Plymouth Reads 2021

Join Plymouth Library for online Plymouth READS events this March and April around the 2021 book selection: This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.

With the feel of a modern classic, This Tender Land is an action-packed, engaging tale, and a welcome salve for our times.

In the midst of the Great Depression, the Lincoln Indian Training School, in SW Minnesota, is a pitiless place where American Indian children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be assimilated. It is also home to harmonica playing Odie O’Banion, a lively orphan boy whose exploits constantly earn him the superintendent’s wrath.

After a particularly harrowing incident, Odie and his brother Albert are forced to flee for their lives along with their best friend Mose, a mute young man of Native heritage. They also take with them a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy, who is inclined to visions of the future. Together, they steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi in search of a place to call home.

Read the 2021 Plymouth READS book selection, This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, then meet the author for the grand finale of this year’s events. There will be time for questions at the author event. In its 12th year, Plymouth READS seeks to spark conversation, build community and foster learning and discovery in Plymouth by rallying readers around a single book.

Copies of This Tender Land are available at the Plymouth Library, 15700 36th Ave N.

Plymouth READS community events:

Related events take place throughout March and April, exploring the themes of the book and bringing community members together. All events take place online.

Plymouth READS: Presentation by Linda LeGarde Grover – Live Online
Thursday, March 4, 7 p.m.
Register online →
Linda LeGarde Grover, Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe, will give a presentation on her research into Native American Boarding Schools, and the interplay with her novels and stories.

Plymouth READS: Campfire Play and Sing-along Video Premiere
Tuesday, March 16, 7 p.m.
Register online →
World premiere of a music video based on songs from This Tender Land. Enjoy, and play along, on harmonica or instrument of your choice, to the musical stylings of the Plymouth READS Ramblers, as they present traditional songs featured in this year’s book selection This Tender Land.

• Video will be premiered Tuesday, March 16 at 7 pm here: https://bit.ly/PlymouthREADS_Videos
• Sing or play along from home, turn on the video’s closed captioning to see the song lyrics
• A limited supply of harmonicas and user instructions are available to pick up at Plymouth Library, for patrons who register for this event.
• You can also download the instructions: Harmonica basics and songs (PDF)
• If you’d like to play along with another instrument, here are the chord charts for the songs (PDF)

Plymouth READS: Meet William Kent Krueger – Live Online 
Thursday, April 15, 7 p.m.
Register online →
Read the 2021 Plymouth READS book selection, This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, then meet the author online for the grand finale of this year’s events. Time for Q&A.

Sponsors: Friends of the Plymouth Library, City of Plymouth, Plymouth Arts Council, Plymouth Lions Club, Hennepin County Library – Plymouth

For more information, follow us @PlymouthReads on Twitter or Plymouth READS on Facebook.