Cleveland Park Library Presents Book Discussion Series on "Immigrants in America"

The Cleveland Park Public Library has announced its program events for September 15, 2011 through February 9, 2012. It's quite a comprehensive tour of the literary world, all on the theme of immigration to America.

You might want to copy these dates and program notes into your calendar,. Then, at least once a month until February, 2012, you're set for something to do on an otherwise boring Thursday night.

All these events are free and open to the public.

The Cleveland Park Public Library Presents:

New Book Discussion Series with Professor Phil Burnham, George Mason University

Immigrants in America

America is a nation of immigrants, but Americans have long shown ambivalence toward those who seek a better life in our country. 

 
Emma Lazarus’ words, “Give me your tired, your poor,” have often been at odds with how the “tired and poor” have been treated upon arrival. We seem to go through periods of tolerance and intolerance, sometimes related to economic conditions and other times because there is a perception that there are too many people coming from a single place, or they’re “taking over” and tarnishing what it is to be an American.

Well, what is it to be an American? What is life like for those who come here from a different culture and try to become “American”?

Please join us at the library for the 2011 Immigrants in America book discussion series, which will take us through a variety of immigrant experiences, mostly fictional, in different periods of history. Made possible through the support of the Friends of Cleveland Park Library.

September 15, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano

October 20, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

November 17, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: A Gesture Life by Chang-Rae Lee

December 15, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

January 12, 2012, 7:00-8:45 pm: Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat

February 9, 2012, 7:00-8:45 pm: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Please Register at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC, 20008, 202-282-3080, www.dclibrary.org/clevelandpark.