Nicole Krienke, librarian at the Muir Library in Winnebago, has several copies of “The Woman They Could Not Silence” available for those who wish to participate in this year’s BEA Reads program. The community reading event will culminate in a Zoom discussion with the book’s author, Kate Moore, on April 11.

Though bibliophiles can find a good excuse to read any time of the year, spring provides a particularly fresh, fun opportunity to get excited about reading with the return of the annual BEA Reads program.

The program, now in its eighth year, encourages residents in Blue Earth and the surrounding areas to enjoy, share and discuss the same book as a community.

This year’s program officially kicked off a few weeks ago in mid-February, and will continue on through April, at which time several exciting community events will take place.

This year’s BEA Reads title is “The Woman They Could Not Silence: The Shocking Story of a Woman Who Dared to Fight Back,” a work written by New York Times bestselling author Kate Moore.

As the BEA Reads Facebook page states, the book’s pages promise “another dark and dramatic but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman whose inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women’s rights and exposed injustices that still resonate today.”

“It’s set in the 1860s,” says Eva Gaydon, librarian at the Blue Earth Community Library and Fossil Discovery Center. “It’s about a married woman. People didn’t want to hear her ideas and opinions, and her husband had her committed to an insane asylum.”

“The doctor was complicit,” Gaydon continues. “When she got there, there were other women in the same position who weren’t mentally ill.” 

“She fought for herself, and for other women, and was a change agent for the whole field,” Gaydon concludes.

Gaydon adds that though the book is written in an engaging narrative form, it is, in fact, a nonfiction account of the life of its protagonist: Elizabeth Packard.

Past BEA Reads program picks include “Orphan Train” by Christina Baker Kline, which kicked off the program’s inaugural run in 2015, followed by “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger, “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio, “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown and “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel.

“Station Eleven” and last year’s pick, “The End of the Wild” by Nicole Helget, were announced to the community but unable to receive the programming typical of past BEA Reads programs due to the pandemic.

Gaydon and Nicole Krienke, librarian at the Muir Library in Winnebago, are looking forward to being able to offer opportunities for communal discussion once more.

Gaydon plans to host a discussion and exploration of Minnesota’s history of mental health treatment.

Krienke, meanwhile, will host a presentation at Muir Library: “Self-Care and You,” which will be presented by Anna Garbers, MSW, LICSW on Wednesday, April 13, at 6:30 p.m.

The main event, however, will be a Zoom discussion with Moore which will be held on Monday, April 11 at 6 p.m.

Patrons of the public libraries in Blue Earth, Elmore and Winnebago are all welcome to attend.

“She (Moore) is a national best-selling author, and she has agreed to attend, which is pretty cool,” Krienke notes.

Krienke and Gaydon share those interested may attend the event virtually by emailing libfw@tds.lib.mn.us for the Zoom link.

Krienke and Gaydon also plan to welcome those who wish to view the Zoom discussion in-person at their respective libraries.

Before the events, however, locals are encouraged to enjoy the book itself.

Copies of “The Woman They Could Not Silence” have been dispersed around the county for easy access, and may be found at the Blue Earth Community Library and Fossil Discovery Center, the Muir Library in Winnebago and the Elmore Public Library.

The libraries have the book available in several forms, including physical copies, audiobooks and e-books.

Each library also offers pass-along copies of the book. These copies do not have to be checked out; rather, residents may pass the copies freely from person to person in the community, enabling as many people to experience the story as possible.

The copies may be found at local libraries, but also at other community locations such as Juba’s and Winnebago’s City Hall.

“It’s a great story,” Krienke says, adding, “I think this is a great program to get all sorts of people to read.” 

“The whole point is for people in our community to all be talking about the same issue,” Gaydon concludes. “We want everybody included.”