Newport Book Club: ‘Census’ by Jesse Ball

Tuesday, April 6, 2021
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

A powerful and moving new novel from an award-winning, acclaimed author: in the wake of a devastating revelation, a father and son journey north across a tapestry of towns.

When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son—a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son.

Traveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome them into their homes, others who bear the physical brand of past censuses on their ribs are wary of their presence. When they press toward the edges of civilization, the landscape grows wilder, and the towns grow farther apart and more blighted by industrial decay. As they approach “Z,” the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say good-bye to his son? 

This is a live program that will be conducted both in-person and via Zoom, a free online video conferencing platform. Registration is required. Limit of 10 attendees in-person. Please note in the Special Needs section of the registration form if you prefer in-person or Zoom attendance.

Questions may be directed to Valerie Davis at vdavis@cc-pl.org.

Everyone, age 6 or older, who attends library programs are required to wear masks.
Please note any accommodation requests in the Special Needs section of the registration form.

This program will take place outside our current hours of operation. For those attending in-person, a staff member will allow you entrance to the building.

If Campbell County is RED on the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s COVID-19
Dashboard, all in-person programs will be cancelled and those registered will be offered
the online option.

Newport Branch