What a Fish Knows draws on the latest science to present a fresh look at these remarkable creatures in all their breathtaking diversity and beauty. Fishes conduct elaborate courtship rituals and develop lifelong bonds with shoalmates. They also plan, hunt cooperatively, use tools, curry favor, deceive one another, and punish wrongdoers. We may imagine that fishes lead simple, fleeting lives—a mode of existence that boils down to a place on the food chain, rote spawning, and lots of aimless swimming. But, as Balcombe demonstrates, the truth is far richer and more complex, worthy of the grandest social novel.
Highlighting breakthrough discoveries from fish enthusiasts and scientists around the world and pondering his own encounters with fishes, Balcombe examines the fascinating means by which fishes gain knowledge of the places they inhabit, from shallow tide pools to the deepest reaches of the ocean.
Thetford author Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling will read from A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears).
Once upon a time, a group of libertarians got together and hatched one of the most ambitious social experiments in modern American history—the so-called Free Town Project: a plan to take over an American town and completely eliminate its government. In 2004, they set their sights on Grafton, NH, a flyspeck town with only one paved road, buried in the woods of New Hampshire’s western fringe.
When freedom-focused libertarians across the US—from as far as California to as near as Massachusetts—descended on Grafton, state and federal laws became meek suggestions. Soon the wilderness-thick town lost public funding for pretty much everything: fire dept, the schoolhouse, library, and perhaps most importantly wildlife services. As the people were ignoring laws and regulations on hunting and food disposal, their newly formed off-the-grid tent city caught the attention of some unruly neighbors: the bears.
Armed with a pen and journalist’s notebook, Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling—a seasoned journalist who has covered everything from Maine’s stately Governor’s Mansion to the mud hut of a witch doctor in Sierra Leone—was drawn to Grafton in hopes of uncovering the truth behind this fantastical tale of bear vs. libertarian. In his book A LIBERTARIAN WALKS INTO A BEAR: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears), Hongoltz-Hetling details how this tiny town became a radical social experiment—until the bear attacks started. Along the way he meets a band of interesting characters: Jessica Soule, a Vietnam-era veteran who became an acolyte of the controversial Reverend Sun Myung Moon; Adam Franz, a poker-playing communist who dreamed of founding a survivalist community; John Connell, a Massachusetts factory worker on a mission from God; and, of course, John Babiarz, the firefighter libertarian who opened Grafton’s doors to the Free Town Project and then spent the next decade trying to explain it to his nonlibertarian neighbors. This book is a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening tale of what happens when a government disappears into the woods. Complete with gunplay, adventure, and backstabbing politicians, this is a quintessentially American story, a bearing of our national soul.
Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling is a freelance journalist specializing in narrative features and investigative reporting. He has been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, won a George Polk Award, and been voted Journalist of the Year by the Maine Press association, among numerous other honors. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, USA Today, Popular Science, Atavist Magazine, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Associated Press, and elsewhere.
Drop-in anytime between 2:00 and 5:00 to make a graham cracker gingerbread house or create a Christmas craft.
It’s easy to take textiles for granted since they’re so much a part of our daily lives. But, if we analyze them more closely, they reveal insights into the history of capitalism, colonialism, economics, exports, imports, agriculture, labor, religion, art, costumes, cultures, and nearly everything humans have created.
A Stitch in Time is the theme for the Fall ‘22/Winter’23 Book Discussion Group. Our third book in this season’s series is The Dressmakers of Auschwitz, by Lucy Adlington
Our discussion will be held via Zoom, Thursday, January 19, from noon to 1 p.m. To register and obtain a book from the library, please email librarian@
Local author Dean Whitlock will be forced by Covid to Zoom in to read from his new F&SF story collection at the Latham Library on this coming Sunday, the 22nd. The event will start at 4:00 p.m., as scheduled. Everyone planning to attend in person is still welcome to come to the library, where Dean will appear live from his home on the Community Room’s new large wall monitor. Assistant Librarian Emily Zollo will be there to host the meeting and facilitate the Q&A portion using the special camera system installed with the new screen. Emily will also have on hand a small stock of Dean’s new story collection, Iridescent Dreams, along with his six novels, all signed by the author (cash or check please). Dean will also be happy to add a personalized inscription later for anyone who would like to leave their book at the library for a few days. To switch from in-person to Zoom attendance please send an email to librarian@thetfordlibrary.org
The Spirit Level does not simply provide a diagnosis of our ills, but provides invaluable instruction in shifting the balance from self-interested consumerism to a friendlier, more collaborative society. It shows a way out of the social and environmental problems which beset us, and opens up a major new approach to improving the real quality of life, not just for the poor but for everyone. It is, in its conclusion, an optimistic book, which should revitalize politics and provide a new way of thinking about how we organize human communities.
All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you.
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An open event for anyone from any community. Come learn about harm reduction, opioid overdose, how to use naloxone to save a life, and hear about common medication mixing dangers (including alcohol). Resources and FREE narcan will be available! All are welcome. Snow date: February 7.
EVANSTON’S LIVING HISTORY: DOCUMENTARY AND DISCUSSION WITH FILMMAKER CRAIG DUDNICK
A special program for Black History Month.
The film “Evanston’s Living History” may be watched beforehand on Kanopy, the library’s free streaming movie service. Please contact the library for instructions on using Kanopy. Participants are encouraged to watch the video before the Zoom program, but the presentation can be enjoyed whether or not you have seen it.
Evanston’s Living History is the story of a people paying a big price for rights and liberties that many of us take for granted; a community whose indomitable spirit influenced the conscience of a nation.
It is the story of a community’s struggle for justice; with roots extending to the town of Abbeville, South Carolina and the horrific lynching of one of its prominent citizens, Anthony Crawford. Follow the lives of Crawford’s descendants and their allies as the fight for the passage of United States Senate Resolution 39, which apologized for the failure of the Senate to enact anti-lynching legislation. Learn about Evanston’s greatest generation, and their courageous fight to free Evanston from the bondage of racial discrimination.
To register for the Zoom link please email librarian@thetfordlibrary.org
The Chocolate Indulgence chocolate potluck is back! This year it will be combined with a short annual meeting of the Peabody Library board of trustees. Bring your favorite chocolate recipe to share. Everyone is welcome.