BY KAREN BOSSICK

Wanted: Curious minds and lovers of interesting books for an innovative four-part book discussion series.

The Hailey Public Library will launch a new series called “Pushing the Limits” on Sept. 25. The books were picked with the idea that the story of humankind is a story of people pushing their limits every day and that science plays an important role.

The library is one of a hundred rural public libraries nationwide to receive a grant from the National Science Foundation to host the series.

The discussions will be held from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. each night. Each will be co-hosted by a librarian and a science partner. Books can be picked up at the library in advance.

“Each evening will be something of a community get-together/science café hybrid,” said Kristin Fletcher, the library’s adult program specialist. “We’ll offer a terrific variety of excellent fiction and nonfiction books, including historic, dystopian and memoir, plus videos and conversation. A little something for every interest.”

The lineup:

Sept. 25—Transformation, as told by Barbara Kingsolver’s “Flight Behavior.” The novel addresses global warming and the costs of inadequate education through the story of butterflies and a young woman who have deviated from their optimal flight paths. Embittered by a shotgun marriage that derailed her dreams of a better life, the young woman becomes impassioned by 15 million monarch butterflies that have come to roost near her home, led astray by pollution and climate change.

Oct. 23—Tradition, as seen in Cherie Dimaline’s “The Marrow Thieves.” This young adult novel is set in a dystopian future where people have lost the ability to dream, except for indigenous people who are hunted for their marrow to create a serum to treat the others.

Jan. 15—Motion, as exemplified in Alfred Lansing’s “Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.” This book recounts polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s attempt to reach Antarctica in January 1915, only to become locked in an island of ice one day short of his destination. As the ship is crushed, he attempts a near-impossible journey over 850 miles of seas to an outpost of civilization.

Feb. 19—Heritage, as featured in Dean Kuipers’ “The Deer Camp.” This is the memoir of a father, his three sons and the restorative power of land--a 100-acre piece of land in rural Michigan. Kuiper discussed his new memoir in May 2019 at Ketchum’s Community Library.

For information or to register for the free series, contact Fletcher at 208-788-2036 or visit www.haileypubliclibrary.org.