LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
The Midwest Writing Center is, again, joining forces with your Sherrard Library to bring you local authors who will share their books. We are
fortunate to have this interest and dedication, and we thank everyone.
April 17
th
, 6:30p.m. Gunda Davis shares her life as a young girl in Germany growing up near Berlin where she was born into a privileged
family surrounded by loving parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Her parents were enthusiastic members of the Nazi party. Her
father was a member of Hitler's SA (Sturm Abteilung), the brown shirts. Her two sisters were active members of the Nazi youth organization.
In her book, Pumpkin Soup and Shrapnel- Growing Up Under the Third Reich. Gunda shares her personal history as she moved from one
safe relative's home to another, spending many years without her parents and always enduring the terrible sounds of war. Gunda now lives in
Bettendorf, Iowa, with her husband, Jim. They have three children who reside in Iowa, Illinois, and New York. She studied at the Universities of
Berlin and Heidelberg in Germany, and at the West Virginia Institute of Technology. Gunda has been a homemaker all her life enjoying gardening
and volunteering for the Quad City Symphony.
We hope you will join us on April 17
th
to hear Gunda as she shares memories from her life. This will be your opportunity to ask questions from
someone who lived on the other side of the war. Your Library has her book, Pumpkin Soup and Shrapnel - Growing Up Under the Third Reich.
May 15
th
, 6:30 p.m. Richard Hamer and Roger Ruthhart, co-authors of Citadel of Sin - The John Looney Story, have graciously accepted
our invitation to share their story of Rock Island's bad, bad boy. In their forward it states, "The story of John Looney is worthy of some of the
world's great fiction writers. The difference is that the story...is all true." The authors dedicated the book to Max Allan Collins, Tom Hanks and
Paul Newman. Road to Perdition, is the movie based John Looney's lawlessness, though not totally accurate does portray his life of corruption
and crime. Mr. Hamer and Mr. Ruthhart felt the story needed to be told, accurately, The movie, while it sets the tone of the dark mood of the day,
does not include facts about Looney's life which are woven into the history of our area.
Citadel of Sin is a part of Sherrard Library's collection. We encourage you to join us on the 15
th
to hear, first hand, this fascinating story and the
co-authors' investigation.
May 16
th
, 1:00 p.m. is the date and time Gary Metivier and his children's book Willie's Wagon will be with us. The students will gather in the
Sherrard Grade School gymnasium to hear the story and the good things Mr. Metivier is helping to overcome in the community. Join us at 1:
00 to hear Gary share his gratitude for the encouragement given throughout the community for those children touched by serious illness. The
dedication of Willie's Wagon states, "This book is for children who at times are too sick to be in school, but are always in our hearts. It is also for
those who help give them a smile when they need it most." Willie's Wagon is in the junior fiction section of your Sherrard Library.
The library staff will also share plans for the Summer Reading Program at this event. Summer Reading is for all ages from young listeners to
grandma and grandpas. Everyone in the Sherrard Public Library family is encouraged to read this summer.
June 7
th
, 10:00 a.m. Linda Louise will discuss how she put the bits and pieces of her life together to fill the emptiness that yearns for worth and
loving acceptance in her book Longing for Wholeness.
She asks, `When you look in the mirror, who do you see what do you see? Are you living the desires of your heart? Do you long to awaken
with a joy and feel so alive?' Longing for Wholeness is a compassionate and conclusive work written in a fresh style. It keeps you engaged.
In this compelling story she reveals the dynamics of a life riddled with shame and contempt. Inside this book Linda shares her experiences to
inspire hope and how she found the freedom to express who she believes she was born to be. You will never question the hope that fills the world
written within.
Quoted from the Forward, "This book is about overcoming: fear, rejection, and real betrayal. It's about love and mercy. Linda tells her story
with a deep, raw, honesty and it will touch every heart. We all have these places in our hearts and lives, but more of us never acknowledge
them, let alone speak of them. This book will speak especially to those of us who have known abuse as children, whether sexual or emotional or
physical, and the indelible mark it leaves on our lives." This book is classified as healing, redemptive and forgiving and that it ministers to one's
spirit.
Please join us on June 7
th
to hear Linda Louise share her story. She will touch your spirit
.
BOOK CLUB
The Bookworms Book Club continues to grow in numbers and enthusiasm. Our association with the book club organizations throughout the
region have introduced the group to new books and authors. We recently discovered Louise Shaffer. Because her Ladies of Garrison Gardens
was so popular, the club will discuss The Three Miss Margarets in April. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks is the May selection and Jhumpa
Lahiri's, Namesake, in the book that will be discussed in June.
Please join us on the first Thursday of each month at 3:30 p.m. for an afternoon of enriching book discussion. The leaders offer their own
observations and invite those of others.
EASTER EGG HUNT A SUCCESS!
A damp and chilly Saturday morning didn't prevent the annual Easter Egg Hunt from being a huge success. Filling baskets with eggs loaded
with candy was the mission of the day. The event noted record attendance. Thank you to the Monday Morning Coffee group for filling the eggs
and the Friends' Board members and families who `hid' the eggs and managed the details before and after the event. Thank you to the Deans and
Tiger's Den for donating the candy bars. Easter came early this year, and now everyone has a head start to a great spring. Happy Spring to All!
Sorry for the omission: Kim Hoffman donated the book prizes for the Halloween Costume Contest.
