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Join the Cambridge Public Library in welcoming Philip Taubman, former Washington Bureau Chief of The New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Taubman for a discussion of their latest book, McNamara at War, a captivating and authoritative psychological portrait of Robert S. McNamara. Informed by newly discovered diaries, letters, and interviews with those closest to him, the authors uncover an emotionally tortured man—a man who mastered everything in life, until the Vietnam War mastered him. The discussion will be moderated by Fredrik Logevall, the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and the author of JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century.

faq and guidelines

With so many children sick with respiratory illnesses this winter, pharmacies are having trouble keeping up with demand for children's pain and fever-reducing medications. If you cannot find children’s fever and pain relievers in local stores, the Cambridge Public Health Department has some helpful tips.

Join the Collins Branch Library in collaboration with the Cambridge Climate Leaders Initiative for a monthly discussion of a climate-related topic. Each month the group will discuss a book on the topic at hand then hear about a related local program or initiative and how you can take action. Topic: Regenerative Possibilities Book: Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility - edited by Rebecca Solnit & Thelma Young Lutunatabua Meetings will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month from 6-7:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be available at the Collins Branch during library hours. Registration is encouraged, but not required. For more information contact Jo at jpercell@cambridgema.gov.

Introducing the Reel Reads Book Group! Each month we read a book selection with a movie adaptation and discuss the relationship between the two and the merits and/or drawbacks of each. September selection: Forrest Gump by Winston Groom & the 1994 film Forrest Gump (dir. Robert Zemekis) How to get the print book and DVD: Copies of the book and DVD are set aside at the O'Connell Branch. Click here for O'Connell Branch Hours This month’s book and movie may also be available digitally through Libby, Hoopla or Kanopy. This book group meets every other month, in person at the O'Connell Branch. Registration is helpful! For more information contact the branch at 617-349-4019.

Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating the winners and honorees of the 2025 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards! First presented in 1967, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards celebrate excellence in children’s and young adult literature. The 2025 winners and honorees “represent such a wide range of what books for young people can be and say,” writes Elissa Gershowitz, Editor in Chief of The Horn Book, Inc. “Especially at a time when creative voices are being threatened and silenced, we are proud to recognize children’s book creators whose work is so uniquely their own.” A book signing will follow the Awards Ceremony. Books will be available for purchase on-site. Registration is required.

Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Pizza will be provided. For ages 7-10 and a parent or caregiver. This month's book is Hoops by Matt Tavares, a historical fiction graphic novel follows the story of a girl’s basketball team in the 1970’s as they fight for the same treatment that the boy’s team receives. Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family. For a copy of the book, stop by the Children’s Room after you've registered. For questions about parent/child book group, please email Meagan: malbright@cambridgema.gov

Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating our Summer Reading theme—“Plant a seed, read!”—by gathering with us for a reading and talk with author and biologist, David George Haskell, author of How Flowers Made Our World: The Story of Nature's Revolutionaries, published just this past March. The recipient of mutliple starred reviews, How Flowers Made Our World has been described as “a work of real passion” (The New York Times) and “a seamless melding of poetry and science” (Wall Street Journal) and in it, David George Haskell, a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction, argues that flowers “belong at the center of the story of how our world came to be.” Registration is required.

This morning's program has been cancelled due to rain. Please join us on Wednesday, September 17. Children and families can join us for an outdoor story time and short walk at Alewife Brook Reservation. We will meet at the seating area on the bike path near the Alewife Brook Pathway and DCR Wetland Boardwalk: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CC32nJqG1Xk3b5zDA. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive. No registration is required. In case of bad weather, this event will be cancelled and the listing will be updated on the website. Please call 617-349-4023 with any questions, including day-of weather cancellations.

Update 6/18/25: Due to rain in the forecast, this story time has been cancelled. Children and families can join us for an outdoor story time and short walk at Alewife Brook Reservation. We will meet at the seating area on the bike path near the Alewife Brook Pathway and DCR Wetland Boardwalk: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CC32nJqG1Xk3b5zDA. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive. No registration is required. In case of bad weather, this event will be cancelled and the listing will be updated on the website. Please call 617-349-4023 with any questions, including day-of weather cancellations.