“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates Submitted photo

In honor of Black History Month, February’s reading will be “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The discussion of this book will take place via Zoom from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, hosted by the Auburn Public Library.

This memoir, written as a series of letters to the author’s teenage son, takes us through the author’s life, wherein he “confronts the notion of race in America and how it has shaped American history, many times at the cost of black bodies and lives.” (School Library Journal) It is direct, powerful, poignant, insightful and — most of all — an essential read for today.

Lending his expertise to this discussion will be James Ford, family and community support coordinator for the Lewiston Public Schools. James writes, “I am a Black male who can trace my lineage to the middle passage and an owner of land in Georgia where my ancestors were once slaves. I have lived in Maine for 40 years and I have dealt with many layers of Affirmative Action, discrimination, racism, segregation and implicit bias. I have been doing work on race, or the subject of race all of my life. I love working in the Lewiston Auburn region, its diversity and its willingness to shift behaviors to work with the current student population. I see my role as helping to facilitate that shift…finding ways to bring the schools closer to the community. Let’s open our doors to our parents, businesses and our neighbors.”

A copy of the book will be provided to the first six people who sign up for this discussion group. For more information or to register, contact Donna at (207) 333-6640, ext. 4 or dwallace@auburnpubliclibrary.org.

For more information on this or other upcoming, virtual programs offered by the Auburn Public Library, visit our website (auburnpubliclibrary.org), our Facebook page (Auburn Public Library Advocates), or contact the Reference Desk.