The Concord Bookshop Book Group meets to discuss selections from the award-winning short fiction in 20 Under 40: Stories from the New Yorker.

Please join us for this informal book group. As time allows, we'll discuss three stories from the collection: 

• "The Pilot" by Joshua Ferris
• "Here We Aren't, So Quickly" by Jonathan Safran Foer
• "Blue Water Djinn" by Tea Obreht

20 Under 40 is available at the Bookshop.

"A stirring novel of brotherhood, survival, and coming-of-age during World War One."

Inspired by the author's own family history, The Sojourn is the story of Jozef Vinich, living an impoverished shepherd's life in rural Austria-Hungary. When war comes, Jozef joins his cousin and brother-in-arms as a sharpshooter on the southern front, where he must survive the killing trenches, a perilous trek across the frozen Italian Alps, and capture by a victorious enemy.

 

This novel grips readers with chilling scenes of death and survival as it evokes a time when Czechs, Slovaks, Austrians, and Germans fought on the same side while divided by language, ethnicity, and social class in the most brutal war to date. It is also a poignant tale of fathers and sons, addressing the great immigration to America and the desire to live the American dream amid the unfolding tragedy in Europe.

 

The author says "I wanted to take the survival spirit of my grandparents and great aunts and uncles-that spirit which is identifiably American-and place it back in the old country, in the mind, heart, and body of one man, and see how it was that that spirit survived in the sojourn of its youth."

 

Andrew Krivak is the author of A Long Retreat: In Search of a Religious Life, a memoir about his eight years in the Jesuit Order, and editor of The Letters of William Carlos Williams to Edgar Irving Williams, 1902-1912. The grandson of Slovak immigrants, he grew up in Pennsylvania, has lived in London, and has taught at Harvard, Boston College, and the College of the Holy Cross. Krivak lives with his wife and three children in Somerville, Massachusetts.

The Sojourn is published by Bellevue Literary Press, which brought us last year's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Paul Harding's Tinkers.

We are pleased to welcome Andrew Krivak to the bookshop on Sunday, May 22, at 3pm, reading from and discussing The Sojourn.

Last Thursday, we were delighted to host Edith Pearlman, reading from and discussing Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories.

What a treat that the author read two stories, the titular "Binocular Vision" and "Lineage," which took us through time and place from present-day Chicago to Tsarist Russia.

Ms. Pearlman took questions from the audience, who were eager to discuss Pearlman's research and inspirations, as well as to simply praise this talented writer of short fiction.

Signed copies of Binocular Vision are on our shelves.

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 The Idea of America by Gordon S. Wood
   

On Sunday we enjoyed the presentation of Gordon S. Wood, who visited us with his "hot off the presses" newest book, The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States.

Professor Wood briefly introduced his collection of essays, then engaged in a lively Q&A with the audience.  His responses were thoughtful, expansive, and sometimes humorous.  What a wonderful afternoon, sitting in such an intimate setting in conversation with a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian!

He was generous with his time and his signature ... not to worry if you missed the event, signed first editions are available at the Bookshop.

Open Table offers weekly community supper programs and pantries in Concord and Maynard to more than 225 guests, including many children - no questions asked.

Serving our community for over 20 years, Open Table's mission is to address hunger and social isolation in our area, while respecting the privacy and dignity of our guests in a welcoming community of support. Open Table is an all volunteer organization.

For more information about the programs, please visit the Open Table website.