Professor Theo Theoharis is back to discuss our Roots to Kinship Community Read with us, and help us explore the themes of family history and migration through the lens of literature.

Theo will start by discussing "We Share the Same Sky" by Rachael Cerrotti, which is our Community Read book. In We Share the Same Sky, Rachael weaves together the stories of her grandmother Hana as a refugee who remains one step ahead of the Nazis at every turn, and Rachael, whose insatiable curiosity to touch the past guides her into the lives of countless strangers, bringing her love and tragic loss. Throughout the course of her twenties, Hana’s history becomes a guidebook for Rachael in how to live a life empowered by grief.

In the second half of the series, we will be discussing "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead. The book chronicles a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South.  In this historical fiction world, the Underground Railroad is an actual network of tunnels and tracks beneath the soil. 

Both are stories of refuge and migration, told from two very different perspectives. Join Theo to find out how these stories are linked, and then stay in touch with the library throughout the year for more book discussions and programs on the journey from Roots to Kinship.

You can pick up both books at any Peabody Library location.

Lectures are Wednesdays in May at 11 AM in the Sutton Room, and will also be streamed online. The Zoom link will be included in your confirmation email, and will be the same link each week of the class. Please note that due to technological limitations, it may not be feasible to participate in the conversation if you're watching on Zoom. 

Please register here for the whole series.