PUTNEY — Even though winter never truly arrived in Putney, residents can still travel to vast expanses of ice and snow by reading about Ernest Shackleton's voyage to the South Pole in this year's Vermont Reads book selections.
In 1914, Shackleton launched the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition mission in an attempt to cross Antarctica from sea to sea, via the newly marked South Pole. One of the ships, Endurance, became lodged in the ice and was crushed creating the need for an elaborate rescue.
2016 is the 100th anniversary of the climactic and dramatic conclusion of the expedition (1914–1916) and, in observance, the Vermont Humanties Council has named this year's all-state reads as Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World, targeted towards younger readers, and Caroline Alexander's The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.
Vermont Reads brings communities together around stories, ideas, and activities that are important to the life of towns of all sizes. In this spirit, Putney Public Library is circulating copies of both books to encourage as many people in the Putney community to read on the same topic.
Putney Public Library has partnered with Putney Central School, Landmark College, The Putney School, and The Grammar School for this year's Vermont Reads project.
The library will host a book discussion for both books on Monday, March 28, at 7 p.m. Putney School teachers Kristen Dawley and Jenny Smith will facilitate the discussion. Readers of all ages are welcome. Snacks will be served.
It will also host a screening of the 2013 documentary Chasing Shackleton, in which explorer Tim Jarvis and a crew use a replica boat and the same equipment and clothing that would have been used in 1916 to re-create the rescue mission portion of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The library will screen a two-hour portion of the mini-series on Thursday, March 31, at 7 p.m.