MHC Books & Resources | Maine Humanities Council

Books, Poetry, and Big Ideas

can bring people together.

Many of the programs we create or support are built around texts—stories long and short, poems, essays and illustrated books, our Featured Reads, you name it. Whatever their form, they are all people’s efforts at expressing something important about their experience of the world around them.

Featured Reads

Whether used in Discussion Projects, Readers Retreat, Read ME, or representing Maine at the Library of Congress National Book Festival, our Featured Reads offer many opportunities for participation and connection in communities across Maine.

The Berry Pickers

In Amanda Peters’ debut novel, a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years.

Moon in Full

Marpheen Chann’s heart-warming journey weaves through housing projects and foster homes; into houses of worship and across college campuses; and playing out in working-class Maine where he struggles to find his place.

The Road to Dalton

In most small towns, the private is also public. When one of Dalton’s own makes an unthinkable decision, the community is left reeling. In the aftermath, their problems, both small and large, reveal a deeper understanding of the lives of their neighbors, and remind us that no one is exactly who you think they are.

On Tyranny

A graphic edition of historian Timohty Snyder’s bestselling book of lessons for surviving and resisting America’s arc toward authoritarianism, featuring the visual storytelling of renowned illustrator Nora Krug.

Fighting for YES!

A picture book biography about disability rights activist Judy Heumann’s early life and her important role in the signing of landmark legislation – Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 – established thanks in large part to the ongoing work of Judy and her community – laid the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act.