Local Author Leads Book Group Discussion
Saturday, May 8, 2021, 3:00 PM
St. John's Book Group will host Vivian Gibson, the author of The Last Children of Mill Creek, at our May 8 meeting. Ms. Gibson's debut work is a wonderful memoir about her childhood in the close-knit African American neighborhood of Mill Creek, just west of downtown St. Louis before it was demolished in 1959 to make room for Highway 64/40.
A description of the book from Belt Publishing:
Vivian Gibson grew up in Mill Creek Valley, a segregated working-class neighborhood of St. Louis that was razed in 1959 to build a highway, an act of racism disguised under urban renewal as “progress.” A moving memoir of family life at a time very different from the present, The Last Children of Mill Creek chronicles the everyday lived experiences of Gibson’s large family—her seven siblings, her crafty, college-educated mother, and her hard-working father—and the friends, shop owners, church ladies, teachers, and others who made Mill Creek into a warm, tight-knit African-American community. In Gibson’s words, “This memoir is about survival, as told from the viewpoint of a watchful young girl -- a collection of decidedly universal stories that chronicle the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.”
The book is available at the library, and Left Bank Books is offering it at a 20% discount during April and May. Signed copies may be requested.
All are invited to the discussion on Saturday, May 8, at 3 p.m. in Dana Stewart's backyard at 2835 Wisconsin, St. Louis, 63118. Please bring a lawn chair; face masks and social distancing will be required. There will be limited light refreshments. In case of inclement weather, the meeting will be held via Zoom. Let's have a good turn-out in support of a local author!
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