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And the Rest is History book club meets at library
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.Shirley Bartlett of Austintown was one of the And the Rest is History Book Club's meeting at Austintown library. She said she joined the club to have questions answered she had about history.
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Neighbors | Tim Cleveland.The And the Rest is History Book Club had its third meeting at Austintown library. The club focuses on reading nonfiction books about history.
By TIM CLEVELAND
While most book clubs mainly read novels, the And the Rest is History book club deals in nonfiction books.
The club has met once a month at Austintown library, with its third meeting on Aug. 7.
Austintown library adult services librarian Kathy Richter said her own past with history led to the club being formed.
“I was a history major in school and still wanted to stay in with the history,” she said. “I read a lot of nonfiction and we had a lot of interest.”
Richter said any kind of history book is welcomed to be read by the club.
“Everyone reads a book about history, any type of history, any era,” she said. “It can be about people, it can be about things, it can be about historic tractors, if someone wants to. We’ve had some very interesting things come up.”
Some of the books the club has read so far include “Hitler: The Memoir of the Nazi Insider Who Turned Against the Fuhrer” by Ernst Hanfstaengl, and “The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis” by Thomas Goetz.
Shirley Bartlett of Austintown said a desire to gain knowledge is what made her want to join the club.
“Because there are questions I want to have answered,” she said. “I like to know, for example, after World War I, what were the conditions of Germany’s surrender and why did Hitler come to power.
“I think learning is a lifelong process, and this library is so close to me, and such a good library, it makes it real easy.”
Richter said club members have the opportunity to share their historical interests with each other.
“They get the opportunity to discuss their interests with other people who have the same interests,” she said. “A lot of people think history is boring. If books are written correctly, they will draw you in, not just a boring nonfiction book. It’s not just relaying dates, it tells a story.”