American Lit 101: Revisited

Have you ever looked at a book most people read in high school and thought “I should read that [again] now that I’m an adult”? If so, this is for you! Together with the Grayslake Heritage Center & Museum, we will revisit books we read (or should have read) in high school. Discuss the main themes with special community guests each month.

Limited copies of Fahrenheit 451 are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Grayslake Library.  Note: Event will be held at the Grayslake Heritage Center-164 Hawley Street, Grayslake

For March, Mary Ann Bretzlauf, Pat O'Keefe and Sandra Sarsha Petroshius will join us to discuss Fahrenheit 451 and bring along artifacts to enjoy.  

Mary Ann Bretzlauf is a retired College of Lake County English professor who taught Composition, Twentieth Century American Literature, and Shakespeare. She developed a sophomore level course on Banned Books, taught Fahrenheit 451 among other fiction and nonfiction books challenged at school and public libraries. Mary Ann volunteered through Lake County United Way as a literacy volunteer and served as a board member for Warren-Newport Public Library.

Pat O’Keefe, who has enthusiastically read Ray Bradbury stories and books since youth, taught high school English and literature in Lake County and worked for many years as an educational editor. Pat has lived in Bradbury’s “Green Town” — Waukegan — since 2002. He had the good fortune to meet and talk with Ray years earlier. Pat has volunteered for the Ray Bradbury Experience Museum since its formation, and he still finds new Bradbury stories to enjoy.

Sandra Sarsha Petroshius, a former teacher of high school literature, spent most of her career in educational publishing, developing English Language Arts and Literature materials. After retiring as Executive Editor, she became chair of the volunteer Ray Bradbury Experience Museum Committee with its mission to inspire imagination and foster free-thinking and creativity through engagement in the timeless works of Ray Bradbury.