All avid readers are welcome to join the Museum and Bloomington Public Library on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m. for the second installment of the History Reads Book Club for 2023. This will be an in-person only discussion held at The Junction, 303 East Oakland Avenue, due to construction at both the Library and Museum. This quarter's feature book to be discussed is Sweet Greeks: First-Generation Immigrant Confectioners in the Heartland (2020) by Ann Flesor Beck.
Gus Flesor came to the United States from Greece in 1901. His journey led him to Tuscola, Illinois, where he learned the confectioner's trade and opened a business that still stands on Main Street. Sweet Greeks sets the story of Gus Flesor's life as an immigrant in a small town within the larger history of Greek migration to the Midwest.
Ann Flesor Beck's charming personal account recreates the atmosphere of her grandfather's candy kitchen with its odors of chocolate and popcorn and the comings-and-goings of family members. "The Store" represented success while anchoring the business district of Gus's chosen home. It also embodied the Midwest émigré experience of chain migration, immigrant networking, resistance and outright threats by local townspeople, food-related entrepreneurship, and tensions over whether later generations would take over the business.
An engaging blend of family memoir and Midwest history, Sweet Greeks tells how Greeks became candy makers to the nation, one shop at a time.
Registration is required and can be completed clicking this link. You may also register by calling 309-590-6168 or by visiting the Adult Services Desk in person. Please note that in-person attendance is limited to 15 people.
To request a copy of the book, please contact the Reference Desk at Bloomington Public library at 309-590-6168 or email reference@bloomingtonlibrary.org.