The last book in the Vermont Humanities Council discussion series International Migrations to and From the US is MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides. The discussion series has featured books which have won the Pulitzer Prize to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the prize. Borrow a copy of the book now at the Jeudevine Library.

“From the first sentence of Jeffrey Eugenides' MIDDLESEX, I was hooked by this complicated tale of a young girl who grows into a man. The story of Cal Stephanides begins generations before his birth, in a small Greek village, when his grandparents succumb to incestuous desires. Immigration to the United States keeps Desdemona and Lefty's secret intact - until their grandchild Cal reaches puberty. Told with both humor and earnestness, the story grows more engaging with every page.
The brilliance of this book emerges not from the superficial story of a hermaphrodite but from the context - historical, scientific, psychological, political, geographical - of Cal's birth and subsequent rebirth. MIDDLESEX is about much more than gender confusion. Cal's mixed gender can be taken as a metaphor for the experience of first- and second-generations born of immigrants.” (From a review by Debbie Lee Wesselmann on Amazon.com.)

Come eat a great brunch (provided) and talk with others who have read the book with a discussion led by Mary Hays from the Vermont Humanities Council. Mary holds a graduate degree in Humanities from the University of Chicago and has taught literature and creative writing. Her fiction, book reviews and essays have appeared in many magazines and various Upper Valley publications. She is the author of the novel, LEARNING TO DRIVE.

The program will be held at the Memorial Building (the Hardwick Town Office Building) at 20 Church Street, Hardwick. For anyone who needs an elevator, please call the Jeudevine Library at 472-5948. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Jeudevine Library.