Comments from the Book Discussion Group at DeSoto Library regarding our June 2010 selection:

First Dawnby Judith Miller

The question was asked, “Would you recommend this book to someone else?”

All the members enjoyed this selection and would recommend it to others. Although the characters and the plot were fictional, the main setting of Nicodemus in western Kansas was presented with historical accuracy and detail. The nature of the settlement of this community provided some good discussion on the hardships of settling the prairie, the voluntary segregation of communities, and the obligations of the government to help citizens when they have been defrauded and abandoned.

Comments from the Book Discussion Group at DeSoto Library regarding our May 2010 selection:

The Ballad of Frankie Silverby Sharyn McCrumb

The question was asked, “Would you recommend this book to someone else?”

The group collectively agreed that they would recommend this book to others.  Members cited the complex characters, the historical facts underpinning the story, and the plot lines that emphasized how political expediency, both then and now, often trumps justice.  All felt the novel does an excellent job of describing the "code of the hills" which still continues today in Appalachia.