Library Hosts Civil War Dialogue, Exhibit

Kapolei Library will try “Making Sense of the American Civil War” next month via a series of public readings and discussions to mark the 150th anniversaries of the war and the Emancipation.

The programs will culminate in a traveling exhibit, “Civil War 150: Exploring the War and its Meaning through the Words of Those Who Lived It,” which the Kapolei branch will host Jan. 28 to Feb. 14, supported by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and partners.

Justin W. Vance, an assistant history professor at Hawaii Pacific University, will lead six separate “conversations,” which are set for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 and 17, Nov. 7 and 28, and Dec. 5 and 19.

Vance also serves as president of the Hawaii Civil War Round Table.

The final program will address the role of Hawaii and Hawaiians in the Civil War (1861-1865). “As we will see,” said adult services librarian Sheryl Lynch, “even citizens of the Hawaiian Kingdom could not escape the pull of its impact and meaning, and we hope to learn yet again that, as American novelist William Faulkner said ‘The past is not dead. In fact, it’s not even past.’ ”

Books used in the series — and available at the library — are March by Geraldine Brooks, Cross-roads of Freedom: Antietam by James McPherson and America’ s War: Talking about the Civil War and Emancipation on their 150th Anniversaries compiled by Edward Ayers.

For more information, call 693- 7050.