Buxton Books is excited to host Denise Kiernan to celebrate the release of We Gather Together (Young Readers Edition). Denise will be in conversation with Charleston Library Society Head Librarian Laura Mina. This is a free, in-store event. Please email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot!
We often receive requests from our young readers (and their guardians) for more programming geared towards kids! So we are excited to announce that Denise Kiernan, one of our favorite authors, is returning to Charleston for an event celebrating the release of the young readers adaptation of her New York Times bestselling book We Gather Together.
Denise is known for making non-fiction engaging for adults, and now she's bringing her talent to the middle grade and young adult audience!
We Gather Together (Young Readers Edition) shares the true story of how Thanksgiving became a national holiday. Denise debunks the myths, provides facts, and explains how and why Thanksgiving evolved in the United States the way it did—and what gratitude means to society.
This should be required reading in every school in America today, and we are eager to introduce it - and Denise - to Charleston's community of young readers! We are also thrilled that our dear friend Laura Mina, Head Librarian at The Charleston Library Society, will be in conversation with Denise.
This in-store event is great for ages 8 - 12 (though this is just an average. Children and young adults outside that age range can enjoy it too). Doors open at 3:30 pm. Program begins at 4:00 pm. Please email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot! For more information, click here.
We hope to see lots of young readers and young historians in the crowd for what is sure to be a fun and educational time!
This is a free, in-store event. Please email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot!
About We Gather Together (YA Edition):
This young readers adaptation of the New York Times bestselling We Gather Together shares the true story of how Thanksgiving became a national holiday and the way gratitude is looked at in America.
Fiction: Thanksgiving is an American holiday that began when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and met the Indigenous tribes already living there.
Fact: Thanksgiving celebrations existed before the United States of America and were celebrated in other countries as well.
Fiction: American Thanksgiving was always on the fourth Thursday in November.
Fact: Thanksgiving’s day, date, and even its existence was at the discretion of the president and other leaders until the date was officially established by Congress and signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941.
Fiction: George Washington is the person who decided we should celebrate Thanksgiving as a nation at the same time each year.
Fact: Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor and author, petitioned five presidents until she convinced Abraham Lincoln to declare a national day of Thanksgiving in November of 1863, starting an annual tradition continuing to this day.
There is much fiction surrounding the creation of Thanksgiving in America. Denise Kiernan debunks myths, provides facts, and explains how and why Thanksgiving evolved in the United States the way it did—and what gratitude means to society.
This young readers adaptation of Kiernan’s We Gather Together should be required reading in every school in America today.
About Denise Kiernan:
Denise Kiernan is an American journalist, producer, and author who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. She has authored and co-authored several award-winning and bestselling history titles, including The Girls of Atomic City, The Last Castle, and Signing Their Rights Away. You can visit her online at DeniseKiernan.com, on Instagram @iamdenisekiernan, on Facebook @DeniseKiernanAuthor, and on Twitter @DeniseKiernan.