Dr. Richard Bell Inaugurates "Authors for Truth" Series

Oxon Hill, MD – The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) and the PGCMLS Foundation will launch a new “Authors for Truth” series with Dr. Richard Bell, author of “Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home,” at the Oxon Hill Branch Library on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 pm. The series provides Prince George’s County residents with opportunities to meet and hear from national authors whose works address social justice issues and promote equality.

“Stolen” recounts the story of five young, free black boys who fall into the clutches of the most fearsome gang of kidnappers and slavers in the United States in 1825. Bell’s book uncovers a reversed underground railroad and exposes the atrocities of slavery evident in this gripping true story. The boys’ daring escape and quest to bring their captors to justice echoes “Twelve Years a Slave” and “Never Caught.” NPR describes “Stolen” as “…a remarkable narrative, in part, because of how Bell manages to clearly relate the complex politics of the time without ever legitimizing the choices made by those who bought and sold human lives.”

This is a PGCMLS Foundation sponsored event, and attendees are invited to make a suggested donation of $5 at the door. A book signing will follow the program and books will be available for purchase at the event.

About Richard Bell

Dr. Richard Bell is an associate professor of history at the University of Maryland and author of the book “Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home” (2019). He has won more than a dozen teaching awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor for teaching faculty in the Maryland state system. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress, and is the recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award. He serves as a Trustee of the Maryland Historical Society, as an elected member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

About Prince George’s County Memorial Library System

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS), consisting of 19 branches, offers strategies for lifelong learning. Skills development library resources include Brainfuse’s HelpNow and JobNow, MANGO Languages, ArtistWorks for Libraries and Learning Express Library. Early literacy resources are Ready 2 Read Centers, Ready 2 Read Backpacks, ABCmouse, AWE Early Literacy Stations, Beanstack, Playaway Launchpads and PebbleGo. All these services are free with your PGCMLS library card. Also, enjoy 3D printing, Minecraft, DREAM (Digital Resources for Electronic Applications in Media) Lab, chess clubs and TAG (Teen Action Group), free at your library. Engage with us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, and YouTube. Check out our mobile apps and learn more about what your library has to offer at www.pgcmls.info.

About PGCMLS Foundation

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) Foundation provides critical philanthropic support to the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. It strengthens the Library’s capacity to innovate, adapt to change, and ensure our libraries remain a vital resource for all in Prince George’s County now and in the future. Our libraries are more than a place to find books; they are spaces–both physical and online–to empower individuals, strengthen families, and make our county a better place.