"One Book, One Middletown" Events This Week

One Book, One Middletown's celebration of "Water for Elephants" kicks into high gear this week. Tuesday, The Book Bower (inside Main Street Market) will hold 2 discussions titled "The Great Depression: Lessons for Today", the first at 12:30 p.m., the second at 5:30.

Wednesday, there will be a "Book Discussion" at 12:30 p.m. at Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road. At 7 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of The Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Rich Hanley will show the documentary "The Circus Fire." Hanley, a Professor of Journalism at Quinnipiac University, wrote, directed and produced the work for CPTV; a brief description follows.
"On July 6, 1944, the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus big top caught fire during an afternoon performance in Hartford. After less than 10 minutes of unimaginable horror, 168 spectators, mostly women and children, were either dead or dying. Hundreds were injured.Even decades later, many survivors and relatives of the dead remain haunted by what happened and why."

Thursday, there's a seminar at 12noon in Chapman Hall at MxCC titled "The Extraordinary Life of P.T.Barnum." The slide presentation is a production of the Barnum Museum, located in Bridgeport, the home of the great entrepreneur. Then at 7 p.m., it's back to the Hubbard Room of The Russell Library where Quinnipiac Professor Hedda Kopf will lead an in-depth Book Discussion.

Friday, students from Middletown High School will facilitate a Book Discussion at 6 p.m. in Javapalooza, 330 Main Street.

All these events are free and open to the public.