This fall, the Peterborough Public Library is holding events and workshops related to its first “One Book, One Ptbo” event, which builds community through the shared experience of reading the same book.
That book is the 2018 critically acclaimed bestseller Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound. Chosen as the first community read earlier this year, copies of Rice’s book have been available since May at the Peterborough Public Library for members of the community to borrow.
Throughout the fall, the library will be hosting events and workshops to get readers engaged with the story, leading up to the grand finale on Wednesday, November 15th when the author himself will visit Peterborough for a public reading and interview. That means there’s still plenty of time to borrow the book from the library and finish reading it before Rice makes his visit.
“One Book, One Community” events have been held at libraries across North America. For “One Book, One Ptbo,” the event began with a community-wide online vote to select a book from among a short list of three Canadian titles curated by librarians at the Peterborough Public Library. Along with Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow, the other two finalists were The Theory of Crows by David A. Robertson and Holden After and Before: Love Letter for a Son Lost to Overdose by Tara McGuire.
Moon of the Crusted Snow is a post-apocalyptic thriller where a small Anishinaabe community goes dark, leaving people confused and panicked, just as winter is looming. When an unexpected visitor arrives and begins to manipulate the tired, hungry, and desperate residents, the community leadership loses its grip on power. A group of young friends turn to the land and Annishinaabe tradition to help their community heal and begin to thrive once again.
“We put it on the short list because it deals with issues that are relevant to Indigenous communities,” explains Karen Bisschop, Community Development Librarian with the Peterborough Public Library. “We’re talking so much in Canada about Truth and Reconciliation, we thought this was a good fit in terms of getting people to think and talk about some of those issues.”
At just over a couple of hundred pages and with Rice’s masterful plotting, journalistic eye for detail, and ear for dialogue, the novel is a very accessible read and appropriate for both adult and teenager readers.
“We thought a lot of people could read it, even if they’re not readers to begin with,” Bisschop notes.
The Peterborough Public Library is currently stocked with over 70 copies of Rice’s novel in a range of formats including traditional paperbacks, e-books, audio books, and CD books, with French language versions also available.
According to Bisschop, roughly two-thirds of the available copies are checked out at a given time, meaning that while many people are engaging with the story and participating in One Book, One Ptbo, there are still plenty of copies left for those wanting to read the book before the fall events begin.
The Peterborough Public Library also has a couple of “Book Club in a Bag” kits prepared to help readers form their own book clubs to discuss Rice’s novel. Each kit comes with 10 copies of the book, a list of discussion questions, and other resources including interviews and articles. Like the One Book, One Ptbo event itself, the kits are assembled to encourage community members to engage in their own conversations about their reading outside of the library.
“We had this idea that people would just start chatting about the same book and have discussions about it, even if it’s not at the library,” Bisschop says. “Maybe it’s with their friends, members of their book club, or just people who ride the bus with them. Wherever they are, they’re having discussions about the book.”
To support the shared community reading experience, the Peterborough Public Library is hosting several events throughout the fall that are related to Rice’s novel.
The first workshop, held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 9th, is “Kairos Blanket Exercise.” This interactive, experiential activity will be led by Moon Tide Reconciliation, comprised of Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and educators.
Participants will step into the role of Inuit, First Nations, and Métis peoples with a blanket representing their land. Guided by the facilitators, participants respond to the cues of their scrolls, covering pre-contact, treaty-making, colonization, resistance, and more between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. The afternoon will end with a de-brief to discuss the activity.
“This is an activity that’s really encouraged by lots of groups for Truth and Reconciliation,” explains Biscchop. “It’s a way for people to get to know the effect the residential school system has had on Indigenous peoples, and just how many of them are living in Peterborough or surrounding communities and have experienced this generational trauma.”
While Bisschop says it’s important to create a safe space for conversation about the more serious issues present within the novel, the librarians also wanted to add in a few light-hearted, fun events that still provide education.
This includes the “Anishinaabemowin Language for Beginners” workshop taking place at the library at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13th. Led by Anne Taylor of Curve Lake, the workshop gives participants the opportunity to learn some Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway), the Indigenous language of which several words and phrases are used throughout Rice’s novel.
“We live in a community that’s surrounded by people who are learning and speaking Anishinaabemowin and it would be great for all of us to at least learn a few phrases and words,” explains Bisschop.
While the Anishinaabemowin workshop is already full, library members can use their library card number to access language learning online through the Transparent Language platform. The platform provides unlimited access to more than 100 languages, including Ojibway.
Next, the Peterborough Public Library will host a book club for both adults on Tuesday, September 26th and for teens on Tuesday, November 14th, with discussions led by the librarians. If you can’t make it to one of the book club dates, Bisschop points out the librarians will be happy to help you facilitate your own book club.
“It’s a way for us as librarians to get out in the community and work with other people in their book clubs and to promote the idea of creating them where they can” she says.
After the pandemic and recent events like this summer’s wildfires, the natural disasters within Rice’s novel might hit a little too close to home for some readers. That’s why the library is hosting “Lunch and Learn: Emergency Preparedness” at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, September 28th. City of Peterborough experts Jodi De Noble and Stephanie Sisson will explain how you can be prepared for the next natural weather event or household emergency.
“That whole idea that this major world catastrophe could indeed happen — and was happening as many people read the book during the pandemic — really engaged a lot of people,” notes Bisschop, adding that she believed its relatable storyline was a major reason the novel was chosen by the community.
“I think a lot of people have the idea now that this isn’t just fiction — it’s something that could happen.”
Last but certainly not least, is the One Book, One Ptbo grand finale at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15th when Waubgeshig Rice himself will be at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough to read an excerpt from Moon of the Crusted Snow as well from the book’s new sequel Moon of the Turning Leaves, which will be released on October 10 prior to his reading.
The evening will also include a live interview with Rice by local journalist and “big reader and library fan” Joelle Kovach. Registration for Rice’s visit opens on Monday, October 2nd.
Throughout the One Book, One Ptbo event, the Peterborough Public Library will also be hosting reading challenges through Beanstack. Used by more than 10,000 public libraries and schools around the world, the online platform makes habitual reading fun by awarding badges for completing challenges and reading goals.
Bisschop hopes the Beanstack challenges, along with the library events related to Moon of the Crusted Snow, will encourage residents of Peterborough and surrounding communities to make a habit out of reading and will come together to discuss the major themes and messages present throughout the text.
“There’s a lot going on in our community and this is a really great way to get folks talking about a topic through fiction and through literature.”
For more information on One Book, One Ptbo and to register for the upcoming events, visit the Peterborough Public Library website at www.ptbolibrary.ca. You can also follow the library on Facebook, Twitter (now called X), and Instagram.
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