Evelyn S. Field Library Blog

Book Discussion of RVCC One Book - April 13, 2017

Join us for a book discussion of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka.

This short, engaging book about a family's struggles during the internment of people of Japanese ancestry after the bombing of Pearl Harbor is this year's RVCC One Book.

Date: Thursday, April 13th, 2017

Time: 1:00PM - 2:20PM

Location: Robeson Resource Room, Library 1st floor

Register: online at http://raritanval.libwizard.com/bookdiscussion or in person at the library Reference/Information desk

The first 25 people to register will receive a free copy of the book.

February 19, 2017 marked the 75th anniversary of the day that Executive Order 9066 was signed. The order established the legal and military grounds - claiming national security - for rounding up and interning tens of thousands of people of Japanese ancestry, including American citizens. The novel we will discuss "traces, in terse but eloquent fashion, the fortunes of a Japanese-American family from the spring of 1942 -- when President Roosevelt's 'evacuation' order came through -- to the spring of 1946" (New York Times Book Review, 2002). This is an important time in our nation's history and one that should never be forgotten. Please join us to discuss the history and personal impact revealed in the novel, as well as its relevance to today's United States.