September 12, 2023
Presented by author Kim van Alkemade.
In this program, the author Kim van Alkemade discusses the facts that inspired her latest novel, and how a writer’s imagination transforms history into fiction to tell a human story. The Nazis’ use of punched-card computer technology to orchestrate the Holocaust becomes the thread that weaves together the fictional story of Cornelia Vogel, a computer operator in WWII Netherlands who uses her knowledge to save the woman she loves, and Rita Klein, a pioneering woman in the new field of computer programming in 1960s New York whose education is derailed by an unexpected pregnancy. Through the stories of a diverse cast of characters, Counting Lost Stars explores the coerced adoptions of the Baby Scoop Era, the unique horrors of transit Camp Westerbork in the Netherlands, the generational impact of trauma, the dangers of information technology and individual courage in the face of systemic injustice. A book sale and signing will follow.
This program is sponsored by The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and and co-sponsored by the departments of American studies, data analytics, English, history and women’s, gender & sexuality studies. For more information, please visit The Clarke Forum's website.
Don't miss out! Discover more public arts events at Dickinson’s Calendar of Arts.
Further information
- Location: Stern Center, Great Room
- Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- Cost: Free