Keepinitreal Featured Author Set to Visit Evanston Public Library

Do you love reading true stories? You're not alone! When Library Assistant Kim Hiltwein starting “keepinitreal,” a book club devoted entirely to nonfiction, she didn’t know what to expect. Hiltwein was relieved to see that a good number of Evanston residents shared her interest and really took to the idea and format.  The book club blog (www.keepinitrealevanston.wordpress.com) features interesting videos, photos, and author interviews.  This month, Hiltwein reached out to the author of Crashing Through, Robert Kurson.  Only this time, in her research, Hiltwein discovered that Kurson is a Chicago resident and, on a whim, asked not only for an interview but proposed that he join keepinitreal for a night. Kurson graciously agreed to participate in the discussion of his book. Please join us on Tuesday, May 29 at 7:00pm in the Library’s Small Meeting Room to discuss the amazing true story of Mike May. 

Mike May spent his life crashing through. Blinded at age three, he defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought  startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery could restore May’s vision. It would allow him to drive, to read, to see his children’s faces. He began to contemplate an astonishing new world: Would music still sound the same? Would he recognize himself in the mirror? Would his marriage survive? Would he still be Mike May? (Courtesy of www.robertkurson.com)

Kurson’s book, Crashing Through, gives readers a fascinating account of one man’s choice to explore what it means to see - and to truly live.  His story is one that raises questions and implications far more reaching than just simply the ability to see or not.  He is a true hero and the insight of both the subject and the documentarian will be a tremendous addition to the book discussion. The Evanston Public Library is pleased to provide a forum to discuss Mike May’s real life challenges and hear from the author himself.

Limited copies of Crashing Through are available at the Reference Desk of the Library; call (847) 448-8620 to reserve a copy. Come participate in this special “Keepinitreal” book discussion: Tuesday, May 29, 7:00 pm, Small Meeting Room of the Evanston Public Library.