Save The Date: June 6th - June 8th, 2019

Giant Spring Book Sale 

Charlestown Branch Library  
179 Main St, Charlestown, MA 02129

Hundreds of newly-added titles for adults, young adults, and children. Great selection of DVDs and CDs as well. Very low prices!

FIRST PICK PREVIEW (MEMBERS-ONLY):

• Thursday, June 6, 2019, 5PM - 8PM

• Open to current Members of the Friends of the Charlestown Public Library

• Members save 50% throughout the sale

• Not a Member? Join today!

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:

• Friday, June 7th, 2019, 10AM - 5PM

• Saturday, June 8th, 2019, 10AM - 2PM

Presented by the Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library. Wheelchair accessible. Conveniently located near the Community College Orange Line and Bus 92.

Save The Date: May 16th, 2019 @ 6PM

Gerard F. Doherty, "Friend of the Year" Tribute

Gerard F. Doherty: a "Friend of the Year" tribute presented by the Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library. Thursday, May 16, 6:00 pm award presentation, with intermittent serenading performed by tenor Wes Hunter. Free and open to all, including a reception. Conveniently located to the Orange Line and bus connections. Charlestown Branch Library, 179 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129.

Gerard F. Doherty, the son of a Boston firefighter and lifelong native and resident of Charlestown, got to be in the middle of it all. Doherty just may be the only man who had a seat at the table with all three Kennedy brothers, John, Bobby, and Ted. His political advocacy work led him to be involved with some of the most influential moments of the Kennedy brothers' political lives, both on a local level and a national level.

In other words, Gerard F. Doherty has many tales to tell. And the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library shall be providing an opportunity to gather and be fascinated by what he has to share.

Doherty's book They Were My Friends – Jack, Bob and Ted: My Life in and out of Politics, published in 2017, weaves​ ​the story of his​ ​unlikely​ ​rise​ ​to​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​Massachusetts​ ​political leadership​ ​and​ ​how​ ​he​ ​became​ ​the​ ​man​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​Kennedy political​ ​machine​ ​at​ ​key​ ​moments​ ​in​ ​history. He​ ​also​ ​shares​ ​accounts​ ​of​ ​his​ ​work​ ​helping​ ​Presidents Carter​ ​and​ ​Johnson​ ​win​ ​the​ ​White House, and much more.

Doherty has a treasure trove of stories when it comes to the history​ ​of​ ​Massachusetts​ ​politics​ ​and​ ​the​ ​golden​ ​age​ ​of​ ​the Kennedy​ ​political​ ​dynasty.​​ But he also knows all too well of the daily​ ​concern​s ​of​ ​families​ ​and their struggles​ ​of​ ​loss, so​ ​real​ ​in​ ​every​ ​pocket throughout the city. ​​He ​also knows firsthand the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​childhood friendships​ ​and​ ​how​ ​those ​relationships​ ​​can​ ​carry​ ​you​ ​through difficult​ ​times​ ​throughout your life.

There will be ample opportunity to engage him in dialog, not only about that era in U.S politics, but also about Charlestown's direct connections to that era. He is also probably the first local person anyone should seek out if they are interested in running for political office themselves!

"Gerry​ ​has​ ​been​ ​by​ ​my​ ​family's​ ​side​ through​ ​triumph​ ​and​ ​tragedy They Were My Friends is​ not​ ​just​ ​a​ ​memoir​ ​of​ ​a​ ​rich​ ​political​ ​career​ and​ ​generational friendship​ ​— it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​roadmap​ ​for​ ​any​ ​public​ ​servant​ ​today,​ searching​ ​for​ ​a​ ​way​ ​forward​ ​in undoubtedly​ ​difficult​ ​political times." (Congressman​ ​Joseph​ ​P.​ ​Kennedy​ ​III)

In the course of the gathering, Gerard F. Doherty will be serenaded by tenor Wes Hunter.

Further background information:

Gerard F. Doherty was born and still lives in the Charlestown neigh­borhood of Bos­ton. He was educated at Malden Catholic High School, Harvard University and Suffolk University Law School. He was a two-time State Repre­senta­tive and MA State Democratic Party Chairman. He was ac­tive in the cam­paigns of Jack, Bob and Ted Ken­nedy and became their friend. He was also in­volved in the presidential campaigns of Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter. He built a successful law practice with a spe­cialty in real estate develop­ment.
www.gerardfdoherty.com
www.facebook.com/gerardfdoherty

Wes Hunter is affiliated with the North End Music & Performing Arts Center (NEMPAC) as a performing artist and a teacher. According to NEMPAC's Artistic Director, Hunter is "a phenomenally engaging performer with a beautiful, bright tenor voice." NEMPAC is the key resource for quality music arts programming in the North End/Waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods in Boston. Their mission is to empower artists of all ages and abilities through a wide array of educational offerings and professional performing arts programs. A music school and a music performance hub, NEMPAC believes that all are musicians and performers, and prepares individuals to be the best version of themselves through music artistic experiences and training programs.
www.nempacboston.org
www.facebook.com/nempac
www.tenorwes.com

