Legally Reading Book Club

The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan

Our next selection is "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan.  

The Legally Reading book club will meet virtually until further notice. Videoconference information will go out prior to each meeting to those who sign up. We meet from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM Central Time on Zoom. 

For more information, contact Library Director Gail Wechsler at 314-622-4470 or gwechsler@llastl.org.  

Complete list of upcoming books and dates: 
 

BOOKS AND DATES SELECTED FOR 2025-2026

Here are the books and dates for the 2025-2026 year of Legally Reading:

Tuesday August 12: The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win WWII by Denise Kiernan
The Tennessee town of Oak Ridge was created from scratch in 1942. One of the Manhattan Project’s secret cities, it didn’t appear on any maps until 1949, and yet at the height of World War II it was using more electricity than New York City and was home to more than 75,000 people. In The Girls of Atomic City, Denise Kiernan traces the astonishing story of these unsung WWII workers through interviews with dozens of surviving women and other Oak Ridge residents.

Tuesday October 14:  The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels by Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans
A rare and compassionate look into the lives of Americans who go unclaimed when they die and those who dedicate their lives to burying them with dignity.

Tuesday December 9:  Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right by Arlie Hochschild
In her first book since the widely acclaimed Strangers in Their Own Land, the National Book Award finalist and bestselling author Arlie Russell Hochschild now ventures to Appalachia, uncovering the “pride paradox” that has given the right’s appeals such resonance.

Tuesday February 10: Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo
The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave.

Tuesday April 14: Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality by Eric Klinenberg
We are living in a time of deep divisions. Americans are sorting themselves along racial, religious, and cultural lines, leading to a level of polarization that the country hasn't seen since the Civil War. In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg suggests a way forward. He believes that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared public. Spaces.

Tuesday June 9:  Woodworking by Emily St. James 
An unforgettable and heartwarming debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.

Download a book club flyer here.