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DECORAH — Decorah Public Library staff are hosting four book discussions in November. The groups are open to the public, and newcomers are encouraged to attend. Anyone interested should call the library at 382-3717 to learn more or to reserve a book. Email ktorresdal@decorahlibrary.org to be added to any of the four groups' email distribution lists. Funds for multiple copy sets were generously provided by Friends of Decorah Public Library. The Happy Hour Book Group will meet at Pulpit Rock Brewing Co. Wed. Nov. 6 at 5:15 p.m. to discuss Maurice Carlos Ruffin's "The American Daughters." The novel's protagonist, Ady, is a curious, sharp-witted girl enslaved alongside her mother. When mother and daughter are separated, Ady is left hopeless and unmoored, until she stumbles into the Mockingbird Inn and meets Lenore, a free Black woman with whom she becomes fast friends. Lenore invites Ady to join a clandestine society of spies called The Daughters, and her journey to liberation begins. The Friday Book Group will meet on the 2nd floor of the library Fri. Nov. 15 at 2:00 p.m. to discuss Crystal Wilkinson's "Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks." Years ago, when O. Henry Prize-winning writer Crystal Wilkinson was baking a jam cake, she felt her late grandmother's presence. She soon realized that she was not the only cook in her kitchen; there were her ancestors, too, stirring, measuring, and braising alongside her. These are her kitchen ghosts, five generations of Black women who settled in Appalachia and made a life, a legacy, and a cuisine. An expert cook, Wilkinson shares nearly forty family recipes rooted deep in the past—including corn pudding, chicken and dumplings, Granny Christine's jam cake, and praisesong Biscuits, brought to life through photography. "Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts" honors the mothers who came before, the land that provided for generations of her family, and the untold heritage of Black Appalachia. The Speculative Fiction Book Group will meet via Zoom Wed. Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss Vajra Chandrasekera's "The Saint of Bright Doors." In this novel, its main character, Fetter was raised to kill, honed as a knife to cut down his sainted father. This gave him plenty to talk about in therapy. After a blood-soaked childhood, Fetter escaped his rural hometown for the big city, and fell into a broader world where divine destinies are a dime a dozen. Everything in Luriat is more than it seems. Group therapy is recruitment for a revolutionary cadre. Junk email hints at the arrival of a god. Every door is laden with potential, and once closed may never open again. The city is scattered with Bright Doors, looming portals through which a cold wind blows. In this unknowable metropolis, Fetter will discover what kind of man he is, and his discovery will rewrite the world. The Zoom link will be available on the library website The History Book Group will meet on the 2nd floor of the library Thurs. Nov. 21 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss Laurence Rees' "The Holocaust: A New History." Writer Laurence Rees has spent 25 years meeting the survivors and perpetrators of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. In "The Holocaust: A New History," he combines this testimony with the latest academic research to investigate how history's greatest crime was possible. Rees argues that while hatred of the Jews was at the epicenter of Nazi thinking, we cannot fully understand the Holocaust without considering Nazi plans to kill millions of non-Jews as well. He also explains that there was no single overarching blueprint for the Holocaust, but rather a series of compounding escalations. Though Hitler was most responsible for what happened, the blame is widespread, and the effects are enduring. For more information, contact Tricia Crary (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717. Unlock a world of knowledge! Sign up for free DecorahNews.com newsletters and receive local news, local events and everything that is happening in and around Decorah.

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Decorah Public Library Announces November Book Discussions