“The Lost Year,” a young adult novel that tells a story of a family’s survival, is Book Talk’s selection for its April 9 meeting The discussion group meets at 6:30 p.m. at Donald W. Reynolds Library in Durant. Its meetings are open to the public.
Leading this month’s discussion is Jami Ellis, Program Director/ Literacy Coordinator for the Reynolds Library.
The chosen novel, by Katherine Marsh, was inspired by the author’s own family history and was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Told from the point of view of 13-year-old Matthew, the story moves from current- day New York to 1930s Soviet Ukraine, from which his ancestors had emigrated.
When Matthew’s mother moves his hundred-year-old great-grandmother into their home to ride out the Covid pandemic, he finds a tattered photo in her belongings that proves to be a clue to a longhidden family secret.
Historically, the book sheds light on the Holodomor, a horrible famine that killed millions of Ukrainians and that the Soviet government covered up for decades.
Book Talk meets monthly, except for December and the summer months, on the second Thursday at the Reynolds Library.
Copies of its monthly book choices are available for purchase at the library’s service desk.
The May 14 meeting of Book Talk will be a “sharing” meeting, in which instead of discussing a specific book, participants will tell about books they individually have read and would recommend to others.
Ellis attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University, majoring in Education, and holds a Master’s Degree in Library Media from East Central University.
Before joining the Reynolds Library in 2020, Ellis worked for Silo Public Schools as a Special Education teacher and for Achille Public Schools as a teacher’s aide in Special Education.
She was born and raised in Ada, Oklahoma.
