Minnesota, A Literary Powerhouse Book Club

Calling all bookworms and Minnesota enthusiasts! Welcome to our Minnesota: A literary Powerhouse Book Club – where the pages come alive with the vibrant tales and rich narratives crafted by local literary talents. Join us for a journey through the heartland of literature as we explore the works of Minnesota's finest wordsmiths. From the snowy landscapes of Louise Erdrich to the urban charm of F. Scott Fitzgerald, each month we delve into a new masterpiece, celebrating the diverse voices and captivating stories that define our state. Best of all, it's completely free to join – just bring your love of reading and a passion for all things Minnesota. During the book club meeting we will be reviewing the book so make sure you've read some or all of the book. Registration is not required, just swing by!
This week we will be discussing the book "Ghosts of Fourth Street", by Laurie Hertzel.
Every family has its stories and secrets. Laurie Hertzel’s family had more than its share. At an early age, Laurie, the seventh of the ten Hertzel children, took on the challenge of sorting them out. Not old enough to be one of the Big Kids, yet too old to be with the Three Little Kids, she spent most of her time alone, reading, wandering, and observing her family as they moved around her in their house in Duluth. Though her parents were not warm, there were moments of closeness in those years—gifts of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books and special trips to the dairy for a sundae—but everything shattered after the sudden death of Laurie’s oldest sibling, eighteen-year-old Bobby, when she was just nine years old.
Moving back and forth in time, Laurie reflects on Bobby’s death and what happens to a family’s story when no one can talk about a tragedy and its toll. In Ghosts of Fourth Street, readers witness how the apparition of memories, the shadow of needs unmet, and the spirit of a family once whole all linger long after the death of a child and brother. As Laurie shares her experiences, we see the emergence of her fascination with story and truth as she teaches herself to read and finds solace and inspiration in books amid the tensions and competing agendas within her big, complicated family.
With keen attention, candor, and grace, Laurie paints a vivid portrait of 1960s Duluth as she poignantly examines a family contending with grief and the fact that life steadily goes on—snow and school buses, Christmases and Thanksgivings, ice skating and tobogganing and climbing trees, with ghosts always lingering at the edges.