ST. JOHNSVILLE — “The Martian,” Andy Weir’s bestselling novel of 2011, is the selection for discussion on Aug. 12 at Margaret Reaney Memorial Library.
In Weir’s novel, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive. And even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, Watney won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.
Not ready to give up, Watney draws on his ingenuity, engineering skills and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit as he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next working to overcome the impossible odds against him and survive.
The book was optioned for film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, and released in the fall of 2015. Both the novel and film were critically acclaimed.
Judith Prest will facilitate the discussion. Prest is a poet, photographer, mixed media artist and creativity coach. Her work has been published in several journals including Mad Poet’s Review, Chronogram, and the Akros Review. The program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts and is sponsored by the Reaney Library in cooperation with the Mohawk Valley Library System.
For more information or to reserve a copy of the book, call library director, Dawn Lamphere at (518) 568-7822.
