New Castle County Reads 2013 has chosen March by Geraldine Brooks as its feature book this year. The fascinating novel takes places during the dark years of the Civil War, as the north reels under a series of unexpected defeats and a father, Mr. March, goes off to aid the Union cause. The New Castle County Library System is hosting a series of related programs to support the book discussion groups so I have been asked to talk about the C & D Canal during those troubling years.
There are many primary sources to help support a discussion such as this. One, which I have found to be particularly insightful is a diary of a C & D Canal official. During those unsettled times, the officer in charge of the waterway across the peninsula kept a daily journal of happenings on the Peninsula. The talk takes place on Wednesday evening, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the New Castle Library. This is a Delaware Humanities Forum program.
