Many Voices of the Past Discussion

In conjunction with Galesburg Public Library’s 2021 NEA Big Read program, Hewes Library is partnering with Professor Amy de Farias and the students of HIST 300 “Women in Latin America” to host a discussion of the Julia Alvarez novel In the Time of the Butterflies.

The Many Voices of the Past:  Historical Fiction and its Role in Democratizing the Past

In the Time of Butterflies author, Julia Alvarez, writes a fictionalized account of the Mirabal sisters and their heroic efforts to oust one of the most brutal dictators of Latin America, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic (1930-1961).  Alvarez manages to capture the complicated lives of the sisters and other Dominicans during this tumultuous and violent period.  Her novel can be viewed as an excellent model of historical fiction; it illustrates how literature can provide the reader with a more detailed and personal glimpse of the past. Academic history, on the other hand, rarely succeeds in opening the doors of the past to allow its readers the opportunity to vicariously experience the lives of real historical figures.

This conversation is facilitated by Professor Amy de Farias and the students of Monmouth College HIST 300 “Women in Latin America” course. Join us on Tuesday, May 11^th, 6:30pm on Zoom.

https://monmouthcollege.zoom.us/j/91296541640?pwd=UTMvMWFqR1UveWZrL3RhUkxpN1RNZz09

Meeting ID: 912 9654 1640
Passcode: 1853
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