Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (May)

Schedule

Tue May 05 2026 at 12:00 pm to 01:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Mechanics' Hall | Portland, ME

Advertisement
A monthly gathering in our library to discuss books and big ideas. This May, we're reading "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett
About this Event

The Mechanics’ Hall Book Discussion group meets to chat about books by exceptional thinkers and artists.

Everyone is welcome, and ongoing attendance is not required. The group is free for Mechanics' Hall Members.

Curious about the group but not a Mechanics' Hall member? You're invited to stop by! If you like what you hear, consider becoming a member.


MAY BOOK SELECTION

Bennett, Brit, The Vanishing Half (2022)

Inseparable identical twin sisters ditch home together, and then one decides to vanish.

The talented Bennett fuels her fiction with secrets—first in her lauded debut, The Mothers (2016), and now in the assured and magnetic story of the Vignes sisters, light-skinned women parked on opposite sides of the color line. Desiree, the “fidgety twin,” and Stella, “a smart, careful girl,” make their break from stultifying rural Mallard, Louisiana, becoming 16-year-old runaways in 1954 New Orleans. The novel opens 14 years later as Desiree, fleeing a violent marriage in D.C., returns home with a different relative: her 8-year-old daughter, Jude. The gossips are agog: “In Mallard, nobody married dark....Marrying a dark man and dragging his blueblack child all over town was one step too far.” Desiree's decision seals Jude’s misery in this “colorstruck” place and propels a new generation of flight: Jude escapes on a track scholarship to UCLA. Tending bar as a side job in Beverly Hills, she catches a glimpse of her mother’s doppelgänger. Stella, ensconced in White society, is shedding her fur coat. Jude, so Black that strangers routinely stare, is unrecognizable to her aunt. All this is expertly paced, unfurling before the book is half finished; a reader can guess what is coming. Bennett is deeply engaged in the unknowability of other people and the scourge of colorism. The scene in which Stella adopts her White persona is a tour de force of doubling and confusion. It calls up Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, the book's 50-year-old antecedent. Bennett's novel plays with its characters' nagging feelings of being incomplete—for the twins without each other; for Jude’s boyfriend, Reese, who is trans and seeks surgery; for their friend Barry, who performs in drag as Bianca. Bennett keeps all these plot threads thrumming and her social commentary crisp. In the second half, Jude spars with her cousin Kennedy, Stella's daughter, a spoiled actress.

Kin “[find] each other’s lives inscrutable” in this rich, sharp story about the way identity is formed.

[Kirkus Reviews]


FULL LIST OF SELECTIONS

October 9: by Deborah Archer (2025)

November 4: by Elaine Feeney(2023)

December 2: by Cynthia Reeves (2024)

January 6: by Amy Bass (2018)

February 3: by Percival Everett(2024)

March 3: by Charlie English (2025)

May 5: by Brit Bennett (2022)


PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

Mechanics’ Hall is located at 519 Congress Street. Our main entrance is between Loquat Shop and the Art Mart. The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.


ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator and a ramp available upon request.

If you have a wheelchair or need accessibility accommodations/questions please contact us at [email protected] or 207-773-8396.

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Mechanics' Hall, 519 Congress Street, Portland, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

Mechanics' Hall (Maine)

Host or Publisher Mechanics' Hall (Maine)

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Portland

Sun, 10 May at 04:00 pm The Mighty Kotzschmar - Anna Lapwood at Merrill Auditorium

Merrill Auditorium

CONTESTS TRIPS-ADVENTURES
The Music Man
Tue, 12 May at 07:00 pm The Music Man

Merrill Auditorium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
The Music Man at Merrill Auditorium
Wed, 13 May The Music Man at Merrill Auditorium

Merrill Auditorium

\u201cDig Up! A Dinosaur Expedition\u201d - STEMmersive
Sat, 16 May at 11:00 am “Dig Up! A Dinosaur Expedition” - STEMmersive

Riverton Community Center

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ART
Silent Book Club - Portland
Mon, 10 Mar at 05:00 pm Silent Book Club - Portland

Blind Tiger Portland – Danforth Street

Maine Irish Reads \u201cA Thread of Violence\u201d by Mark O\u2019Connell
Thu, 09 Oct at 07:30 pm Maine Irish Reads “A Thread of Violence” by Mark O’Connell

34 Gray St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102

ART LITERARY-ART
WORKSHOP: Making Miniature Books Workshop with Peter and Donna Thomas
Sat, 11 Oct at 09:00 am WORKSHOP: Making Miniature Books Workshop with Peter and Donna Thomas

111 Bedford St, Portland, ME 04102-2896, United States

WORKSHOPS ART
Back to the Book Fair!
Sun, 19 Oct at 02:00 pm Back to the Book Fair!

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Book Talk: \u201cMy Holocaust Legacy: A Blessing Not a Burden\u201d
Sun, 19 Oct at 02:00 pm Book Talk: “My Holocaust Legacy: A Blessing Not a Burden”

Maine Jewish Museum

ART LITERARY-ART
From Ethiopia to Mexico: Beejhy Barhany & Margaret Boyle
Thu, 30 Oct at 06:00 pm From Ethiopia to Mexico: Beejhy Barhany & Margaret Boyle

1342 Congress Street, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102

ART LITERARY-ART
Colin Woodard's 'Nations Apart' w\/ Alison Beyea
Mon, 03 Nov at 07:00 pm Colin Woodard's 'Nations Apart' w/ Alison Beyea

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
HANNAH BERNER - NONE OF MY BUSINESS TOUR
Wed, 05 Nov at 07:00 pm HANNAH BERNER - NONE OF MY BUSINESS TOUR

State Theatre, Portland, Maine

COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT
Kate Baer's HOW ABOUT NOW w\/ Chelsea Conaboy
Fri, 07 Nov at 06:00 pm Kate Baer's HOW ABOUT NOW w/ Chelsea Conaboy

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Maine Public's Daniel Tiger's Grr-iffic Literacy Tour with Julie Falatko
Wed, 12 Nov at 03:30 pm Maine Public's Daniel Tiger's Grr-iffic Literacy Tour with Julie Falatko

Portland Public Library

ART LITERARY-ART
Maine Irish Reads \u201cThe Sea\u201d by John Banville
Thu, 13 Nov at 04:00 pm Maine Irish Reads “The Sea” by John Banville

34 Gray St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102

HEALTH-WELLNESS ART
Kids Con NE Maine 2025
Sat, 15 Nov at 10:00 am Kids Con NE Maine 2025

DoubleTree by Hilton Portland Maine

KIDS ART
Quiet Nights: A Book Club at Mechanics' Hall
Mon, 17 Nov at 05:00 pm Quiet Nights: A Book Club at Mechanics' Hall

Mechanics' Hall

ART FINE-ARTS
An Evening with James Geary: "The World in a Phrase"
Tue, 18 Nov at 07:00 pm An Evening with James Geary: "The World in a Phrase"

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Elements of Timeless Style Book Signing - Portland, ME
Thu, 20 Nov at 05:00 pm Elements of Timeless Style Book Signing - Portland, ME

Portland Art Gallery

ART
Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (December)
Tue, 02 Dec at 12:00 pm Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (December)

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in Portland?

Discover Portland Events