Lambton County Library has announced ‘Women Talking’ by Miriam Toews as the selected One Book Lambton title for 2024.
One Book Lambton is a literary event, designed to celebrate Canadian authors and to unite people from around Lambton County through reading the same book. People are invited to read Women Talking and participate in discussions and activities that explore the book’s themes.
The novel takes place over 48 hours and focuses on eight women tasked with deciding how to
respond to more than 100 violent night-time assaults perpetrated against women and girls in the community. Toews describes her book as a fictional response to real-life events that took place between 2005 and 2009 in Manitoba Colony, a secluded Mennonite community in Bolivia.
“I hope that when you read the book you can enter this loft and be part of this discussion that the women and [the main character, August] are having,” Toews said in a video message, expressing her enthusiasm in learning that her book was chosen for the initiative. She added that she hopes Women Talking will spark stimulating conversations throughout Lambton County.
On Jan. 18, One Book Lambton will host a panel discussion on gender-based violence at the Sarnia Library Theatre.
The panelists, community experts from various human services fields, include: Crystal Fach (Giizhik), Co-Founder/Executive Director - Diversity Ed; Jennifer Vanskeenkiste PhD, Executive Director - Women’s Interval Home; Trish Vanoosterom, Counsellor and Public Educator - Sexual Assault Survivor’s Centre; and Victoria Miceli, Community Legal Worker - Community Legal Assistance Sarnia.
They will examine gender based violence, how it impacts individuals' physical and mental health, and the community; and will provide recommendations on how you can help.
Miriam Toews has written nine books, including A Complicated Kindness, All My Puny Sorrows, and Women Talking. She has won many literary awards, including the Governor General’s Award for Fiction (2004) and the Writers' Trust Engel Findley Award (2010).
Women Talking was adapted into a feature-length film in 2022, directed by Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley and was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay and nominated for Best Picture at the 2023 Academy Awards®.
Reserve a copy of Women Talking through the online catalogue at lclibrary.ca or by calling or visiting any Lambton County Library location. eBooks and eAudiobooks are available to borrow through the Libby app using your Lambton County Library card.
Visit onebooklambton.ca for more information.