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Much has been written and said about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the profound impact they had on America and the world. But those names, stories, and memories have never before been collected in one place to tell the full, 360-degree story of what happened that day, and in the days after. In The Only Plane in the Sky, award-winning journalist Garrett Graff draws on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, and original interviews and stories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members to paint the most comprehensive, minute-by-minute account of the September 11 attacks yet, all told in the words of those who experienced that dramatic and tragic day.
In his most recent work, When the Sea Came Alive, Graff explores the full impact of a world changing event: D-Day, one of history’s greatest and most unbelievable military and human triumphs. Though the full campaign lasted just over a month, the surprise landing of over 150,000 Allied troops on the morning of June 6, 1944, is understood to be the moment that turned the tide for the Allied forces and ultimately led to the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II. This book dives deep into the complexities—from the secret creation of landing plans by top government and military officials and organization of troops, to the moment the boat doors opened to reveal the beach where men fought for their lives and the future of the free world.
Graff’s work, filled with impressive detail, captures a human drama and history like no other.
About the Author: Garrett M. Graff has spent nearly two decades covering politics, technology, and national security. The former editor of Politico and contributor to Wired and CNN, he’s written for publications from Esquire to Rolling Stone to The New York Times, and today serves as the director of the cyber initiative at the Aspen Institute. Graff is the author of multiple books, including the FBI history The Threat Matrix, Raven Rock (about the government’s Cold War Doomsday plans), When the Sea Came Alive (an oral history of D-Day), and the New York Times bestsellers The Only Plane in the Sky and Watergate, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.
Click HERE to view the author event after September 10.
Click HERE to view the book in our catalog.
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With the avalanche of information we get every day, closing down our minds and hearts seems to be the only way to survive. We close off to ourselves by compulsively checking our devices. We close to each other by getting caught in echo chambers of outrage. But what if there’s another way? In this climate of distraction and division, Nate Klemp’s Open offers a path back to a way of living that is expansive, creative, and filled with wonder.
Drawing on personal stories, scientific findings, and traditional wisdom, Klemp explores why we close down when faced with stressors or threats―then reveals why training ourselves to fully engage even with discomfort, pain, and sadness leads to greater well-being in the long run.
About the Author: Nate Klemp, PhD, is a philosopher, writer, and mindfulness entrepreneur. He is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Start Here, the New York Times critics’ pick The 80/80 Marriage, and his newest book, Open: Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World. His work has been featured in the LA Times, Psychology Today, the Times of London, and more, and his appearances include Good Morning America and Talks at Google. He’s a cofounder of LifeXT and founding partner at Mindful.
Click HERE to view the author event after September 18.
Reigster HERE.
In Here One Moment, aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed. Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.
How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.” Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.
A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.
A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.
About the Author: Liane Moriarty is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Truly Madly Guilty, Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret, The Hypnotist’s Love Story, What Alice Forgot, Apples Never Fall, and Here One Moment. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband and two children.
Click HERE to view the author event after September 21.
Click HERE to view the book in our catalog.
Program for families with kids of all ages.
Join the Essex Library Children’s Librarian for a fun story time at Essex Island! Bring a blanket to sit on, and a snack to enjoy, while we read books, dance around, and sing songs! Story time will take place on the lawn on Essex Island (behind Siren). In the event of rain, story time will not be held.
Essex Library programs are free and open to the public.
Registration is not required.
Program for kids ages 5 and up.
In Eco-Crafters we will create crafts by upcycling things we may normally throw away or create crafts that help the environment.
Bees are vital to our ecosystem and play a crucial role in pollinating many of the plants and crops that we rely on for food. Kids will create a bee hotel craft to help provide a safe and comfortable home for these important pollinators in their own backyards!
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Meet up with other beginner to intermediate French speakers to practice conversation in a friendly environment.
This story time will take place every Tuesday morning. Join us!
No registration required.
Due to space, Please choose 1 session to attend.
This story time will take place every Tuesday morning. Join us!
No registration required.
Due to space, Please choose 1 session to attend.
Program designed for kids in grades 5-8.
Come to the Essex Library for an interactive virtual author talk with graphic novel author and artist Dan Santat, shown on our large projector screen. After the author talk, stick around to enjoy a snack while you draw and create your own first few pages of a graphic novel. Talk presented by the Library Speakers Consortium.
About the talk:
Join this year’s winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Dan Santat, as he inspires tweens and teens to tell their own stories through graphic novels. His winning book, A First Time for Everything, is a graphic memoir based on his own awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life.
