Seven years ago, I wrote a fan letter to New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger. I am a huge fan of his Cork O’Connor series and his wonderful book, Ordinary Grace. I had noticed that he was a keynote speaker at New England Crime Bake, a gathering for crime writers. In the message, I asked (okay, obsequious) if he would consider speaking at the McArthur Library, since he lived just a few hours south. It was exciting to receive a response agreeing to the visit, for the hefty price of a lobster dinner. William Kent Krueger is a huge supporter of libraries and librarians. I am eternally grateful to him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to visit Maine.

Not every interaction with authors has been so delightful. Author Kerri Arsenault canceled a virtual visit at the very last minute when I explained to her that not many people had signed up for her talk. She said it was a “big challenge” for her to spend her time with a small audience. The entire interaction left me feeling really awful and I had to rush to contact disappointed readers. Recently, I contacted Morgan Talty’s press people to invite him to Biddeford. If we pay the sum of $15,000, we can have him speak here. Needless to say, that is not in our budget right now. And no, that was not a typo, it was fifteen thousand dollars.

Of course, Monica Wood is always amazing, gracious, poised, and wonderful. There really can’t be enough kind words about how she gives back to Maine libraries. She is a great person. Kate Flora is also a great person to work with. Both authors took time out of their day to facilitate virtual programs for us during the early days of the pandemic. We are eternally grateful for their kindness.

Then we have the author, Abdi Nor Iftin. (Insert big smile here.) While McArthur was still offering his services remotely, the library worked closely with Elements to collect multiple copies of books to continue offering discussions remotely. After posting the selection, his remarkable memoir “Call Me American,” on social media, Abdi emailed me. He asked if he could join our gathering to talk about his book. In my many years of working with authors, that had never happened before. And it was truly a magical evening. Everyone was captivated by his openness and strength. It’s an amazing biography, written by an amazing person.

Call Me American is not an easy read, it can be heartbreaking. Here are some reviews:

“(A) heartbreaking yet hopeful autobiography… Iftin’s extraordinary saga is not only a journey of self-promotion but also an attempt to break free from ethnic and sectarian hatred.”

— Publishers Weekly

“A poignant autobiography…that remains impressively optimistic, highly inspiring and always instructive.”

— Kirkus

“Absolutely remarkable and always as gripping as a novel… A vital immigration story that is insightful and immediate.”

– Book list

“His story of survival against all odds is an inspiring testament to his incredible determination and strength of character.”

—OutsideOnline

Since then, I’ve wanted to organize a public reading to bring this work to a larger audience. Last year, we teamed up with Elements, Banded Brewing, and a local author to put on a very fun book event. This year, we’re excited to announce that we’re teaming up again to host an evening with Abdi Nor Iftin to talk about “Call Me American.” The talk will be at Banded Brewing on Thursday, August 29th at 6:30 p.m. Books are available for purchase at Elements or at the library. The event is free and open to the public, but we hope you’ll support these local businesses that support the library.

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