Even after 80 years, the horrific 1942 Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire continues to cast a long shadow across Boston.  Stephanie Schorow, author of The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire: A Boston Tragedy (History Press, October 2022) will present an illustrated lecture about this inferno that features new research and insights into its continuing mysteries and the lingering impact on the lives of New Englanders three generations later. Said Schorow, “Over the years, people have approached me with stories of their parents or grandparents or relatives who were killed or devastated by the fire. I was continually finding new information and hearing new theories. I could not let this subject go.” She will also talk about the  push by a group of determined citizens to create a fitting memorial to the nearly 500 people killed in the fire. Schorow is the author of nine nonfiction books, including: The Great Boston Fire: The Inferno that Nearly Incinerated the City and Inside the Combat Zone, as well as books on the Boston mob, the Boston Harbor Islands and the 1950 Brinks robber.  See www.stephanieschorow.com for more information about her work.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Reading Public Library.