Read what THNOC reads! Join us as we read and discuss books related to the history of New Orleans. Participate in virtual book discussions with staff, authors, and fellow readers!
The Fine Print Book Club is an informal learning program intended to promote dialogue and connections within our community through shared reading. Participation in the FPBC is free, but participants are expected to obtain their own copy of each title, and registration is required. Sessions will be conducted on Zoom.
October 20, 2021 7:00PM
The Fine Print Book Club presents They Called Us River Rats: The Last Batture Settlement of New Orleans
October 20 book club to spotlight the rugged residents of the Mississippi River batture
THNOC’s popular Fine Print Book Club, a lively virtual book chat, returns on October 20 with They Called Us River Rats: The Last Batture Settlement of New Orleans. The discussion dovetails with the current exhibition John Clemmer: A Legacy of Art, which includes a Clemmer drawing of the camps along the batture.
Author Macon Fry’s intimate narrative examines a one-of-a-kind settlement whose residents ebb and flow along the waterline of the Mississippi River. For the better part of two centuries, batture dwellers—including Fry himself—have raised shantyboats on stilts, built water-adapted homes, foraged, fished, and survived using the skills a river teaches, all while clashing with city authorities, commercial interests, and some of Louisiana’s most powerful politicians.
They Called Us River Rats is available for purchase at local independent bookstores. Registration is now open, and discussion prompts will be posted at a later date.
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Tickets are no longer available online for this event. Please contact our visitor services department for up-to-the-minute ticket availability information.