Dan Santat began drawing as a young boy and although he first studied microbiology, he pursued his passion in illustration. He spent many hours as a child and teenager teaching himself to draw by copying illustrations from comic books until he developed the unique, recognizable style that we see today. His talk will inspire listeners to draw their own story as well as give them practical tips on the creation of graphic novels.
About the Author:
Dan Santat is a Caldecott Medal winner, a National Book Award winner, and a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels. Santat created the animated television show, "The Replacements," as well. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two children.
Can’t make it to the library? Register to watch Dan's talk at home by visiting: https://libraryc.org/essexlib/51337
Join us for our all-new monthly book club, celebrating Connecticut’s own kid’s book award, for kids in grades 4-6! Books are available for pickup starting July 2 with a special Nutmeg Book Club Kit that includes activities, stickers, bookmarks, and other goodies related to the book!
Nutmeg nominees are chosen by a committee of school media specialists, public librarians, and reading teachers, as well as a small selection of student representatives in the appropriate age range for that reading material. Each spring, students are allowed to cast their votes for the nominee they think should win the Nutmeg Award.
Criteria include age of the book, and require that the books be well-written, with strong characterization, vivid setting, striking language, a well-constructed plot, and plausible conclusion. Nutmeg nominees may cover sensitive topics. For more information about how nutmeg books are selected, please see https://www.nutmegaward.org/about/faqs .
This month we are reading Cookies and Milk by Shawn Amos. Read the book on your own and then join us at the library for a fun discussion and related activity. Our discussion is on July 30th from 4-5 PM.
About the Book: Ellis Bailey Johnson has the summertime blues. Instead of hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing his harmonica, Ellis has to help bring his dad’s latest farfetched, sure-to-fail idea to life: open the world’s first chocolate chip cookie store. They have six weeks to perfect their recipe, get a run-down A-frame storefront on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard into tip-top shape, and bring in customers. But nothing goes according to plan, especially when family secrets start to surface. Can Ellis bake up a happy ending?
Partially based on Shawn Amos’s own experiences growing up the son of Wally “Famous” Amos, and packed with humor, heart, and fun illustrations, this debut novel sings with the joy of self-discovery, unconditional love, and community
Stay & Play is a pop-in social time for children and their caregivers. Come for a few minutes, or stay for a couple hours! This is your time to socialize, and make memories with your child.
Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required. Pop in!
Program for families with kids of all ages. See movie titles and descriptions for ratings.
Celebrate the Summer Reading theme of “Read, Renew, Repeat” with family-friendly movies surrounding the themes of being kind to animals, ecosystems, and helping the environment! See the library website for movie schedule and descriptions.
Essex Library programs are free and open to the public.
No registration is required, popcorn will be provided.
July 31: My Neighbor Totoro [G]
This acclaimed animated tale by director Hayao Miyazaki follows schoolgirl Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, as they settle into an old country house with their father and wait for their mother to recover from an illness in an area hospital. As the sisters explore their new home, they encounter and befriend playful spirits in their house and the nearby forest, most notably the massive cuddly creature known as Totoro.
Program open to children of all ages and their caregivers.
Bring a blanket to sit on, and a snack to enjoy, while we read books, dance around, and sing songs at the park!
Essex Library programs are free and open to the public.No registration is required. In the event of rain, story time will be held at the Essex Library.
Note: No Story Time on July 4
Program for families with kids of all ages.
Join the Essex Library Children’s Librarian for a fun story time at Essex Island! Bring a blanket to sit on, and a snack to enjoy, while we read books, dance around, and sing songs! Story time will take place on the lawn on Essex Island (behind Siren). In the event of rain, story time will not be held.
Essex Library programs are free and open to the public.
Registration is not required.
Program for kids ages 5-12.
This summer, become “Earth Agents” in support of the 2024 Summer Reading theme, “Read, Renew, Repeat.” Kids will explore physical and biological sciences while developing problem solving skills and learning about conservation efforts.
August 3: Pizza Box Solar Oven
Kids will learn about solar energy while making their very own solar powered oven to heat up a delicious snack!
Essex Library programs are free and open to the public.
Supplies are limited, registration is required.
Stay cool in our air-conditioned program room while watching Cool Runnings! When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled team with a goal to compete in the 1988 Olympics. However, when they reach Calgary, they're treated as outsiders by the other teams, who fear they'll only succeed in embarrassing the sport. Inspired by a true story, Cool Runnings stars John Candy, Leon and Doug E. Doug. No registration required, drop in! This event is FREE and open to the public at Essex Library, 33 west avenue, Essex, CT.
Meet up with other beginner to intermediate French speakers to practice conversation in a friendly environment.
This story time will take place every Tuesday morning. Join us!
No registration required.
Due to space, Please choose 1 session to attend.