Adult Services

The library welcomes author Elizabeth Macalaster of Brunswick, ME for an online presentation discussing her new book War Pigeons: Winged Couriers in the U.S. Military, 1878-1957 (McFarland Books,  October 2020)

For more than seven decades homing pigeons provided the U.S military with its fastest most reliable means of communication.  Trained by pigeoneers to fly up to 60 mph for hundreds of miles, homing pigeons served our country in four wars on four continents.  Weighing barely a pound, these extraordinary birds carried messages in and out of gas, smoke, exploding bombs and gunfire.  They flew unwavering through jungles and over desert and icy mountains, not faltering even when faced with an expanse of ocean to cross.  Time and again, when all other means of communication failed, pigeons were trusted to carry home vital messages.  Sometimes they arrived nearly dead from wounds or exhaustion, but only death itself stopped them.

War Pigeons, is the first complete accounting of the remarkable service of homing pigeons with American armed forces, from its fledgling beginnings after the Civil War, to the birds’ invaluable role in communications through both world wars and beyond. War Pigeons chronicles a poignant and enduring legacy.

Learn more about the author at: https://elizabethgmacalaster.com/

Register for Zoom information.

Our nooks are checked out on a first come, first served basis for 3 weeks–but it is worth checking to see if the one with the title you are waiting for is available (if you call ahead we will hold a nook until the end of the day).   New on Nook 1 is The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (the title the Netflix series’ Bridgerton was based on), The Return by Nicholas Sparks and Stamped by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi–2021’s Read Across Rhode Island title.

New on Nook 2 is The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult, The Vanishing Half by Britt Benett, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gutpa, MD and The Duke and I by Julia Quinn.  So, cut the wait and checkout one of our nooks which come with instructions and are charged before checkout.  Please ask for a demonstration if you have never used a nook–we are here to help.