“My Abandonment” by Peter Rock is this year’s selection for MacReads, a community-wide book reading and discussion that culminates in a presentation by the author.
Schools, book clubs and residents throughout Yamhill County are encouraged to participate in the program, which is in its ninth year. The highlight of the MacReads program is a presentation by Rock on Thursday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Jereld R. Nicholson Library at Linfield College. Discussions on the book will be scheduled later this spring and a reception will follow Rock’s appearance.
Based on a true story, “My Abandonment” focuses on a 13-year-old girl and her father who live secretly in Forest Park in Portland, until they are discovered by a hiker overturning their remote reality. The book has received the Alex Award and the Utah Book Award, and has been published in several countries including Turkey.
Rock is a professor teaching creative writing at Reed College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University. He is also the author of “The Bewildered,” “The Ambidextris,” “This is the Place” and “Carnival Wolves.” Rock enjoys writing about characters that are found on the fringe of society and was inspired to write “My Abandonment” after reading a newspaper article about the real people on which he based his characters.
MacReads is designed to create intergenerational conversations with a common book and discussion opportunities. It is sponsored by the Linfield College English Department, Nicholson Library, McMinnville Public Library and Third Street Books. It is open to any person or group interested.
Books will be available at Third Street Books in McMinnville. Dates of the community discussions will be announced later. For more information, contact Susan Barnes Whyte, director of Linfield’s Nicholson Library, 503-883-2517.
