What must be remembered for a society to remain free?

A four-session Humanities Unbound reading and discussion series with Humanities New York and Woodstock Public Library

In this Humanities Unbound series, we’ll read Yōko Ogawa’s The Memory Police and Susan Orlean’s The Library Book. Ogawa’s novel imagines a world where objects disappear and the memories attached to them begin to fade. Orlean centers the real-world work of libraries and the role they play in preserving access to knowledge. These two works will allow us to consider what is at stake when memory is controlled or lost and what it takes to preserve knowledge for the public.

Across four conversations, participants will return to the texts and give their questions time to develop. We’ll read closely, consider different interpretations, and explore how memory shapes the ways we understand freedom and the world around us.

Mondays, November 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2026
4:00–5:30 p.m.
Woodstock Public Library
10 Dixon Avenue, Woodstock, NY 12498

Advance registration required with Woodstock Public Library. Space is limited to 15 participants. Complimentary copies of the texts will be provided to registered participants.