Charles Fanning, author of the popular book Mapping Norwood: An Irish American Memoir, will give a talk on his latest work at the Morrill Memorial Library on Monday, July 29 at 7:00 pm.

ABOUT THE BOOK:  In The Music of What Happens, author Charles Fanning relates what it felt like to be a member of an Irish working-class community in a dynamic, expanding American city in the late nineteenth century. Irish immigrants John and Eileen O'Malley Farrell live in the Chicago South-Side neighborhood of Bridgeport with their three children: Jimmy, twelve, Mary, ten, and Margaret, five. Their family experiences turmoil and tragedy and responds with unrelenting endurance. This is the coming-of-age story of young Irish Americans, the children of immigrants, who grow up in the 1880s in Chicago. The novel evokes and re-imagines 19th century neighborhood communities from the inside. It renders challenges to those communities from tragedies both internal (failure to protect the least among them from destitution) and external (casualties in the undeclared war against British rule in Ireland and murder of a factory girl). The saving grace of art (Irish traditional music in this case) helps to heal community members affected by the tragedies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Charles Fanning was a member of the Norwood High class of 1960. Holding degrees from Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania, he's enjoyed a forty-five year career teaching modern poetry and the history and literature of Ireland and Irish immigration at Bridgewater State University, the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, the University of Missouri St. Louis, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Much of his writing has involved reclaiming the Irish-American literary tradition. Three of his books received national awards. The Music of What Happens is his first novel.

There will be a book signing after Fanning's talk. Copies of Fanning's book will be available to purchase from our trusted partner, local bookseller Aesop's Fable. Pre-ordering a copy of Fanning's book is highly recommended to make sure there are enough copies. Further details are available here (select in-store pickup and your book will be brought to the event): https://aesopsfable.com/products/the-music-of-what-happens.

Thank you to Norwood Community Media for helping us to reach a wider audience.

Registration is required for this event. Please sign up by filling out the form below, or by visiting or calling the Reference Desk at 781-769-0200 x2.