Community invited to read ‘God of the Woods’ together
One Book One Community – The Plymouth Chapter has selected “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore for the 11th Community Book Read!
About the book
Early morning, August 1975: A camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any 13-year-old: She’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, this multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.
“God of the Woods” has garnered numerous recognitions, among them:
- People Magazine #1 Book of the Year
- New York Times “Best Thriller” and “Best Crime Novel” of the Year
- New York Times Notable Book of the Year
- New York Times Bestseller
How to obtain a copy
- Plymouth Public Library has limited reserved copies available for checkout with your library card.
- Books and More has copies available for purchase at 214 E. Mill St.
Community Book Read events
These events are free and open to the public; no registration is needed. Reading the book is encouraged, but not required.
A Look Back: Sheboygan County Summer Camps
“The God of the Woods” unfolds at a fictional summer camp — join us to explore the real history of Sheboygan County's own camps, including Anokijig, Evelyn, Evergreen, Harand, and Y-Koda, as presented by Katie Reilly of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.
6pm Tuesday Sept. 24 at Plymouth Public Library
Book Discussions
- 10am Thursday Oct. 1 at Plymouth Public Library
- 2pm Tuesday Oct. 20 at Books and More
- 6pm Tuesday Oct. 20 at Books and More
- 3pm Monday Oct. 26 at Generations
About the community book read
The annual One Book One Community – The Plymouth Chapter book read is sponsored by Plymouth Public Library, Plymouth School District Community Education & Recreation, Generations, and Books and More.
The overall objective is to select a book annually as a community joint reading venture, in the spirit of newspaper columnist Mary McGrory’s observation that “the city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony.”
Previous selections
- “Go Set a Watchman” by Harper Lee in 2015
- “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown in 2016
- “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” by Jamie Ford in 2017
- “The Things They Carried” by Tim O'Brien in 2018
- “How To Make a Life: A Tibetan Refugee Family and the Midwestern Woman They Adopted” by Madeline Uraneck in 2019
- “She Rode a Yellow Stallion” by local author Warren Reed in 2021
- “My Happiness Counts” by local author Charm Joy Der for kids, “Starfish” by Lisa Fipps for young adults, and “Little Fires Everywhere” Celeste Ng for adults in 2022
- “Delete the Adjective: A Soldier's Adventures in Ranger School” by Plymouth native Lisa Jaster in 2023
- “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt in 2024
- “James” by Percival Everett in 2025
Learn more:
• Visit the One Book One Community – the Plymouth Chapter website at plymouthbookread.weebly.com.
• Follow One Book One Community – the Plymouth Chapter on Facebook at facebook.com/OneBookPlymouthWI.
