Friends of the Alva Public Library will host Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma’s program, “Hope Amidst Hardship,” at five events from Oct. 1 through Dec. 3. The event is made possible by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities with generous funding from the Inasmuch Foundation and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.

Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma is a program that brings readers and humanities scholars together to discuss works of literature about a specific theme. “Hope Amidst Hardship” will include contemporary popular novels that are inspiring and uplifting.

Dr. Jennifer Page will introduce Jeannette Walls’ “The Glass Castle” on Oct. 1, Professor Dawn Allen will discuss R. J. Palacio’s “Wonder” on Oct. 15, Dr. Aaron Mason will introduce Billie Letts’ “Where the Heart Is” on Oct. 29, Sue Monk Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees” will be the topic of Joanne Prewett’s presentation on Nov. 19, and Dr. Roxie James will lead a discussion on Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie” on Dec. 3. All events will be held at Alva Public Library (504 Seventh St.) on Monday evenings at 7 p.m.

All of the books in the series have been New York Times bestsellers and are individually powerful, but, read together, give readers the sense that through our shared hardships we find the commonality of hope and perseverance. Recognizing ourselves in others, even as we read of hardship, is a major reason we find reading enjoyable. Hardship comes in many varieties and the books we’ll be reading offer varied examples but present a unifying theme: there is hope along the way

For additional information on the event, contact Dr. Jennifer Page at 580-327-8473 or [email protected].