Library
One Community, One Book
From September 15 to October 15, we invite you to join us for Mahaska Reads 2014?the revival of Mahaska County?s own ?One Community, One Book? program! Mahaska Reads is an annual community wide event where everyone in Mahaska County is invited to read the same book at the same time and then come together at a variety of events and programs to talk about it.
The series of events is a collaboration between the Oskaloosa Public Library, William Penn University's Wilcox Library, the Oskaloosa High School Library, and Book Vault. All events will be centered around this year's selection, Solomon Northup?s Twelve Years a Slave.
About Twelve Years a Slave
Twelve Years a Slave is a memoir and slave narrative by Solomon Northup, as told to and edited by David Wilson. Born a free man in New York State in 1808, Northup was kidnapped in Washington D.C. in 1841.
After having been kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana by various masters, Northup was able to write to friends and family in New York, who were in turn able to secure his release.
As an educated man, Northup was able to present an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society. Twelve Years a Slave is probably the fullest, most realistic picture of the institution of slavery in the time before the Civil War.
"How do I participate?"
There?s no special registration required to participate in Mahaska Reads. Simply grab a copy, start reading and show up at our events and programs!
Here are a few ways you can get a copy of Twelve Years a Slave:
September 15: Mahaska Book Night
Be at Smokey Row, The Cellar Peanut Pub or Penn Central Mall after 5:30 p.m. on Monday the 15th. The Mahaska Reads committee will be handing out a limited number of FREE copies!
September 16: Unconditional Surrender
Join us for our first program! Actor and author Pete Grady will be offering a portrayal of Ulysses S. Grant at 5:30 p.m. at the public library. FREE copies of the book will be given to the first 30 attendees.
Borrow from Oskaloosa Public Library.
The public library has ensured there will be extra copies available for check-out or reserve. Click here to find it in our catalog.
Join the Public Library?s Brown Bag Book Group
The Brown Bag Book Group meets at noon on the third Wednesday of the month. Copies for the October 15 meeting will be available to borrow at the public library?s circulation desk.
Purchase a copy from Book Vault.
If you miss out on our free copies and want your own to keep, you can pick one up at Book Vault.
Borrow from a friend!
Team up with someone you know who has a copy and share!
Programs & Events
Mahaska Book Night
Monday, September 15 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Smokey Row, Cellar Peanut Pub, Mall
Members of the Mahaska Reads committee will be at local businesses downtown handing out a limited number of FREE copies of this year?s selection.
Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant
Tuesday, September 16 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa Public Library, Room A
Peter J. Grady brings Ulysses S. Grant to life in this informative, humorous, and touching portrayal. Meet the victorious General whose strategy and tenacity won the Civil War, the President who struggled to rebuild his country after the war, and the husband and father whose final efforts were devoted to the financial support of his wife and family.
Tuesday Evening Book Club
Tuesday, September 16 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Head on over to the Book Vault after Pete Grady's presentation to discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the Book Vault?s Tuesday evening book club, which meets regularly on the third Tuesday of each month.
Reading Around Twelve Years a Slave
Tuesday, September 23 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa High School Library
Want to read more about slavery and the Civil War time period? The librarians from William Penn University?s Wilcox Library, the Oskaloosa Public Library, and Oskaloosa High School will share a selection of titles on the topics and themes from Twelve Years a Slave.
Lunch Bunch Book Club
Thursday, September 25 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the Book Vault?s Lunch Bunch book club, which meets regularly on the last Thursday of each month.
Community Discussion
Thursday, October 2 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Maple Ridge Assisted Living
Join leaders in your community and the residents at Maple Ridge in a guided discussion about Twelve Years a Slave.
OPL Teen Advisory Board?s Annual Cemetery Walk
Sunday, October 5 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Forest Cemetery
Take a walking tour through the past with the Oskaloosa Public Library?s Teen Advisory Board. Members of the TAB will present biographies of historical figures from Oskaloosa and Mahaska County who lived and died during the pre-Civil War era.
