Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice
(Liveright, 2020)

Please join us on Thursday, September 3, at 5 p.m., for a 2020 Virtual History Book Festival “Spirited Discussion” with Pam Fessler, author of Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice (Liveright, 2020). Fessler will be interviewed by Steve Drummond. This event is free but registration is required.

About the book
An old sugar plantation in Louisiana, called Carville by locals, was the site of the only leprosy colony in the continental United States, where generations of afflicted Americans were isolated—often against their will and until their deaths. Amid widespread public anxiety about foreign contamination and contagion, patients were deprived of basic rights and shunned by those outside. This is the story of the patients, nurses, doctors, and researchers at Carville who struggled for over a century to eradicate Hansen’s disease, the modern name for leprosy.

About the author
Pam Fessler is a national correspondent with NPR News, where she covers poverty, philanthropy, and voting.  This is her first book, written after she discovered an unexpected family connection to Carville.

Steve Drummond will interview Fessler during the event. Drummond is the executive producer of the NPR podcast about race, Code Switch, and of NPR’s education reporting project, NPR Ed.

How to attend the online event
The event will be shared using Zoom—an easy, reliable platform for video and audio conferencing. Here are basic written instructions for using Zoom and a brief video tutorial.

All registered attendees will receive a follow-up email from “LibCal” with Zoom log-in information. If you don’t receive this email after registering, please check your SPAM folder. If you still can’t locate the email, please contact info@historybookfestival.org.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes. Each copy purchased comes with a signed archival bookplate.

About the Festival
2020 Virtual History Book Festival: Bring History Home is sponsored by Delaware Humanities and The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group.

The HBF “Spirited Discussion” is one of the types of programming offered this year at 2020 Virtual History Book Festival: Bring History Home. We are extremely grateful for the virtual venue and assistance in event promotion provided by the Lewes Public Library, in conjunction with the Delaware Division of Libraries and Sussex County Libraries.