'Spin' with author Peter Zheutlin

Author Peter Zheutlin will be at the library to talk about his novel Spin: A novel based on a (mostly) true story.

Who was Annie Londonderry? She captured the popular imagination with her daring ‘round the world trip on two wheels. It was, declared The New York World in October of 1895, “the most extraordinary journey ever undertaken by a woman.”

But beyond the headlines, Londonderry was really Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, a young, Jewish mother of three small children, who climbed onto a 42-pound Columbia bicycle and pedaled away into history.

Zheutlin, a descendent of Annie, brilliantly probes the inner life and seeming boundless courage of this outlandish, brash, and charismatic woman. In SPIN, this remarkable heroine and her marvelous, stranger-than-fiction story is vividly brought to life for a new generation.

This event is part of the Town of Kittery's Books & Big Ideas program, an initiative that gets community members talking about issues that matter to them and their neighbors. This summer's topic is "Getting there without a car."