The Town of Johnsburg Library Board of Trustees Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6th over Zoom, a web conferencing tool.
American Dirt
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins is the most exciting novel I have read in a long time. For those of us who agree or do not agree with the US treatment of migrants who hope to cross our border for a better life, this story is timely and delivers a powerful message of human struggle.
-Susan Schmidt
También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams.
Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
Already being hailed as “a Grapes of Wrath for our times” and “a new American classic,” Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.
Source:
“American Dirt (Oprah’s Book Club)”. Southern Adirondack Library System, 2020, https://salon.overdrive.com/media/4681122. Accessed 23 Apr 2020.
4.21 News
What You Need to Know
LAST UPDATED: APRIL 21, 2020 AT 5:30PM
- Schools and nonessential businesses will stay closed through May 15th.
- Governor Cuomo issued executive orders 202.17 and 202.18 requiring all people in New York to wear masks or face coverings in public, including when taking public or private transportation or riding in for-hire vehicles.
- The State Department of Health has begun to conduct statewide antibody testing. Find more information and FAQs.
- Elective outpatient treatment can resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge starting next week.
- Governor Cuomo will meet President Trump at the White House on 4/21 to discuss testing.
- Governor Cuomo announces the State will take a regional approach to re-opening.
- New Yorkers without health insurance can apply through NY State of Health through May 15, 2020; must apply within 60 days of losing coverage.
- New Yorkers can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling.
- Testing is free for all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider.
- Your local health department is your community contact for COVID-19 concerns.
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