Abilene Public Library will offer a three-part book discussion series February through May on “Faith in Fiction: World Faiths.” Members of the community are invited to attend the free programs, which will take place in the Carnegie Room at the Abilene Public Library 209 NW 4th Abilene, KS.
The series is sponsored by Humanities Kansas (HK), a nonprofit cultural organization, as part of its Talk About Literature in Kansas (TALK) program. HK is furnishing the books and discussion leaders for the Abilene Public Library TALK series. For more information about HK, visit www.humanitieskansas.org.
The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. Kim Stanley will lead a discussion of “The Romance Reader” by Pearl Abraham. The daughter of a Hasidic rabbi, Rachel is expected to care for her siblings, dress modestly, and submit to an arranged marriage. But there’s a more enticing world in the pages of her forbidden paperback books. Kim Stanley is a Professor of English and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages at McPherson College.
In this series, readers will also meet Hindu and Christian individuals and families who are struggling to find and keep their faith in a changing world. The books do not analyze or argue for faith; they pose unpredictable questions and offer no simple answers. They permeate the minds and hearts of characters who live in worlds that are often unfamiliar to us. Yet they also bring us home to a greater understanding of what gives us faith, how that faith is tested and transformed, and what common fears, desires, and challenges link us in the human family.
The series continues with “Go Tell It on the Mountain” by James Baldwin on April 4, 2024 (6:00 p.m.) and “ Harp of Burma ” by Michio Takeyama on Thursday, May 2, 2024 (6:00 p.m.)
To check out books, stop by the front desk.