City of Grand Island

Grand Island, Neb. — The Grand Island Public Library will kick off its 2025 Adult Summer Reading Program with a special appearance by Nebraska author Tosca Lee on Monday, June 2 at 5:30 p.m.

Lee, in collaboration with Marcus Brotherton, co-authored The Long March Home, the 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection. This powerful historical novel is inspired by true events and follows three teenage friends—Jimmy Propfield, Hank Wright and Billy Crockett—who enlist during World War II and are sent from Mobile, Alabama to the Philippines. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Japanese invasion of Luzon, the friends are captured and forced into the infamous Bataan Death March. The novel blends past and present timelines to depict the trauma of war, the enduring power of friendship and the unbreakable human spirit.

During the event, Lee will share insights into the writing of the novel and present a historical program about World War II in the Philippines and the Bataan Death March. A book sale and signing will follow her presentation.

Adults participating in the Summer Reading Program can track their progress using the library’s Beanstack app, available via mobile app stores or at https://gilibrary.beanstack.com. Participants of all ages can log reading activities to earn entries for prize drawings throughout the summer. To view the full schedule of Summer Reading events, visit https://gilibrary.events.mylibrary.digital.