Kenneth Cadow – Gather – Vermont Reads 2024

This event was rescheduled from October.

Kenneth Cadow, author of Gather – the Vermont Reads selection for 2024 and a National Book Award Finalist – will read from his book and talk about the themes of rural life, resilience, class differences, addiction and recovery, housing and food insecurity, a deep relationship to the land, and the power of community.

Ian, the main character in this novel for young adults, is a resourceful teenager from rural Vermont. He isn’t supposed to have a dog, but his adopted pup Gather soon becomes a good friend. Although he hasn’t yet finished high school, Ian works hard to take care of his mother, who is trying to overcome her addiction to opioids. In between classes and other responsibilities, Ian helps his family make ends meet by fixing things for neighbors and working at a sawmill off the books. Sadly, he needed to quit the school’s basketball team to support his family.

Above all, Ian wants his family to remain on the land where they have lived for generations. But after a tragedy, he and Gather leave Vermont. Living on the run, Ian draws on his well-honed survival skills to care for himself and his dog. At the same time, a community of folks comes together to try to provide a way home for Ian and Gather.

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Ken Cadow is an educator and writer. Gather is his first young adult novel. About this book, he says, “In my teaching career, I have encountered dozens upon dozens of stories like Ian’s: kids whose spirits are threatened to be crushed by societal disregard. The kids who are able to pull through by the ingenuity of their skill set and the strength of their character, as well as the care of their larger communities, are some of the strongest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.” The father of three remarkable adults, Ken lives with his wife and their dog in Vermont.

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The Vermont Humanities Council’s program Vermont Reads is in its 22nd year. NWPL is collaborating with the Yankee Bookshop, Abbott Library in Pomfret, and the Woodstock Union High School to foster important conversations about the topics portrayed in Gather. In addition, Sustainable Woodstock will show the film “Just Getting By” at Pentangle in late October. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion about food insecurity and homelessness with the filmmaker, Bess O’Brien, and representatives of local nonprofits including Listen, the Haven, and Willing Hands.

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This event, co-hosted by the Yankee Bookshop, is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Registration is appreciated but not required. Please email Programs@NormanWilliams.org for more information.