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'Big Trouble' brewing for library book club

| April 24, 2010 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - More than 100 years ago former Idaho Gov. Frank Steunenberg was assassinated in the town of Caldwell. The events surrounding the murder and the ultimate "Trial of the Century" in Boise are the heart of "Big Trouble," the April book selection for the Pageturners Library Book Club.

Copies of the book are available at the Research and Information Desk of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library, 702 E. Mullan Ave. The Pageturners discussion will be at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 28, in the Community Room.

In "Big Trouble" Pulitzer-Prize winning author J. Anthony Lukas looks at the social tapestry of Idaho and the nation at the turn of the century and puts this sensational murder in context.

This book examines the mining wars in the Coeur d'Alene region as well as the 24th Infantry Regiment's involvement in that conflict. The 24th Infantry Regiment was one of the army's four black units at that time in our history. Clarence Darrow himself came to Boise as the lawyer for the defense at the trial, which drew national interest.

Although the book is more than 800 pages long, the discussion will focus on four chapters for a total of 200 pages.

The Pageturners Library Book Club is supported by a grant from the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library. Twenty copies of each book selection are made available for the club. Following its discussion the books are collected in special bundles along with discussion material and are made available for other book clubs to check out.

For a complete schedule of the Pageturners discussion visit the library website at www.cdalibrary.org.