Dr. Johnson will discuss the 19th century historical context of the 2020 book selection, In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. His talk, “Swimming Through the Gray” will explore issues surrounding our nation’s historical stories and events. He’ll discuss those who’ve traditionally told history, those who are currently telling history, and those whose histories have been left out or silenced. This will be Dr. Johnson’s third kickoff address for our program. Our Lakeshore readers have loved learning from him over the years!

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Johnson participate in our program in this way. We want to use our Big Read book as a catalyst for exploring these important and timely issues. Through our November events and book discussions, we hope to bring more awareness to these issues and want to encourage our readers to think about and respond to them from a racial equity lens.” Dr. Deborah Van Duinen, Director of the NEA Big Read Lakeshore, said.