Contemporary Fiction Book Discussion

Join Naomi Lehman, on Wednesday January 15, at 2:00 pm for the new GPL Book Discussion group, “Contemporary Fiction”.

Naomi will initiate the Contemporary Fiction book group with a discussion of the novel *Erasure* by Percival Everett, which was the basis for the award winning film “American Fiction.” The discussion will also reference the movie.

*Erasure,* published in 2011, is a blistering satire about race and publishing. In the novel, Thelonius “Monk” Ellison, an African-American author has had his latest manuscript rejected by seventeen publishers, while a first novel, “We’s Live in Da Ghetto”, written by a woman who once visited “some relatives in Harlem for a couple of days” is enjoying meteoric success.

Along with the rage and despair over his failing career, Monk is also dealing with personal tragedies, including his mother’s rapid descent into Alzheimer’s disease.

How Monk deals with his outrage serves as a scathing indictment of American culture. Everett writes with humor, sarcasm, irony and at the same time  brings empathy and insight to his characters and sheds light on the African American experience.

Naomi Lehman, recently moved to Greenfield after living in Arizona for 22 years. She is always reading several books simultaneously, mostly fiction, and has led and participated in three book groups. Naomi loves discussing books and always learns from and enjoys other viewpoints and interpretations and is very excited about this new group.

For more information, contact Pamela McBride at librarian@greenfieldpubliclibrary.org, or call (413) 772-1544.

This program is free and intended for ages 16 and older.