111 Adams Ave. in Lewes. Members of the public are invited to attend the free event.

The discussion group meets the third Wednesday of each month to discuss several of the books featured at the 2017 History Book Festival, and the new books that will be featured at this year's second annual History Book Festival Sept. 28-29, in Lewes. A library staff member facilitates the discussion groups.

The History Book Festival stocks a limited number of the books to be discussed; the books are available for checkout at the library's circulation desk.

Participants in the June 20 group will discuss "Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years and After, 1939-1962," by Blanche Wiesen Cook, a New York Times best-selling author, who will present the keynote address at this year's festival. Wiesen Cook is Distinguished Professor of History and Women's Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and appears frequently on such television programs as “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America.” This is the final volume in her definitive biography of America's greatest first lady.

Last year's inaugural History Book Festival, a two-day event in October, attracted over 1,000 visitors, who enjoyed a mix of author presentations, interviews, and panel discussions with more than 25 best-selling authors and notable moderators. The events were held in intimate venues around Lewes. The historical fiction and nonfiction books covered a range of topics, from the gripping story about the hunt for President Lincoln's assassin, to books about pirates, jazz, war, art, race, religion, and the law.

The 2018 festival is scheduled for September in Lewes. As before, the authors' presentations are designed to bring the past alive, give attendees new perspectives on the past and present, and leave them enriched and inspired.

In the coming months, the book discussion groups at the library will provide participants with a sneak peek at the wide range of works to be featured at the festival.

For more information about this book discussion group, the library, or any of its programs, go to www.lewes.lib.de.us. More information about the History Book Festival is available at www.historybookfestival.org.