G.A.R. Memorial Library Presents: Peter Zheutlin Book Talk: Spin

Author, Peter Zheutlin is a descendent of Annie Londonderry, who captured the popular imagination with her daring 'round the world' trip on a bicycle in 1895. In his new book, Spin: A Novel Based on a (Mostly) True Story, Zheutlin brilliantly probes the inner life and seeming boundless courage of this outlandish, brash, and charismatic woman.

Reportedly set in motion by a wager between two wealthy Boston merchants, the bet required Annie not only to circle the earth by bicycle in 15 months, but to earn $5,000 en route, as well. This was no mere test of a woman's physical endurance and mental fortitude; it was a test of a woman's ability to fend for herself in the world.

In a time when women could not vote and few worked outside the home, Annie was a master of public relations, a consummate self-promoter, and a skillful creator of her own myth. Yet, for more than a century her remarkable story was lost to history. In SPIN, this daring heroine and her marvelous, stranger-than-fiction story is vividly brought to life for a new generation.

Peter Zheutlin is the author of the New York Times bestseller Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs and a Million Miles on the Lost Hope Highway; Rescued: What Second-Chance Dogs Teach Us About Living with Purpose, Loving with Abandon, and Finding Joy in the Little Things; and The Dog Went Over the Mountain: Travels With Albie--An American Journey. Peter lives in Massachusetts with his wife, author Judy Gelman.

This is a virtual program. Please Register here. You will receive the Zoom link the day before the event.