Thursday, April 19, 2012

Saturday Samplers Book Group to Meet



Bernardsville Library’s book discussion group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, May 5 at 3:30 pm to discuss Waterfront: A Walk Around Manhattan (2004) by Phillip Lopate. [The author will not be present.]

In the book, Lopate fuses history, lore, politics, culture, and on-site adventures to take readers on an exuberant, affectionate, and eye-opening excursion around Manhattan’s shoreline. Starting at the Battery and moving leisurely along the banks of the Hudson and East Rivers, the author describes the infrastructures, public spaces, and landmarks he encounters, along with fascinating insights into how they came to be. Unpeeling layers of myth and history, he reveals the economic, ecological, and political concerns that influenced the city’s development. E.L. Doctorow wrote of the book, “Phillip Lopate . . . demonstrates that you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to be a great explorer. Anyone who finds Manhattan fascinating--there should be several million of us--would do well to read Waterfront, his beautiful ramble into its heart and soul.”

Phillip Lopate is the author of nine books, including “Getting Personal: Selected Writings,” the essay collections “Bachelorhood," "Against Joie de Vivre,” “Writing New York,” and “Portrait of My Body,” and the novels “The Rug Merchant” and “Confessions of Summer.” Most recently, he authored “Seaport: New York’s Vanished Waterfront,” a book of photographs of maritime Manhattan. He is also the editor of “The Art of the Personal Essay,” and his work has appeared in “The Paris Review,” “Esquire,” “Vogue,” and many other publications. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter, and teaches at Hofstra University.

Led by Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com/. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.

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