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library was formed in 1953, becoming the second Friends group to organize within the Boston Public Library system. The Friends schedule four to six evening programs a year, support the Reading is FUNdamental programs for children, and maintain the library's landscaping. The mission of the Friends remains today what it was in 1953: to serve as an advocacy and support group for the needs of the Charlestown Branch Library, its staff and users.

www.friendsofcharlestownlib.org
www.facebook.com/FriendsCharlestownBranchLibrary

Save The Date: Book Presentation

Moxie and a Good Sense of Balance: Nancy Drew and the Power of the Teenage Girl, a book presentation given by author, Lynne Byall Benson. Hosted by the Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library. Thursday, March 28, 6:00 pm. Free and open to all, including a book signing and reception. Wheelchair accessible; conveniently located near the Orange Line and bus connections. Charlestown Branch Library, 179 Main Street, Charlestown. For more information: www.friendsofcharlestownlib.org, friendsofcharlestownlib@gmail.com, 617-242-1248.

Lynne Byall Benson’s new book Moxie and a Good Sense of Balance: Nancy Drew and the Power of the Teenage Girl starts with: “Nancy Drew first saved the day on April 28, 1930, when she found the missing will, bested the interlopers, and set all to right in The Secret of the Old Clock.” Anyone growing up inspired by the Nancy Drew mysteries will be in earnest to continue past that first sentence.

The literary character of Nancy Drew, created by the Stratemeyer publishing syndicate in the 1930s, has continued to endure for more than eighty years, with all the books still in print. Successfully solving complicated mysteries, Nancy Drew offered girls the role model of a confident, independent young woman, functioning simultaneously within what was considered appropriate, within the sphere of her gender, but also outside of that sphere in terms of her so-called moxie.

Nancy Drew’s portrayal in these books has changed over the years, reflecting changing social norms, becoming a more obedient and less independent in the 1940s, as women returned to traditional roles after World War II. Surprisingly, the Nancy Drew of the 1970s and 1980s did not reflect the changes brought about by the women’s movement and instead was transformed into a glamorous, globe-trotting professional private investigator in The Nancy Drew Files.

The publishers soon came to their senses and brought back the plucky Nancy of old. Her cars can almost serve as a metaphor of how her character has morphed over time. Nancy first started out driving a blue roadster in the early volumes. In the 1970s, it becomes a blue convertible. Next it was a blue Ford Mustang. Then in the early 2000’s, Nancy started driving a blue Hybrid.

In Benson’s Moxie and a Good Sense of Balance: Nancy Drew and the Power of the Teenage Girl, Nancy Drew is analyzed as a proto-feminist role model. In addition, Benson also provides a comprehensive bibliography of sources that can be used by scholars and teachers.

Background information:

Lynne Byall Benson is a lecturer in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UMASS Boston and also an adjunct professor in the English Department at Bunker Hill Community College.
www.facebook.com/lynne.byallbenson

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library was formed in 1953, becoming the second Friends group to organize within the Boston Public Library system. The Friends schedule four to six evening programs a year, support the Reading is FUNdamental programs for children, and maintain the library’s landscaping. The mission of the Friends remains today what it was in 1953: to serve as an advocacy and support group for the needs of the Charlestown Branch Library, its staff and users.
www.friendsofcharlestownlib.org
www.facebook.com/FriendsCharlestownBranchLibrary
www.bpl.org/branches/charlestown.htm

Save The Date: Annual Holiday Concert

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library
& St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parish present:

The Copley Singers, under the direction of Brian Jones, will perform carols, anthems and Christmas favorites—ancient and modern—from Europe and the Americas. Some examples will be sung acapella; others will be accompanied by the restored Woodberry & Harris organ. The audience will be invited to join in festive and solemn carols. Wheelchair accessible. Conveniently located near the Orange line and bus connections.

Seasonal joy and inspiration are promised in abundance!

The Copley Singers, a Boston-based choir founded in 2006, are auditioned singers and professionals dedicated to the art of fine singing and the joy of communicating their love of the art to the public. Brian Jones, Emeritus Director of Music at Trinity Church, Copley Square, is an active organ concert artist and guest conductor with many recordings to his credit. Peter Stoltzfus Burton, Organist and Choirmaster at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Newport, will support the choir and congregation. The sonically amazing Woodberry & Harris Opus 100 has 3 manuals, 37 stops and 41 ranks of pipes (2,501 pipes).

For more information: St. Mary Church • 617-242-4664 • www.stmarystcatherine.org

Please consider becoming a member of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library. Your support enables us to host programs like this. Family membership to the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library is less than $2 a month!

THE FRIENDS OF THE CHARLESTOWN BRANCH OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY WAS FORMED IN 1953, BECOMING THE SECOND FRIENDS GROUP TO ORGANIZE WITHIN THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM. THE FRIENDS SCHEDULE FOUR TO SIX EVENING PROGRAMS A YEAR, SUPPORT THE READING IS FUNDAMENTAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN, AND MAINTAIN THE LIBRARY’S LANDSCAPING.

THE MISSION OF THE FRIENDS REMAINS TODAY WHAT IT WAS IN 1953: TO SERVE AS AN ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT GROUP FOR THE NEEDS OF THE CHARLESTOWN BRANCH LIBRARY, ITS STAFF AND USERS.