The Rutherford County Library System and the League of Women Voters of Murfreesboro / Rutherford County are partnering to host a community book discussion this Tuesday evening (January 24, 2023) at 7:00 PM via Zoom. Discussions will focus on three books that deal with mental health and education. The Murfreesboro chapter of the American Association of University Women is helping with the event. Amanda, who is with the Rutherford County Library System, explains more...

Readers are invited to discuss their choice of three books related to mental health and education:  

• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. This book, from a New York Times best-selling author, psychotherapist, and national advice columnist, is hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprising as it takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world—where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she). This book is also Read To Succeed’s One Book selection for 2023.  
  
  
• Who Put This Song On? by Morgan Parker. Trapped in sunny, stifling, small-town suburbia, seventeen-year-old Morgan knows why she's in therapy. She can't count the number of times she's been the only non-white person at the sleepover, been teased for her "weird" outfits, and been told she's not "really" black. Also, she's spent most of her summer crying in bed. Loosely based on her own teenage life and diaries, this incredible debut by award-winning poet Morgan Parker will make readers stand up and cheer for a girl brave enough to live life on her own terms—and for themselves.  
  
  
  
• Educated by Tara Westover. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

The online book discussion will begin with a brief welcome, then participants will be organized into Zoom “rooms” for small group discussion on their particular book selections. The discussions will be led by library representatives and League volunteers.

All three books are available to check out at any branch of the Rutherford County Library System or download using the Libby app.

“Our local League programs this year are focused on mental health and education,” said Mary Catherine Sevier, local League co-president. “We look forward to expanding the conversation on these locally relevant topics and invite anyone in our local community, adults and teens, to participate.”

Discussion on ZOOM: A link to the Zoom event will be posted at lwvrutherford.org in January.

Linebaugh Public Library is located at 105 W. Vine St. in Murfreesboro. Smyrna Public Library is located at 400 Enon Springs Rd. West in Smyrna. Eagleville Bicentennial Public Library is located at 317 Hwy 99E in Eagleville. MGL Library is located inside Patterson Park Community Center at 521 Mercury Blvd. in Murfreesboro. The Technology Engagement Center is located at 306 Minerva Drive in Murfreesboro. The Historical Research Center (HRC) is located at 435 Rice Street in Murfreesboro. Explore, Imagine, Engage through RCLS. For more information, call 615-893-4131 or visit rclstn.org.

Established locally in 1957, the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to men and women of all ages. For more information, visit lwvrutherford.org.