Join Mentor Reads to Learn about President James A. Garfield

Meet fun people and learn about Mentor's favorite son during Mentor Reads with the Garfield National Historic Site.

Every day is President's Day in Mentor, because our city is one of the few that can claim to be a hometown to a president.

To celebrate (and also learn about) our president Mentor Library started a book club, Mentor Reads James A. Garfield, with the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

Our next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, at our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue. We'll be talking about Horatio Alger's "From Canal Boy to President: The Boyhood and Manhood of James A Garfield." Alger is the bard of rags-to-riches tales, so he's uniquely suited to tell the story of someone born in a one-room log cabin who rose to the presidency.

If you'd like to borrow a copy of "From Canal Boy to President" from us, it's already uploaded onto all of our Nooks (along with a bunch of other things.) You can also read it for free online with your computer, phone, tablet or eReader thanks to Project Gutenberg.

If you can't make it this month, join us Feb. 12 to talk about "Crete and James: Personal Letters of Lucretia and James Garfield." All of our book clubs are free and open to everyone.

If you love history, the Garfield National Historic Site also leads a monthly program about the U.S. Civil War. At noon on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at our Main Branch, they'll be talking about famous regiments from our state, including the 23rd and 42nd Ohio. You can register for the lunchtime talk on MPL's event calendar.

See you at the library!