Community Read of Hillbilly Elegy

McIntyre Library and the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library have teamed up to host a reading program entitled "One Book, One Community." This program will feature a handful of events in which participants will read and discuss J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy.

UW-Eau Claire faculty, staff, and students are invited to read the book and join the discussion on campus on April 9 at noon in CETL (OL 1142). Additional programs will be held throughout the week at the Eau Claire Public Library.

McIntyre Library will be giving away copies of the book to the first 15 registrants. To register contact Eric Jennings (jenninge@uwec.edu).

About the Program
One Book, One Community is a reading program designed to encourage literacy and civic involvement by reading a single book which highlights issues relevant to our community. This collaboration is for all members of the UW-Eau Claire (students, faculty, staff) and greater Eau Claire community.

About the Book
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance is a memoir about the Appalachian values of the Vance's upbringing and their relation to the social problems of his hometown. The author reflects on upward mobility in America seen through the lens of a white, working-class family.

The book has received high praise from a variety of sources. This #1 New York Times Best Seller was listed as one of six books to help understand Trump's election. The Economist said "You will not read a more important book about America this year." Christianity Today remarked "The troubles of the working poor are well known to policymakers, but Vance offers an insider’s view of the problem.”

Program Listing 

• Monday, April 9, noon-1 pm (CETL, UW-Eau Claire): Book Discussion
• Monday, April 9, 6 -7:30 pm (L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library): More than Meth: A Town Hall Meeting
• Wednesday, April 11, 6 -7:30 pm (L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library): The Past, Present, and Future of "Fake News" 
• Friday, April 13, 5:30 -7:30 pm (The Plus): Civic Lab: Table Talk
• Saturday, April 14, 1 -2:30 pm (L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library): Adverse Childhood Experiences: Translating Evidence into Action

One Book, One Community - Reading "Evicted"

McIntyre Library and the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library have teamed up to host a reading program entitled "One Book, One Community." This program will feature a handful of events in which participants will read and discuss Matthew Desmond's book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Events run from Tuesday, January 31 to Saturday, February 4.

One Book, One Community is a reading program designed to encourage literacy and civic involvement by reading a single book which highlights issues relevant to our community. This collaboration is for all members of the UW-Eau Claire (students, faculty, staff) and greater Eau Claire community. 

Evicted was written by UW-Madison alumnus, Matthew Desmond. Desmond documents the increasingly frequent experience of housing instability for poor, renting families. Through the interwoven stories of eight families living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Desmond illustrates the human impacts of a shifting economic and policy landscape. The book was selected as one of The 10 Best Books of 2016 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.

Desmond received his doctorate from UW–Madison in 2010. He is an associate professor of sociology and social studies at Harvard University and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty at UW – Madison. In 2015, he received a MacArthur “genius” grant.

For questions please contact Eric Jennings, Outreach Coordinator & Instruction Librarian (jenninge@uwec.edu; 715-836-4076).

Schedule of Events - Click to Enlarge

Tuesday, January 31: Book Discussions
12–1 p.m. • UW – Eau Claire Campus, Old Library Room 1142
6–7:30 p.m. • L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
Facilitators will lead discussions of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.

Wednesday, February 1: UW – Eau Claire Faculty Panel Discussion
4–5:30 p.m. • McIntyre Library, 2nd Floor Breezeway
UW – Eau Claire faculty will share their research for a better understanding of the topics covered in the book Evicted.

Thursday, February 2: Eviction and Poverty in the Chippewa Valley
6–7:30 p.m. • L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
Moderated panel discussion focused on how eviction and homelessness impact the Chippewa Valley.

Saturday, February 4: Housing Inspections and the Health Department
10:30 a.m.– noon • L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
Learn about Health Department programs to support safe and sanitary living conditions, how to report a complaint, and what the Health Department looks for during complaint and housing inspections.

Eau Claire Big Read Kickoff Saturday, April 5

Join us as we kick off the 2008 Eau Claire Big Read on Saturday, April 5 at 11am at LE Phillips Memorial Public Library. The event begins the month-long community reading and discussion of Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon." Eau Claire city manager Mike Huggins and Julie Rivett, Hammett's granddaughter, will welcome participants and introduce the work. The public and media are invited to attend this free event and receive their complimentary copies of "The Maltese Falcon."

In addition to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, this year the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Foundation has made a substantial donation to help purchase copies of the book to distribute to the public.

The Big Read is a nationwide initiative of the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, to encourage reading for all ages. The event asks community members to read and discuss their city's chosen book for a month. Eau Claire is one of only three cities in Wisconsin selected to receive a grant and participate this year.

"The Maltese Falcon" was chosen by a committee of event organizers from a list of 16 books. The book is a mystery, a thriller, a dark, dry comedy and a love story. Independent detective Samuel Spade is hired by a mysterious woman to help find her sister. The same night, his partner and a thug are killed. Suddenly, Spade's innocence is questioned. To prove his innocence, Spade risks danger and death. "The Maltese Falcon" has been said to have perfected the American private-eye genre.

Many events will be held throughout April to supplement and encourage reading. A full list of events appears at http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/images/media/prps/big_read_text2.pdf.