STRATFORD — New England historian Diane Rapaport is the guest for a special “Meet-the-Author” program at 2 p.m. April 6 in the Lovell Room at the Stratford Library 2203 Main St.
Rapaport, shown at right, is the author of "The Naked Quaker," an historical and humorous collection of true stories about life in Colonial New England, organizers said. The program is free and open to the public.
The Naked Quaker, organizers said, takes readers into the lives of their ancestors, revealing how they truly behaved and spoke. The word “Puritan” conjures up dour images of 17th century New Englanders, people who didn’t have any fun or – heaven forbid - intimacy. But while our ancestors used different words, human nature was not so different 350 years ago, event organizer said.
Rapaport, a former trial attorney and historian, drew on court records to create an award-winning column for New England Ancestors, the journal of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Some of the 25 true stories in The Naked Quaker were previously published there, while others are new and include: “Witches and Wild Women,” “Coupling,” “Tavern Tales,” and “Sunday Meeting,” organizers said.
Autographed copies of The Naked Quaker will be available for purchase at the event. For more information, call the library’s Public Relations & Programming Office at (203) 385- 4162 or visit www.stratfordlibrary.org.