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DECORAH -- Decorah Public Library staff are hosting five book discussions in June. 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 groups' email distribution lists. Funds for multiple copy sets are generously provided by Friends of Decorah Public Library. The Happy Hour Book Group will meet at Pulpit Rock Brewing Co. on Wednesday, June 11, at 5:15 p.m. to discuss "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore. Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn't just any thirteen-year-old: she's the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region's residents. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara's older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. The History Book Group will meet on the 2nd floor of the library on Thursday, June 19, at 3:00 p.m. to discuss the first half of "John Lewis: A Life" by David Greenberg. Born into poverty in rural Alabama, John Lewis rose to prominence in the civil rights movement, becoming second only to Martin Luther King, Jr. in his contributions. As a Freedom Rider, he played a crucial role in integrating bus stations across the South. Lewis was a prominent leader in the Nashville sit-in movement and delivered a historic speech at the 1963 March on Washington. As the youngest speaker and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), he transformed it into a major civil rights organization. His legacy endures through the harrowing events at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where he survived a brutal beating on "Bloody Sunday." The Friday Book Group will meet on the 2nd floor of the library on Friday, June 20, at 2:00 p.m. to discuss "Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling" by Jason de Leon. Political instability, poverty, climate change, and the insatiable appetite for cheap labor all fuel clandestine movement across borders. As those borders harden, the demand for smugglers who aid migrants across them increases every year. Yet the real lives and work of smugglers—or coyotes, or guides, as they are often known by the migrants who hire their services—are only ever reported on from a distance, using tired tropes and stereotypes, often depicted as boogie men and violent warlords. In an effort to better understand this essential yet extralegal billion-dollar global industry, internationally recognized anthropologist and expert Jason De León embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Mexico over the course of seven years. The result of this unique and extraordinary access is this book: the first ever in-depth, character-driven look at human smuggling. The Speculative Fiction Book Group will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, June 23, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss Haven Spec short story magazine (issue 19, March 2025). Zoom link for discussion is available on the library website. Haven Spec is a speculative fiction magazine featuring stories and poems for a 21st-century audience. Editors share that they love stories with a sense of adventure, stories that teach us, touch us, and leave us wanting more. The group will then discuss L.M. Sagas' "Cascade Failure" beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. The Zoom link is the same for both meetings and is available on the library website. There are only three real powers in the Spiral: the corporate power of the Trust versus the Union's labor leverage. Between them, the Guild tries to keep everyone's hands above the table. It ain't easy. Branded a Guild deserter, Jal "accidentally" lands a ride on a Guild ship. Helmed by an AI, with a ship's engineer/medic who doesn't see much of a difference between the two jobs, and a "don't make me shoot you" XO, the Guild crew of the Ambit is a little . . . different. They're also in over their heads. Responding to a distress call from an abandoned planet, they find a mass grave, and a live programmer who knows how it happened. The Trust has plans. This isn't the first dead planet, and it's not going to be the last. Unless the crew of the Ambit can stop it. For more information, contact Tricia Crary (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.

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Decorah Public Library Announces June Book Discussions