October's Featured Book
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Haunted Michigan Graveyards by Bradley P Mikulka
Date: Thursday, October 5, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
At Reynolds Cemetery in Jackson, the ghost of Eunice White, traveling from nearby Woodlawn Cemetery, can be seen visiting her father's grave. A mysterious lady in white roams the center of Lovejoy Cemetery in Durand. An apparition of the pacing man appears at Mount Joy in St. Johns. And only the bravest dare visit the Upper Peninsula's Mission Hill Cemetery, where a Native American spirit might appear to point them in the right direction.
November's Featured Book
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Miguel Cabrera: The Inspirational Story of Baseball Superstar Miguel Cabrera by Bill Redban
Date: Thursday, November 2, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
You're about to discover the incredibly inspirational story of baseball superstar Miguel Cabrera. If you're reading this then you must be a Miguel Cabrera fan, like so many others. As a fan, you must wonder how this man is so talented and want to know more about him. Miguel Cabrera is considered as one of the greatest baseball players in the world and it's been an honor to be able to watch him play throughout his career. This book will reveal to you much about Miguel Cabrera's story and the many accomplishments throughout his career.
December's Featured Book
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Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Hidden Figures tells the story of Black women who work at Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia, starting in the early 1940s. These women play an integral role in the development of American aviation and space technology. They persevere in the face of discrimination against both their race and their gender. The first women are hired to work in an all-Black unit as human “computers,” performing calculations under the direction of engineers. Over the years, as Langley desegregates, the women join engineering teams and serve alongside white men. In the 1960s, they work on the Mercury and Apollo space programs, helping to put a man into orbit and then to put men on the Moon.
October's Featured Book
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The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers by Emily Levesque
Date: Wednesday October 4, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1310 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Humans from the earliest civilizations through today have craned their necks each night, using the stars to orient themselves in the large, strange world around them. Stargazing is a pursuit that continues to fascinate us: from Copernicus to Carl Sagan, astronomers throughout history have spent their lives trying to answer the biggest questions in the universe. Now, award-winning astronomer Emily Levesque shares the stories of modern-day stargazers in this new nonfiction release, the people willing to adventure across high mountaintops and to some of the most remote corners of the planet, all in the name of science. From the lonely quiet of midnight stargazing to tall tales of wild bears loose in the observatory, The Last Stargazers is a love letter to astronomy and an affirmation of the crucial role that humans can and must play in the future of scientific discovery.
November's Featured Book
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They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths by Jean Guard Monroe
Date: November 1, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1310 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
For countless generations, Native American storytellers have watched the night sky and told tales of the stars and the constellations. The stars themselves tell many tales—of children who have danced away from home, of six brothers who rescue a maiden from the fearful Rolling Skull, of the great wounded sky bear, whose blood turns the autumn leaves red, and many more.
December's Featured Book
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Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Date: Wednesday December 6, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1310 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Hidden Figures tells the story of Black women who work at Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia, starting in the early 1940s. These women play an integral role in the development of American aviation and space technology. They persevere in the face of discrimination against both their race and their gender. The first women are hired to work in an all-Black unit as human “computers,” performing calculations under the direction of engineers. Over the years, as Langley desegregates, the women join engineering teams and serve alongside white men. In the 1960s, they work on the Mercury and Apollo space programs, helping to put a man into orbit and then to put men on the Moon.
September's Featured Book
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Maniac: The Bath School Disaster and the Birth of the Modern Mass Killer by Harold Schechter
Date: Thursday, September 7, 2023
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
In 1927, while the majority of the township of Bath, Michigan, was celebrating a new primary school―one of the most modern in the Midwest―Andrew P. Kehoe had other plans. The local farmer and school board treasurer was educated, respected, and an accommodating neighbor and friend. But behind his ordinary demeanor was a narcissistic sadist seething with rage, resentment, and paranoia. On May 18 he detonated a set of rigged explosives with the sole purpose of destroying the school and everyone in it. Thirty-eight children and six adults were murdered that morning, culminating in the deadliest school massacre in US history.
June Books & Stars Featured Book
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The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Richard H. Wilkinson
Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Longway Planetarium
1310 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Worshipped for over three-fifths of recorded history, Egypt’s gods and goddesses are among the most fascinating of human civilization. The lives of pharaohs and commoners alike were dominated by the need to honor, worship, and pacify the huge pantheon of deities, from the benevolent to the malevolent. The richness and complexity of their mythology is reflected in countless tributes throughout Egypt, from lavish tomb paintings and imposing temple reliefs to humble household shrines.
June's Featured Book
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Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit is a work of historical fiction and children’s literature based on the true story of a young woman who pretends to be a man so that she can join the Union army during the US Civil War. Determined not to remain on the sidelines, Emma Edmonds cropped her hair, donned men's clothing, and enlisted in the Union Army. Posing in turn as a slave, peddler, washerwoman, and fop, Emma became a cunning master of disguise, risking discovery and death at every turn behind Confederate lines.
May Books & Stars Featured Book
Maimonides & Science in Sephardi Jewry: Contributions to Modern Science Until 1492 by Daniel Graupe
Date: Thursday, May 18, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Longway Planetarium
1310 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
The book begins with a discussion of the Rambam’s views on the importance of the study of the mathematical. physical and life sciences. The Rambam considers scientific study to be a search of truth, and, as such, it is a prime and an integral goal of Judaism. He considered that scientific truth cannot be separated from truth. Thus, he greatly inspired his Sephardi brethren and eventually, Jews worldwide, to engage in the sciences.Subsequently, the book briefly describes the evolution of Jewish scientific involvement from Biblical times till the rise of Sephardi scholarship.
