The Bookplate is happily continuing their popular Authors & Oysters event series at The Retriever Bar in 2023. Author Brooks Yeager was featured in the most recent Authors & Oysters event on March 15th. Next up on Wednesday, April 5th at 6pm, all are invited to The Retriever to welcome back author and cyclist David Goodrich as he discusses his latest book, “On Freedom Road; Bicycle Explorations and Reckonings on The Underground Railroad”.
“The traces of the Underground Railroad hide in plain sight: a great church in Philadelphia; a humble old house backing up to the New Jersey Turnpike; an industrial outbuilding in Ohio. Over the course of four years, David Goodrich rode his bicycle 3,000 miles east of the Mississippi to travel the routes of the Underground Railroad and delve into the history and stories in the places where they happened. He followed the most famous of conductors, Harriet Tubman, from where she was enslaved in Maryland, on the eastern shore, all the way to her family sanctuary at a tiny chapel in Ontario, Canada. On Freedom Road: Bicycle Explorations and Reckonings on the Underground Railroad enables us to see familiar places—New York and Philadelphia, New Orleans and Buffalo—in a very different light: from the vantage point of desperate people seeking to outrun the reach of slavery. Join in this journey to find the heroes and stories, both known and hidden, of the Underground Railroad.”
David Goodrich worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and served as the Director of the UN Global Climate Observing System in Geneva, Switzerland. He retired as head of NOAA’s Climate Observations and Monitoring Program. In addition to his cross-country bicycle trip, he has ridden down the Appalachians and across Montana, South Dakota, France and Spain. His written works include A Hole in the Wind and A Voyage Across an Ancient Ocean. He lives in Maryland.
“On Freedom Road is a vital and accessible text for readers to understand the conditions enslaved people faced when attempting escape.”—Booklist
“Climate scientist Goodrich documents his bike rides along ‘routes of the Underground Railroad’ in this illuminating blend of history and travelog. Throughout, Goodrich reveals how slavery is remembered and misremembered in America, and makes a convincing case that ‘national trauma, like a wound, tends to heal when it’s exposed to air.’ It’s a harrowing yet inspirational ride.” —Publishers Weekly
“A heartfelt reminder of the importance of remembering our past in order to continue to learn from it.”—Kirkus Reviews
For more event details contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or contact@thebookplate.net. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. The next Authors & Oysters event is scheduled for 4/19 with National Book Award winner, Edward Ball. All events are held in the back room of The Retriever, located at 337 ½ High Street in Chestertown, Maryland.
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