AT THE LIBRARY
New items are available at the Hancock County Public Library.
The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Adult Fiction
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“Inheritors,” by Asako Serizawa
Written from a myriad of perspectives and in a wide range of styles, each of these interconnected stories is designed to speak to the others, contesting assumptions and illuminating the complicated ways we experience, interpret and pass on our personal and shared histories. A retired doctor, for example, is forced to confront the moral consequences of his wartime actions; an elderly woman subjects herself to an interview, gradually revealing a 50-year old murder and its shattering aftermath; and in the last days of war, a prodigal son who enlisted against his parents’ wishes survives the American invasion of his island outpost, only to be asked for a sacrifice more daunting than any he imagined. Author Serizawa’s characters walk the line between the realities of war and the needs of everyday life as they struggle to reconcile their experiences with the changing world.
Adult Nonfiction
“These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson,” by Martha Ackmann
On August 3, 1845, young Emily Dickinson declared, “All things are ready” and with this resolute statement, her life as a poet began. Despite spending her days almost entirely at home (per the occupation listed on her death certificate), Dickinson’s interior world was extraordinary. She loved passionately, was hesitant about publication, embraced seclusion and scribed 1,789 poems she tucked into a dresser drawer. Author Martha Ackmann unravels the mysteries of Dickinson’s life through 10 decisive episodes that trace her evolution as a poet. Ackmann follows Dickinson through a religious crisis while a student at Mount Holyoke, which, despite a private spirituality, created a lifelong ambivalence toward organized religion. We see the poet in the frenzy of composition; we come to understand her self-critical eye and her relationship with sister-in-law and first reader Susan Dickinson. Contrary to her reputation as a recluse, Dickinson makes the decision to ask a famous editor for advice, writes anguished letters to an unidentified “Master” and keeps up a lifelong friendship with writer Helen Hunt Jackson. At the peak of her literary productivity, she is seized with despair in confronting possible blindness. Researching thousands of archival letters and poems as well as never-before-seen photos, “These Fevered Days” constructs a remarkable map of Emily Dickinson’s inner life.
