Author To Discuss 'The Gritty Berkshires' at North Adams Public Library

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Public Library, in collaboration with the North Adams Historical Society, will host author Maynard Seider for a discussion of his book, "The Gritty Berkshires: A People's History from the Hoosac Tunnel to MASS MoCA."

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. in the library's third-floor community room.

Seider's book focuses on the immigrants and their descendants who dug the Hoosac Tunnel, worked in the textile mills and the shoe factories of North Berkshire, and produced capacitors at Sprague Electric Company.

The presentation will trace this history from the early 19th century to the present, drawing connections between local events and broader changes in the American landscape. The discussion will also highlight the activism of residents, whether it be protesting conditions in an unsafe mill, organizing to form a union, or fighting the closure of a regional hospital.

Copies of "The Gritty Berkshires" will be available for purchase and signing. The North Adams Public Library is located at 74 Church Street.

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