There will be a series of virtual events planned around the themes in The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. While we know that our One Book One Community event will not be identical to previous years, we are still committed to bringing education and entertainment to our community. The program will run from March 15th to April 2nd this year. Please check out our virtual event listing below and we hope you enjoy The Vanishing Half as much as we did.
March 4th
Bedford A.M. Book Club at 10:30am
The book club will be meeting via Zoom each month. They will be reading The Vanishing Half for the March meeting. Please contact Jennifer Saul at the Bedford Library at 734-847-6747 or jennifer.saul@monroe.lib.mi.us for more information.
March 11th
Ida Branch Book Club at 6:30pm
Online book club meeting the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. They will be reading The Vanishing Half for the March meeting. Please contact the Ida Book Club leader Suzanne Krueger at 734-269-2191 for instructions at least one day before this event.
March 15th
Movie Mondays: Zoom Discussion of The Hate U Give at 7pm
Starr (Amandla Stenberg) witnesses the shooting of a close friend by a police officer, and then is torn between her two worlds. One of her black community, and other of her predominately white school. Make sure to watch the film before the discussion. The film is currently available on Hulu Premium, for rent on Amazon, and for check out the Monroe County Library System. Please register to attend through the Monroe County Library System at mymcls.com. The Zoom link for the event will be sent to your email address before the event.
March 15th – April 2nd
History Hunters Self-Guided Outdoor Tour
Looking for a fun adventure? Would you like to learn more about people of color who made significant impacts in Monroe’s history? Join the fun with this walking tour any time between March 15th and April 3rd. Once you’ve completed the tour please take a selfie at the final location and send it to onebookmonroe@gmail.com to be entered to win a prize!
History Hunters Self-Guided Outdoor Tour Information Web page
History Hunters Self-Guided Outdoor Tour Flyer
March 16th
Skin Tone Color Mixing at 6pm
Did you know that all colors are made from the pri-mary colors red, yellow, and blue? It’s true! Even our skin tones can be made from primary colors!! This event, led by instructor Jamie Copley Sansom, will teach you how to use the primary colors to create a variety of skin tones and teach you how similar all of our skin tones are! Art supplies required for the pro-gram will be provided. Please register to attend through the Monroe County Library System at mymcls.com. The Zoom link for the event will be sent to your email address before the event. You will also be notified via email when your art supplies are ready to pick up from the Bedford Branch Library.
March 16th
Dorsch Afternoon Book Club at 12pm
The meeting will be held on Zoom and is open to new participants. They will be reading The Vanishing Half for the March meeting. Contact Aimee at 734-241-7878 or aimee.luck@monroe.lib.mi.us to request a book, to ask any questions, or to request the zoom meeting link and password.
March 18th
Detroit Institute of Arts Virtual Tour at 10 am
Join us on a virtual docent led tour. Kathleen McBroom will lead us through the DIA and focus on art pieces that reflect themes of identity, racism, and the African Ameri-can experience. The virtual tour will be posted on our Facebook page and our website. It will stay on our website permanently.
March 22nd
Movie Mondays: Zoom Discussion of A Family Thing at 7pm
Earl Pilcher (Robert DuVall) learns a shocking bit of family history after his mother’s death. She leaves him a letter telling him he is not her biological child and his real moth-er is African-American. He then begins a journey to find out where he came from and to meet the brother he’s never known (James Earl Jones). Make sure to watch the film before the discussion. This film is currently available to watch on HBO Max and Hulu Premium. Please register to attend through the Monroe County Library System at mymcls.com. The Zoom link for the event will be sent to your email address before the event.
March 23rd
Book Break: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett at 10:30am-11:30am
This event is TEAMS meeting. Please email Rachel Eagle at raeagle@monroeccc.edu to RSVP and receive the TEAMS meeting information.
March 24th
Story time with Miss Karen: I Am Every Good Thing at 11am
Miss Karen will be reading I Am Every Good Thing, an amazing picture book by Derrick Barnes about self-confidence. The story time will post on our One Book, One Community Facebook page and be available for viewing for 24 hours.
March 29th
Movie Mondays: Zoom Discussion of Just Mercy at 7 pm
This legal drama is based on a real event. Attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) moves south and cofounds the Equal Justice Initiative. One of his first clients is Johnny D (Jamie Foxx). Johnny D is in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. However, proving that ends up being harder Stevenson expected. Make sure to watch the film before the discussion. This film is currently available to watch on HBO Max and Hulu. Please register to attend through the Monroe County Library System at mymcls.com. The Zoom link for the event will be sent to your email address before the event.
March 31st
Gender and Identity in the Vanishing Half: A Roundtable Discussion at 4pm
Join us for a fascinating discussion. The Gender and Sexuality Alliance from Monroe County Community College with be holding a roundtable discussion via Zoom. The focus will be on how gender and identity are portrayed in the the One Book, One Community read, The Vanishing Half. Please register to attend through the Monroe County Library System at mymcls.com. The Zoom link for the event will be sent to your email address before the event.
March 31st
Bedford Just the Facts Book Club at 11 am
This club currently holding all meetings on Zoom. Con-tact Jodi Russ at the Bedford Branch 734-847-6747 or jodi.russ@monroe.lib.mi.us for log in information if you'd like to join in our discussion. In honor of The Vanishing Half they will be focusing on books about racial passing this month. Please contact the Bedford Library for more information about the non-fiction books avail-able.
April 1st (Rescheduled from March 25)
An Evening with the Author: Brit Bennet Zoom Talk at 7pm
Brit Bennet is the author of The Vanishing Half, which was chosen as Monroe's One Book, One Community selection for 2021. The Vanishing Half is a compelling story that explores the intricacies of family, race, and identity through the eyes of twin sisters. The Vanishing Half has also been chosen for the GMA book club, for People's Top Ten Books of the Year, and is being made into a miniseries by HBO. Please join us for a chance to hear what Ms. Bennet has to say about her successful work and what inspired her to write this story. Please register to attend through the Monroe County Library System at mymcls.com. The Zoom link for the event will be sent to your email address before the event.