In the 1890s Meg Mabry's great-grandmother Hannah Bass composed starkly revealing diaries of her life on the sourhwestern frontier, first as a Harvey Girl at the glamorous Montezuma Resort in New Mexico, and later as the wife of brilliant and often-absent railway engineer Elliott Bass. A generation later, Hannah's daughter, Claudia Bass, renowned historian known to all as Bassie, launched her academic career from these vibrant accounts, editing and publishing them to great acclaim. Thanks to the journals and to the industry Bassie created around them, Hannah would forever be one of the most romantic and famous figures of southwestern history.

Determined not to live in the shadow of her ancestry, Meg has never even read the journals. But when an unexpected discovery casts doubt on the history recorded in tehir pages, memories, Meg finally succumbs to the allure pf her great-grandmother's story and ventures even deeper into Hannah's life to unlock the mystery at the journal's core.

The Night Journal is an entralling tale in which Indian ruins, majestic desert hotels, and the hardship and boldness of frontier life fit seamlessly with a modern-day story of coming to terms with loss, family secrets, and shattering truths that lie shrouded in memory.

Join the library as we bring you a variety of programs that explore the rich themes of The Night Journal.

Dances with Wolves

Enjoy another great Epic of the American West.  See the movie & meet the author!

Film Screening-Dances with Wolves

Thursday, July 16--2 pm

Conversation with Michael Blake

Friday, July 17--4 pm

Film Series

Discover The worlds of The Night Journal Characters:

Harvey Girls--Sunday, July 19--2:30 PM

The Rough Riders--Sunday, July 26--2:30 PM

September Dawn--Sunday, August 2--2:30 PM

Downtown Lunchtime Book Club

Talk about The Night Journal over Lunch with Friends

Thursday, July 23--12:15 PM

follow up discussion: Wednesday, August 12--12:15 PM

Pueblo Songs & Stories

Experience the Rich Culture of American Indians in The Night Journal

with drummer Freddie Toledo of the Jemez Pueblo & storyteller Eldrena Douma of the Laguna-Tewa-Hopi Pueblo

Tuesday, July 28--5:30 PM

Santa Fe Rails: 

How Railroads Opened the West

Presented by the Railroad Artifact Preservation Society & the Amarillo Railroad museum

Saturday, August 1--2 PM

Journal Writing

with Genealogist, Ellen Lovett

Monday, August 10--9:30 AM

Events take place at the Downtown Library-413 SE 4th Avenue

All AMARILLO READS events are free & open to the public.

A Conversation with Elizabeth Crook

Tuesday, August 11--7 PM--Education Room--Globe News Center--500 S Buchanan

Reading & Questions at 7 PM, followed by book signing in the 2nd floor lobby

Free and Open to the Public

For more information call 378-3051, go to www.amarillolibrary.org or visit your local Hastings