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The purpose of “The Year of Reading� is to build on the momentum from the “Reflections on Pine� events of last year that united the community to share its history.

There will be four books in the first year of the book club. The first book to be discussed will be Peter Levy’s “Civil War on Race Street.� The author will come to Cambridge on Thursday, Sept. 20, and that discussion will be broadcast live on Facebook.

Levy is a professor and former chairman of the Department of History and Political Science at York College of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on “Recent America,� the civil rights movement and “Race and Justice.� He is the author of numerous books and articles, including “The Great Uprising: Race Riots in Urban America during the 1960s� (Cambridge University Press, 2018), “The Civil Rights Movement in Cambridge, Maryland “(The University of Florida Press, 2003), “The New Left and Labor� (University of Illinois Press, 1994) and “Let Freedom Ring: A Documentary History of the Civil Rights Movement� (Praeger, 1992).

“We are excited to be able to bring authors to our community to discuss their works,� said ESNC co-founder Dion Banks. “We are hoping that these discussions will be unique opportunities for our community to come together and exchange ideas.�

Local organizations have signed on to help with this endeavor, including Dorchester County Public Schools and the Dorchester County Library.

ESNC’s mission is to raise awareness of issues in Dorchester County and to work creatively with the community to inform, educate and foster change that leads to social and economic empowerment. For more information, visit