A book discussion series for veterans led by Vietnam veteran & author Wayne Karlin. For more information contact Kimberlé Fields at 301-863-8188 or kfields@stmalib.org.
A reading and book discussion series for military veterans that is led by Vietnam veteran, author, and College of Southern Maryland professor Wayne Karlin. Service members of all eras, their spouses, and adult children are welcome.
Participants should plan to attend all sessions. Books and other materials provided.
The Veterans' Book Group is coordinated statewide by Maryland Humanities and presented locally in partnership with St. Mary's County Library. The program was created by the Maine Humanities Council to promote understanding of the military experience and to support returning veterans.
May: Grant by Ron Chernow
The #1 New York Times bestseller. • New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of 2017
Adapted it into a three-part TV miniseries in May 2020 by the History Channel
Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow returns with a sweeping and dramatic portrait of one of our most compelling generals and presidents, Ulysses S. Grant.
Named one of the best books of the year by Goodreads • Amazon • The New York Times • Newsday • BookPage • Barnes and Noble • Wall Street Journal
Ron Chernow’s “Grant” was published in 2017 to almost immediate acclaim and was named a Top 10 Book of the Year by The New York Times. Chernow is bestselling the author of “Alexander Hamilton,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Washington: A Life” and award-winning biographies of John D. Rockefeller and the J.P. Morgan and Warburg dynasties.
With a narrative spanning 959 pages (not counting the extensive bibliography or 4,500 end notes), this biography of Ulysses S. Grant is by far the longest of the eight books on the 18th president I’ve read – and it might well be the most engrossing. Fans of Chernow will not be surprised to find the narrative so captivating it often dazzles like a work of fiction. “Grant” provides its audience with a nearly ideal balance between the public and private sides of Grant’s life. Readers will quickly discover that Chernow is no unreliable fan of Grant; his support is full-throated and enthusiastic. In contrast to the man portrayed in McFeely’s 1981 biography, Chernow’s subject frequently receives the benefit of the doubt and occasionally seems super-human.
The biography does a nice job capturing Grant’s early years, but the chapters describing his service in the Civil War are even better. For anyone interested in fully embracing the famously reticent Grant it is a must read.
Review by bestpresidentialbios.com
June: A Wolf by the Ears by Wayne Karlin
Please submit accessibility requests at least 72 hours in advance to virtualservices@stmalib.org.
Temporary Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 1 – 6 p.m.
Friday: 12 – 5 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library
St. Mary’s County Library Foundation
