Rosemount Area Arts Council
Literary and Art Events

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Fall 2023

 

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Connie Anderson

"Faces of Boys, Hearts of Men"

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September 21

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:World War II started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland—one year later, London would be at the very center of the war. 

Since age seven, Charlie attended a prestigious boys' school, but tragedy struck at age fifteen. He left the prominent school to help his mother cope with the loss of his father. While living in London, he joined the Home Guard. There he witnessed death and destruction at the hands of the Nazis. The bombings by the Nazi planes profoundly affected Charlie, especially during the "Blitz." The Blitz was the fifty-seven days and nights when London was bombed relentlessly by Nazi planes.

Charlie joined the Royal Air Force in the fall of 1941 and was sent to Scotland for basic force protection instruction. After this training, thousands of English lads boarded the Queen Mary for the voyage to New York City. One morning they stood mesmerized at the ship's rails as they passed the welcoming Statue of Liberty. This became another defining moment for Charlie—he decided to become an American citizen one day.

Before that could happen, Charlie and the other young pilots were headed to Western Canada, where they acquired their piloting skills on various aircraft. Then, Charlie was transferred to the Mediterranean region where the war raged; he used his reconnaissance pilot training when looking for German U-boats as he flew over rivers, oceans, and the Straits of Gibraltar.

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Jeffrey Burton

"The Finders"

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October 19

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Mason "Mace" Reid lives on the outskirts of Chicago and specializes in human remains detection. He trains dogs to hunt for the dead. Reid’s coming off a taxing year—mourning the death of a beloved springer spaniel as well as the dissolution of his marriage. He adopts a rescue dog with a mysterious past—a golden retriever named Vira. And when Reid begins training Vira as a cadaver dog, he comes to realize just how special the newest addition to his family truly is…

Suddenly, Reid and his prize pupil find themselves hurled into a taxing murder case, which will push them to their very limits. Paired with determined Chicago Police Officer Kippy Gimm, Mace must put all his trust in Vira's abilities to thwart a serial killer who has now set his sights on Mace himself.

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Amy Green

"The Blackout Book Club"

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November 16

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In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open.

 

The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn't be more different--a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker.At first, the struggles of the home front are all the club members have in common, but over time, the books they choose become more than an escape from the hardships of life and the fear of the U-boat battles that rage just past their shores.

 

As the women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger, they find they have more in common than they think. But when their growing friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.