May's Featured Books
Hidden History of Flint | Lost Flint (*Author Gary Flinn will be on-site for book discussion and to sign both books)
Hidden History of Flint
Lost Flint
both books by Gary Flinn, who will be at book club for discussion and signing
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery
1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Hidden History of Flint
Flint is a city full of legacies overshadowed by tragedy. Read the stories of the innovations and surprising elements of the city's past.
Lost Flint
Flinn uncovers the abandoned places and lost traditions from the Vehicle City's past.
April Books & Stars Featured Book
Inca Mythology; Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures by Matt Clayton
Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Longway Planetarium
1310 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI 484503
Inca Mythology: Captivating Inca Myths of Gods, Goddesses, and Legendary Creatures
invites you to go on a startling journey and discover: Stories of the Gods, Inca political myths, five Andean folktales an Inca play, and tales involving the mythologized deeds of Inca emperors and their interactions with divine beings.
April's Featured Book
Summer of '68 - The Season That Changed Baseball, and America, Forever, by Tim Wendel
Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St., Flint, MI 48503
From the beginning, ’68 was a season rocked by national tragedy and sweeping change. Opening Day was postponed and later played in the shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral. That summer, as the pennant races were heating up, the assassination of Robert Kennedy was later followed by rioting in Chicago. But even as tensions boiled over and violence spilled into the streets, something remarkable was happening in major league ballparks across the country and many began hailing ’68 as “The Year of the Pitcher.”
March Books & Stars Featured Book
Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, Heroes Handbook: From Aphrodite to Zeus by Liv Albert
Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Longway Planetarium, 1310 E. Kearsley St., Flint, MI 48503
In Greek Mythology, you will discover the backstories of the heroes, villains, gods, and goddesses that enjoy popularity in today’s shows and films. With comprehensive entries that outline each character’s name, roles, related symbols, and foundational myths, you can get to know the roots of these personas and better understand the stories they inspire today. With this character-focused, handy reference, you will never be confused about Ancient Greece!
March Featured Book
Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel
Date: Thursday, March 2, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI
At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised. Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account from Robert Edsel and Bret Witter follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.
February's Books & Stars Featured Book
"27 Stars, 27 Gods: The Astrological Mythology of Ancient India"
by Vic DiCara
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Longway Planetarium, 1310 E. Kearsley St., Flint, MI 48503
With the blessings and guidance of a swami , a babaji, and a Sanskrit scholar, Vic DiCara presents you the world's most definitive, simple and completely awesome explanation of the mythology and meaning within the 27 stars of ancient Indian astrology! If you are an astrologer or a fan of astrology, you will be transformed by Vic's radically clear and straightforward explanations of Sanskrit, Vedic mythology, and mastery of intuitive symbolism.
February's Featured Book
Switchboard Soldiers, by Jennifer Chiaverini
Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I--the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.
January's Books & Stars Featured Book
"The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year,"
by Linda Raedisch
Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Location: Longway Planetarium, 1310 E. Kearsley St., Flint, MI 48503
In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen. Along the way, you'll discover how to bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and craft instructions, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen.
January Book Club
Deadly Aim: The Civil War Story of Michigan's Anishinaabe Sharpshooters
Deadly Aim: The Civil War Story of Michigan's Anishinaabe Sharpshooters, by Sally M. Walker
Date: Thursday, January 5, 2023
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI
In Deadly Aim, Sally M. Walker explores the extraordinary lives of Michigan’s Anishinaabe sharpshooters. These brave soldiers served with honor and heroism in the line of duty, despite enduring broken treaties, loss of tribal lands, and racism. Walker celebrates the lives of the soldiers whose stories have been left in the margins of history for too long with extensive research and consultation with the Repatriation Department for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, the Eyaawing Museum and Cultural Center, and the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinaabe Culture and Lifeways.
December Book Club
Midnight In Vehicle City
Midnight In Vehicle City: General Motors, Flint, and the Strike that Created the Middle Class, by Edward McClelland
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2022
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI
Midnight in Vehicle City tells the gripping story of how workers defeated General Motors, the largest industrial corporation in the world. Their victory ushered in the golden age of the American middle class and created a new kind of America, one in which every worker had a right to a share of the company's wealth.
November Book Club
The Women of the Copper Country
The Women of the Copper Country, by Doria Russell
Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI
This novel based on the real life of labor activist Annie Clements traces the consequences of the 25-year-old's decision in 1913 to stand up for herself and the entire copper-mining town of Calumet, Michigan, where men risked their lives for meager salaries underground and the women worked for a similar pittance in the houses of the elite.
October Book Club
Chevy in the Hole
Chevy in the Hole, by Kelsey Ronan
Date: Thursday, October 6, 2022
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Sloan Museum of Discovery, 1221 E. Kearsley St. | Flint, MI
An unlikely romance develops in the shadows of post-industrial Flint, Michigan. After a near-fatal drug overdose in 2014, August Molloy moves from Detroit back to his hometown of Flint. There, he picks up work at a nonprofit community garden, where he meets Monae Livingston.