The Hermiston Public Library is beginning its One Book, One Path Community Read for the book “The Healing of Natalie Curtis” in the month of June, culminating with a visit by author Jane Kirkpatrick on July 14.
Beginning today, patrons of the Hermiston Public Library are encouraged to pick up a free copy of the book to read, discuss, and pass along. The library will also have copies available for checkout in print, ebook, and audiobook format. Electronic versions of the book can be found on the Library2Go app.
Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author and speaker from central Oregon with more than 39 published works that have sold more than a million copies. She primarily writes historical fiction, often based on the lives of real people, with themes of faith, commitment, hope, and love.
“The Healing of Natalie Curtis” was released in 2021 and was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Awards. From the publisher’s description:
“Classically trained pianist and singer Natalie Curtis isolated herself for five years after a breakdown just before she was to debut with the New York Philharmonic. Guilt-ridden and songless, Natalie can’t seem to recapture the joy music once brought her. In 1902, her brother invites her to join him in the West to search for healing. What she finds are songs she’d never before encountered — the haunting melodies, rhythms, and stories of Native Americans.
But their music is under attack. The US government’s Code of Offenses prohibits American’s indigenous people from singing, dancing, or speaking their own languages as the powers that be insist on assimilation. Natalie makes it her mission not only to document these songs before they disappear but to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt himself, who is the only man with the power to repeal the unjust law. Will she succeed and step into a new song … and a new future?
Kirkpatrick will discuss her writing process and read a portion of the book at the Hermiston Public Library on July 14 at 6 p.m.
