Saturday Nov. 19 brings two authors to The Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough. Allegra Hyde grew up in Peterborough and graduated as salutatorian in 2006. She will be at the store at 11 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 19 to discuss and sign her debut collection of short stories just published by the University of Iowa Press. At 2 p.m., Paul Levy will be in to discuss his new book Finding Phil in which he recounts his search to understand the life and memories of his Uncle Phil killed in World War Two.
Allegra’s book, Of This New World, offers a menagerie of utopias: real, imagined, and lost. Starting with the Garden of Eden and ending in a Mars colony, the stories wrestle with conflicts of idealism and practicality, communal ambition and individual kink. Stories jump between genres — from historical fiction to science fiction, realism to fabulism — but all ask that fundamental human question: is paradise really so impossible? The collection is the winner of the 2016 John Simmons Short Fiction Award. Following Conval, Allegra went on to receive her B.A. from Williams College and her M.F.A. from Arizona State University.
When Paul Levy was one year old his Uncle Phil was killed in World War 2 and his family, like many, faced their grief with silence. Upon retirement, and seventy years after his uncle’s death, he set out to discover what might still be found about Phil. At every step, research led to unexpected turns, and ultimately revealed a vivid portrait of Phil’s life and, astoundingly, of his death. In the process, the author also gained insights into war, antisemitism, family silences, and heroism, and encountered intriguing and sometimes famous characters who had touched Phil’s life.
Paul Levy and his wife, Elizabeth, are retired and live in Concord, New Hampshire. Paul had careers as a poverty lawyer, social worker, and professor of human services. Currently, he is active in social justice issues and is a frequent contributor to the Concord Monitor.
Both events are free and all are welcome. For more information call the bookstore at 924- 3543.