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Hoosier Authors Book Club announces 2024 schedule

‘Hoosier Public Enemy: A Life of John Dillinger’ is club’s first read

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The Hoosier Authors Book Club enters its ninth year with five planned book discussions throughout the year. Meetings take place in the Lew Wallace Carriage House, 200 Wallace Ave. at 7 p.m.

On June 20, the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum’s book club will discuss “Hoosier Public Enemy: A Life of John Dillinger” by John A. Beineke. There are a limited number of books available for check out at the Carriage House at the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum.

During the bleak days of the Great Depression, news of economic hardship often took a backseat to articles on the exploits of an outlaw from Indiana — John Dillinger. For 14 months during 1933 and 1934, Dillinger became the most famous bandit in American history. A native of Indiana, he is perhaps the most infamous person buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Dillinger was more than simply a bank robber and murderer; amid a turbulent time, he represented disobedience. He became a folk hero to some and a public villain to others due to his daring heists and remarkable ability to evade the authorities. Dillinger changed the way the public viewed gangsters and changed the way the FBI operated.

Other books that will be read by the Hoosier Authors Book Club this year include: “You Should See Me in a Crown” by Leah Johnson on July 18, “An Abundance of Katherines” by John Green on Sept. 19 and “The Magic Garden” by Gene Stratton-Porter on Oct. 24.

All discussions are free and open to the public.

For more information about the club visit online at www.ben-hur.com/programs/hoosier-authors-book-club/.


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