Evening Book Group: Veterans Health
The SBPL Evening Book Group meets in the Community Room on the 4th Thursday of every month. Enjoy a stimulating conversation about books and exchange perspectives about characters and plot while getting to know your neighbors. Join us in March as we discuss two graphic novels on the theme of veterans' health: At War With Yourself by Samuel C. Williams and When I Returned from the Center for Cartoon Studies. All are welcome to this conversation, which we hope will be especially relevant for veterans and their loved ones.
At War with Yourself is an illustrated conversation between author Samuel C. Williams and his friend, British army veteran Matt. They talk candidly about Matt's struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. From scoping out quick exits in coffee shops to re-experiencing traumatic events through triggers as seemingly insignificant as a sound or smell, Matt describes his experience of the condition, how he has learned to cope with it, and his new career path. This comic will offer support and understanding to anyone who has been affected by PTSD, no matter what the cause.
To make When I Returned, students at the White River Junction-based Center for Cartoon Studies teamed up with veterans at the local VA hospital to tell their stories in graphic novel form. As described in Seven Days, this collaboration produced stories by veterans of "World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and other conflicts, as well as stories from what is often the most challenging battlefield of all: the postwar homefront."
A limited number of book group reserve copies will be available at the book group meeting on Thursday, February 27 and at the circulation desk on February 28.
Discussion will be hybrid, with in-person and Zoom options. Zoom participants should join the meeting no later than 5:55pm to be admitted.
Please email sbplprograms@southburlingtonvt.gov or call 802-846-4140 if you have questions or would like to be added to the email list for this group, or if you would like to attend via Zoom.
