Eli Saslow, author of “Rising Out of Hatred,” to present online talk May 27

Eli Saslow (photo by Joanna Ceciliani)

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eli Saslow, author of “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist,” will give a live online author talk May 27 about his book and the issues it addresses.

Saslow’s talk is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, May 27, via Zoom. Those interested in attending the event should register in advance via the Event Calendar on Mesa County Libraries’ website. Event registrants will receive an email from Mesa County Libraries on the day of the event containing a link to the online event.

A question-and-answer session will follow Saslow’s talk. The online event is free of charge.

A recording of Saslow’s talk will be available through June 10 to registered attendees and subscribers of the Mesa County Libraries email newsletter, Library News. To subscribe to the free email newsletter, visit mesacountylibraries.org and scroll to the bottom of the web page.

“Rising Out of Hatred” is the basis of Community Read and Discussion events in Fruita this month. A series of community events based on themes in the book have been held throughout May, and Saslow’s talk will further explore those themes. The Community Read and related discussions are organized by Fruita for Equality – a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries, Fruita Rotary, the city of Fruita, and Lithic Bookstore and Gallery – and are supported by a grant from the American Library Association.

The book and discussions are relevant to current events as the country wrestles with questions of race, diversity, and equality.

“Rising Out of Hatred” tells the personal story of one man who eventually disavowed everything he believed, at tremendous personal cost. With empathy and verve, Saslow asks what the story of Derek Black – whom the author calls “the rightful heir to America’s white nationalist movement” – says about America’s increasingly divided nature.

Saslow is a Washington Post staff writer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2014 for a year-long series about food stamps in the United States, later collected into the book “American Hunger.” He also is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.

Saslow’s author talk on May 27 will be followed by a series of Living Room Conversations during June that will explore themes from “Rising Out of Hatred.” More information about those events will be available soon on the Mesa County Libraries website.