Join our Member’s Choice Book Group for a lively discussion on titles chosen by the group. This group typically meets the first Wednesday of each month and is always eager to welcome new people. We will meet in the CPL STUDY Room!

November’s Book Pick: The Peking Express by James M. Zimmerman

In May 1923, Shanghai publisher and reporter John Benjamin Powell bought a ticket for the Peking Express;he pictured an idyllic overnight journey on a new train of unprecedented luxury. Seeing his fellow passengers, including Italian lawyer Giuseppe Musso, a confidante of Mussolini, and American heiress Lucy Aldrich, sister-in-law of John D. Rockefeller Jr., he knew it would be an unforgettable trip. Charismatic bandit leader and populist rabble rouser Sun Mei-yao had also taken notice of the new train from Shanghai to Peking. On the night of Powell’s trip, Sun launched his plan to make a brazen political statement: he and a thousand fellow bandits descended on the train, capturing dozens of hostages. Aided by local proxy authorities, the humiliated Peking government soon furiously gave chase. At the bandits’ mountain stronghold, a five-week siege began.

Physical copies are available to pick up at the library; eBooks are available on Libby.

This program continues to be hybrid – in-person & virtual. Simply drop in to enjoy the group in person OR register here to receive a Zoom link on the day of the meeting.