“Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” by Helen Simonson, is the book everyone is reading as the 2012 One Book One County Montcalm selection.
Montcalm Community College Dean of Instruction and Faculty Gary Hauck, left, and White Pine Library Director Katie Arwood unveil the 2012 One Book One County Montcalm selection, “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” by Helen Simonson, during a May 16 kick-off celebration at Montcalm Community College’s Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) on the college’s Greenville campus.
The title was announced to a crowd of about 125 people on May 16 during a kick-off luncheon at Montcalm Community College’s Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) on the college’s Greenville campus.
A New York Times Bestseller and Simonson’s first book, “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” is as much a gently and politically correct look at the British class system tucked inside a sly comedy of manners as it is a love story. The unexpected death of the Major’s brother sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. However, village society embraces the Major as the quintessential local and Mrs. Ali as the permanent foreigner. They must struggle to understand what it means to belong and how far the obligations of family and tradition can be set aside for personal freedom.
Eleven book discussions are scheduled throughout the county from July through September.
In addition, author Helen Simonson is the featured speaker during the One Book closing celebration on Oct. 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Greenville High School Performing Arts Center. Admission is free.
For a complete listing of book discussions and details about the closing celebration, visit www.montcalm.edu/one-book or call (989) 328-1236.
One Book One County Montcalm is sponsored by Chemical Bank, the Greenville Area Community Foundation, Stafford Media Solutions, the MCC Foundation and MCC.