12 Years a Slave Film Screening
Tuesday, October 7 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa Public Library, Room A
Watch Director Steve McQueen's powerful 2013 film adaptation of Solomon Northup?s account on the library?s big screen.
Nonfiction Book Club
Friday, October 10 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the Book Vault?s nonfiction book club, which meets regularly on the second Friday of each month.
Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation
Tuesday, October 14 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Ronald Rietveld, retired professor of history at California State University-Fullerton, will discuss Lincoln?s Emancipation Proclamation, the ?King's all cure? for permanently settling the problem of enslaving blacks in the country, and how the courts, including the Supreme Court, viewed the issue after the Civil War.
Brown Bag Book Group
Wednesday, October 15 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa Public Library, Room A
Discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the library?s Brown Bag Book Group, which meets regularly on the third Wednesday of each month.
- "a Cab Called Reliable" Discussion Tuesday
Join us Tuesday, March 23, for the Aurora Hills Branch Library book discussion of A Cab Called Reliable. Copies of the book are available for check-out at the Aurora Hills service desk. This group meets at 2 p.m. in the Aurora Hills reading room on the...
- Friends Of The Oskaloosa Public Library
The Friends of the Oskaloosa Library is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that helps the library through fundraisers and Friends Memberships. You can become a Friend of the Library by purchasing a yearly membership. Individual memberships are $10, Family...
- General Information
Address: Oskaloosa Public Library 301 South Market Street Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577 Phone: (641) 673-0441 Fax: (641) 673-6237 Email: [email protected] Mission Statement: The Oskaloosa...
- Diggin' Up Bones
Wednesday, October 29 - 3:30 p.m. Meeting Room A, Third Floor Mahaska County Conservation Board Naturalist Laura DeCook will offer a presentation on the mammoth dig site located in Mahaska County. Woolly mammoths roamed Mahaska County nearly 13,000 years...
- Interested In Joining A Book Club?
There are two book clubs meeting at the Madison Public Library, and new readers are always welcome. One of the groups meets in the afternoon. Their next meeting is Thursday, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. at the Public Library. The book we have chosen to read...
Library
Mahaska Reads
One Community, One Book
From September 15 to October 15, we invite you to join us for Mahaska Reads 2014?the revival of Mahaska County?s own ?One Community, One Book? program! Mahaska Reads is an annual community wide event where everyone in Mahaska County is invited to read the same book at the same time and then come together at a variety of events and programs to talk about it.
The series of events is a collaboration between the Oskaloosa Public Library, William Penn University's Wilcox Library, the Oskaloosa High School Library, and Book Vault. All events will be centered around this year's selection, Solomon Northup?s Twelve Years a Slave.
About Twelve Years a Slave
After having been kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana by various masters, Northup was able to write to friends and family in New York, who were in turn able to secure his release.
As an educated man, Northup was able to present an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society. Twelve Years a Slave is probably the fullest, most realistic picture of the institution of slavery in the time before the Civil War.
"How do I participate?"
There?s no special registration required to participate in Mahaska Reads. Simply grab a copy, start reading and show up at our events and programs!
Here are a few ways you can get a copy of Twelve Years a Slave:
September 15: Mahaska Book Night
Be at Smokey Row, The Cellar Peanut Pub or Penn Central Mall after 5:30 p.m. on Monday the 15th. The Mahaska Reads committee will be handing out a limited number of FREE copies!
September 16: Unconditional Surrender
Join us for our first program! Actor and author Pete Grady will be offering a portrayal of Ulysses S. Grant at 5:30 p.m. at the public library. FREE copies of the book will be given to the first 30 attendees.
Borrow from Oskaloosa Public Library.
The public library has ensured there will be extra copies available for check-out or reserve. Click here to find it in our catalog.
Join the Public Library?s Brown Bag Book Group
The Brown Bag Book Group meets at noon on the third Wednesday of the month. Copies for the October 15 meeting will be available to borrow at the public library?s circulation desk.
Purchase a copy from Book Vault.
If you miss out on our free copies and want your own to keep, you can pick one up at Book Vault.
Borrow from a friend!
