Description

Historian Kathy Wilson will present her program, "He Had a Dream and It Shot Him: Mark Twain and Huck Finn in a Post Civil War America" on Thursday, November 13 at 5:30pm in the community meeting rooms at the Marshalltown Public Library.

None of Mark Twain's stories created controversy like the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One of his most popular novels, critics consider it to be one of America’s greatest literary works. So, what makes the book so controversial? Why are we still debating the merits of Huck Finn in the 21st Century? Learn how the Civil War, Victorian attitudes, and Twain’s own experiences provided the inspiration for this popular book and why it regularly appears on banned book lists!

A professional historian and educator, Kathy Wilson believes learning about the past can be fun as well as interesting. To prove that point, she draws on more than 20 years of experience to create programs that engage and entertain as well as educate her audiences. Ms. Wilson received her BA in History from Bemidji State University in Minnesota, before traveling to England where she completed her Masters at the University of York. She is a former PhD candidate at the University of Iowa and specializes in 18th and 19th-century British-American cultural history.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the library's Information Desk at 641-754-5738 ext. 4.