Along with Buxton Books, the Library Society is thrilled to be welcoming Jeanette Walls to King Street as part of the national tour for Hang the Moon, her latest novel that debuted Spring 2023, and transported readers to 1920’s rural Virginia. Having been described by NPR as ‘brilliant and effervescent’, she hits on the difficulties of enforcing Prohibition and how its effects decreased the quality of life for many middle and lower class people whose livelihoods relied on the making or selling of liquor.
“Walls has written a stunning and compelling tale — not surprising considering the acclaim she received for her memoir The Glass Castle. The novel Hang the Moon gives us a chance to think about something that hasn’t gotten much attention — the lives of women bootleggers in America.” – NPR, 2023
Tickets*: PURCHASE HERE
$ 28 – Members or $ 32 – General Admission // 1 Ticket and 1 signed copy of Hang the Moon
$ 38 – Limited Option (Members Only) // 2 Tickets and 1 signed copy of Hang the Moon*
*There will be a limited number of first come two-for-one tickets available for CLS Members, these tickets include two attendees and one signed copy of Hang the Moon.
NOTE: If you are unable to attend the program, and wish to secure a signed copy (or copies!), please pre-order through the following link: Hang the Moon or call Buxton Books at (843) 723-1670.
This is a collaborative event with Buxton Books, guest information such as email and name will be shared between both parties for promotional purposes only.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeannette Walls is an internationally known author and journalist most known for The Glass Castle, which remained on the New York Times Bestseller’s List for 100 weeks and also received The Christopher Award, the American Library Association’s Alex Award and the Books for Better Living Award. She is also the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers The Silver Star and Half Broke Horses, named one of the ten best books of 2009 by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. Walls lives in rural Virginia with her husband, the writer John Taylor.
Walls has three siblings, her sisters Lori and Maureen, and a brother named Brian. Lori, Jeannette and Brian went through thick and thin together and they had a very tight bond when growing up. They lived in extreme poverty for some time of their childhood. After seeing the poor conditions they grew up with, Lori and Jeannette decided to move to New York City. Lori was the first to move as she was the oldest, followed by Jeannette, then Brian, then her whole family which included her parents, Rex and Rose Mary Walls, and Maureen, her little sister. Jeannette Walls was born in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated with honors from Barnard College, the women’s college affiliated with Columbia University.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of the biggest man in a small town, the charismatic Duke Kincaid. Born at the turn of the 20th century into a life of comfort and privilege, Sallie remembers little about her mother who died in a violent argument with the Duke. By the time she is just eight years old, the Duke has remarried and had a son, Eddie. While Sallie is her father’s daughter, sharp-witted and resourceful, Eddie is his mother’s son, timid and cerebral. When Sallie tries to teach young Eddie to be more like their father, her daredevil coaching leads to an accident, and Sallie is cast out.
Nine years later, she returns, determined to reclaim her place in the family. That’s a lot more complicated than Sallie expected, and she enters a world of conflict and lawlessness. Sallie confronts the secrets and scandals that hide in the shadows of the Big House, navigates the factions in the family and town, and finally comes into her own as a bold, sometimes reckless bootlegger.
“You’ll fall in love with Sallie on the very first page and keep rooting for her all the way through to the last” (Good Housekeeping) in this thrilling read that “goes down easy…like the forbidden whisky that defines the life of Sallie Kincaid” (Associated Press).