Civil War Book Club Starts This Week

Laura Rundell is leading a new Civil War book club at the Edgewood Library in the hopes of making history more accessible to everyone in the neighborhood.

“If they don’t know much about the Civil War, they can learn a little bit more in a friendly environment,” Rundell said. “If they have the knowledge, it is a great opportunity to discuss it with people of many backgrounds and points of view.”

will have its first meeting and discussion at the C.C. Mellor Library in Edgewood Thursday night. The first book is Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, as it provides a broader overview of the Civil War era, Rundell said.

As someone who has a master’s degree in history from Northeastern University in Boston, Rundell of Edgewood said the club is a great opportunity to discuss the merit of historical fiction, while at the same time, using the genre as a way to engage people in their own country’s story.

“Unfortunately, I think scholarly history is a little daunting for people to read, so I really want anyone interested in history to be engaged in this group,” she said. “I want people from all walks of life – all you need is an interest in reading in the topic to come in and join us.”

The dates for the Fact and Fiction discussions are Feb. 17, March 17, April 21 and May 19 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The books are chosen by the Pennsylvania Council on Humanities, which is coordinating the discussions across the state.

Rundell said she is looking forward to discussing the correlations in leadership style between President Abraham Lincoln and President Barack Obama in the current society.

She said many of the issues in the historical fiction books for the group can be discussed on the current stage as the country approaches the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War.

“We think we have moved on as a country, but a lot of this is still bubbling beneath the surface,” Rundell said. “There have been some issues in the south in terms of commemoration of secession in the Civil War and that brings a lot of tension with the African-American community.”

Rundell was interested in leading this discussion because of her background in studying history. She also led the One Book One Community discussions at C.C. Mellor in Edgewood.

Sally Bogie, library director, is looking forward to the new group.

“This is a new type of book club for us and I think it will be fun and have a wide appeal to people since it’s the Civil War,” Bogie said. “There is a lot of interest in it and room for lots of discussion.”

She hopes the Fact and Fiction discussion group will grow into an ongoing book group related to other historical pieces of literature.

“I think it’s really important for people to have a good sense of the history of their own country, so I am hoping if this group continues, we can go on that voyage of discovery together -- not just in the Civil War literature,” Rundell said.

For more information of the Fact and Fiction book club and for copies of the books, call 412-731-0909.