Historical perspective in an election year is an invaluable thing, isn’t it?  

Listen to the candidates exhort that democracy and the future of America are on the line and the outcome of this campaign may feel … existential.

So, I come to you with a wonderfully enlightening biography of Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff that is rich with insight, delightful detail and yes, much needed perspective.

Adams, a cousin of John Adams, was an upright, incorruptible, original thinker who relished his life as a “poor man.”

A loving father and a citizen of America who was one of – if not THE – most important fomenters of revolution.

Stacy Schiff reminds us in “The Revolutionary” that none other than Thomas Jefferson called Samuel Adams “the patriarch of liberty.”

— Kerri Miller | MPR News

Hi all,

We have an extra note for you in this week's Thread. I spoke with Maureen Hartman, director of the St. Paul Public Library, who filled me in on the theme for this year's "Read Brave" program.

This year they are reading "Man o' War" by Cory McCarthy. It is a coming-of-age novel about an Arab American transgender teenager in the Midwest.

She says it is very important that they choose diverse books.

"And we know other folks may not see themselves reflected in it, but may use this important tool, the power of storytelling, to get to know some of the experiences that some folks in our community are experiencing even if that is not their own immediate experience."

"Read Brave" is in its eleventh year. Each year they book a book for residents of St. Paul to read.

Free copies of the book can be picked up at any local branch. E-copies are also available for check out.

For more information on the book and events, go to https://sppl.org/read-brave/

— Sam Stroozas | MPR News