Wayne County Reads starts Tuesday
By Staff Reports
Published in News on February 5, 2012 1:50 AM
With its focus this year on Alzheimer's and dementia, Wayne County Reads will kick off its 2012 program Tuesday with a talk by its featured author, Tom Hays.
"The Pleasure Was Mine," a finalist for the 2006 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Fiction Award, is the story of three men: Prate, his grown son Newell, and his nine-year-old grandson Jackson as they come to terms with the fading of Irene, the heart and center of the family. Set in Greenville County, S.C., and western North Carolina, the book is narrated by Prate, a prickly house painter who retires to care for his wife, Irene. As Prate adjusts to these life changes, Newell, a recently widowed art teacher in Asheville, needs to spend some time at an art colony in the mountains, leaving Jackson, his reticent, bookish son, with Prate for the summer. And while Prate is initially irritated by having his moody grandson all summer, the pair form a bond as they work together to care for his grandmother.
Reviews say that Tommy Hays, the author of "In the Family Way" and "Sam's Crossing," renders an unforgettable character in Prate in this a heartfelt, redemptive story about the power and resilience of family.
"The Pleasure Was Mine," is available in paperback.
Following is the upcoming schedule for Wayne County Reads:
* Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7 p.m.: Kickoff - Talk by author Tommy Hays, followed by book signing and reception, Moffatt Auditorium, Wayne Community College
* Wednesday, Feb. 8, noon: Book discussion with the author, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Library
* Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.: Creative writing workshop with Tommy Hays, Moye Library, Mount Olive College
* Thursday, Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m.: Film, Wayne County Public Library
* Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m.: "The Best Is Yet To Be" play by Dr. Elliot Engel, featuring Quinn Hawksworth with introduction by Dr. LeRoy King, Moffatt Auditorium, Wayne Community College
* Tues., Feb. 21, 7 p.m.: Panel discussion -- "Alzheimer's/Dementia: Joy and Challenges of Care Giving," family caregivers share their stories, Wayne County Public Library.