[463] ‘KILLER ANGELS’ FOCUS OF CIVIL WAR BOOK GROUP’S JUNE DISCUSSION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 11, 2009
CONTACT: Antoinette van Zelm, 615-217-8013 or avanzelm@mtsu.edu

‘KILLER ANGELS’ FOCUS OF CIVIL WAR BOOK GROUP’S JUNE DISCUSSION
Group Invites Community to Participate In Free Book Discussion at Heritage Center

(MURFREESBORO)—Members of the “Between the Lines: Reading About the Civil War” book group invite locals to kick off their summer reading with Killer Angels, one of the most-celebrated and popular Civil War novels of the 20th century. Published by Michael Shaara in 1974 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Killer Angels recreates the drama of the Battle of Gettysburg and is a must-read for Civil War buffs, said Antoinette van Zelm of the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
The novel will be discussed beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4, during the “Between the Lines” group’s monthly meeting. All book-reading sessions, which are free and open to the public, are held at the Heritage Center, 225 West College St., in Murfreesboro.
Killer Angels is a compelling novel that takes readers through the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg early in July 1863. Shaara tells his story through the perspectives of the key Confederate and Union military officers involved in the battle.
The novel has been compared to other classic war novels, including The Red Badge of Courage and All Quiet on the Western Front, said van Zelm, who noted that Shaara’s “surefire storytelling” has thrilled readers for the past 35 years.
The book discussion group is sponsored by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Linebaugh Library and the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. The group, which focuses on Civil War-related literature and biography, meets in January and June of each year.
Each week in June, the group will focus on a different theme related to the book. The group’s June discussion is as follows:

June 4: History as Literature: The Novel Killer Angels
June 11: Gettysburg’s Confederate Generals in Killer Angels
June 18: Gettysburg’s Union Generals in Killer Angels
June 25: Gettysburg in American History and Memory

The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area receives funding from the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU. Linebaugh Library, which sponsors several book groups, serves the citizens of Rutherford County through four branches. The Heritage Center is a joint venture between the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, the City of Murfreesboro, and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. Additional support comes from the Rutherford County Government and State Farm Insurance.
For more information on “Between the Lines: Reading About the Civil War,” please call 615-217-8013 or e-mail van Zelm at avanzelm@mtsu.edu.