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Tinkers: A Community Read
 Request your copy of Tinkers today! |
The Book
An old man lies dying. As time collapses into memory, he travels deep into his past where he is reunited with his father and relives the wonder and pain of his impoverished New England youth. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature.
(Tinkers, back matter)
Tinkers was published in 2009 by Bellevue Literary Press, and is the winner of 2010's Pulitzer Prize in Literature. It is the first novel from a small press to win the award since A Confederacy of Dunces in 1981.
Events Based On the Book
On August 17th and September 21st we held two Tinkers' Workshops built around the philosophy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and REPAIR. Fiddlers, menders, and those just curious about how things work were invited to dust off items shoved in drawers or relegated to the garage and start tinkering! Projects could be started or half-finished, and might include the repair or re-purpose of favorite gadgets, sweaters, clocks, or furniture.
On November 3rd there was a Book Discussion of Tinkers.
Two weeks later, on Tuesday, November 16th, the library closed early for An Evening with Paul Harding, which was held at Gordon College. There was a Booksigning and Reception in the
Chairman's Room of the Ken Olsen Science Center, followed by a Lecture
in the A.J. Gordon Memorial Chapel. Paul Harding discussed his writing process, the real life influences behind the book and his philosophy of creativity in general. Gordon College has made the entirety of the lecture available on YouTube.
Learn More About the Author
Paul Harding was born and raised in the town of Wenham, where he developed his abiding love of nature. Graduating from the University of Massachusetts, he later earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He has taught writing at Harvard and the University of Iowa. He lives near Boston with his wife and two sons.
Tinkers is his first novel.
HW Tinkers: Books!
Looking for helpful books in the tinkering/fixing vein? Want to repair a bike or an old VCR? Maybe you are planning to build a robot or a treehouse, or trying to figure out how to clean a beautiful antique without diminishing its value. Hit HW Tinkers: Books! This is a growing list of titles at our library that you may find useful.
Can you think of another book that should go on this list? Email the title, author's name, and a reason why so that we can consider adding it.
HW Tinkers: Projects
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and REPAIR.
EMAIL a photo of your special tinkering project,
together with a few words about what it entails,
for posting to our Library web site! You can see all of the responses at the HW Tinkers: Projects web page.
Here is our most recent response:
"The brief history: constructed in 1965 to fix an Allis Chalmers bulldozer, to fit the hex nut on the sprocket, and was also used to take apart the final drive. These are Wrench 3 and 4. Why 3 and 4? Because wrenches 1 and 2 failed and the ‘dozer still needed repair. The plate the wrenches were made from was salvaged material from a WWII submarine dismantled in Newburyport in 1959-60. One was chromed due to whim."
~ Related by Rebecca S. Read the full tale of
Wrench 3 & 4: A Study In Determination.
Brought To You By...
Sponsored by The Hamilton-Wenham Public Library, the Friends of the Hamilton-Wenham Public Library, and Gordon College.
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Modified 1/1/2011