Team up with someone you know who has a copy and share!
Programs & Events
Mahaska Book Night
Monday, September 15 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Smokey Row, Cellar Peanut Pub, Mall
Members of the Mahaska Reads committee will be at local businesses downtown handing out a limited number of FREE copies of this year?s selection.
Unconditional Surrender: A Visit with Ulysses S. Grant
Tuesday, September 16 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa Public Library, Room A
Peter J. Grady brings Ulysses S. Grant to life in this informative, humorous, and touching portrayal. Meet the victorious General whose strategy and tenacity won the Civil War, the President who struggled to rebuild his country after the war, and the husband and father whose final efforts were devoted to the financial support of his wife and family.
Tuesday Evening Book Club
Tuesday, September 16 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Head on over to the Book Vault after Pete Grady's presentation to discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the Book Vault?s Tuesday evening book club, which meets regularly on the third Tuesday of each month.
Reading Around Twelve Years a Slave
Tuesday, September 23 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa High School Library
Want to read more about slavery and the Civil War time period? The librarians from William Penn University?s Wilcox Library, the Oskaloosa Public Library, and Oskaloosa High School will share a selection of titles on the topics and themes from Twelve Years a Slave.
Lunch Bunch Book Club
Thursday, September 25 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the Book Vault?s Lunch Bunch book club, which meets regularly on the last Thursday of each month.
Community Discussion
Thursday, October 2 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Maple Ridge Assisted Living
Join leaders in your community and the residents at Maple Ridge in a guided discussion about Twelve Years a Slave.
OPL Teen Advisory Board?s Annual Cemetery Walk
Sunday, October 5 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Forest Cemetery
Take a walking tour through the past with the Oskaloosa Public Library?s Teen Advisory Board. Members of the TAB will present biographies of historical figures from Oskaloosa and Mahaska County who lived and died during the pre-Civil War era.
12 Years a Slave Film Screening
Tuesday, October 7 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa Public Library, Room A
Watch Director Steve McQueen's powerful 2013 film adaptation of Solomon Northup?s account on the library?s big screen.
Nonfiction Book Club
Friday, October 10 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the Book Vault?s nonfiction book club, which meets regularly on the second Friday of each month.
Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation
Tuesday, October 14 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Book Vault
Ronald Rietveld, retired professor of history at California State University-Fullerton, will discuss Lincoln?s Emancipation Proclamation, the ?King's all cure? for permanently settling the problem of enslaving blacks in the country, and how the courts, including the Supreme Court, viewed the issue after the Civil War.
Brown Bag Book Group
Wednesday, October 15 - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Oskaloosa Public Library, Room A
Discuss Twelve Years a Slave with the library?s Brown Bag Book Group, which meets regularly on the third Wednesday of each month.
- "a Cab Called Reliable" Discussion Tuesday
Join us Tuesday, March 23, for the Aurora Hills Branch Library book discussion of A Cab Called Reliable. Copies of the book are available for check-out at the Aurora Hills service desk. This group meets at 2 p.m. in the Aurora Hills reading room on the...
- Friends Of The Oskaloosa Public Library
The Friends of the Oskaloosa Library is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that helps the library through fundraisers and Friends Memberships. You can become a Friend of the Library by purchasing a yearly membership. Individual memberships are $10, Family...
- General Information
Address: Oskaloosa Public Library 301 South Market Street Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577 Phone: (641) 673-0441 Fax: (641) 673-6237 Email: [email protected] Mission Statement: The Oskaloosa...
- Diggin' Up Bones
Wednesday, October 29 - 3:30 p.m. Meeting Room A, Third Floor Mahaska County Conservation Board Naturalist Laura DeCook will offer a presentation on the mammoth dig site located in Mahaska County. Woolly mammoths roamed Mahaska County nearly 13,000 years...
- Interested In Joining A Book Club?
There are two book clubs meeting at the Madison Public Library, and new readers are always welcome. One of the groups meets in the afternoon. Their next meeting is Thursday, March 5, at 1:30 p.m. at the Public Library. The book we have chosen to read...