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A riveting novel about one journalist's harrowing journey into an infamous real-life 1960s women's prison - and the detective who uncovers her story decades later.

1961: Emily Radcliffe works as an editorial assistant at Chatelaine magazine, surrounded by the best women journalists in the country, whose articles tackle the controversial topics no other women’s publication dares to touch. When a bombshell letter from an inmate at the notorious Mercer Women’s Prison lands on Emily’s desk, she sees the scoop of a lifetime—one that could launch her career as a journalist. But after going undercover to investigate the inmate’s shocking claims, Emily discovers that getting into the prison is the easy part; the real challenge will be getting back out.

1996: Unidentified female remains are discovered in an unmarked grave in a small-town Ontario cemetery, and Detective Rachel Mackenzie is tasked with unraveling the mystery. But when the investigation leads her to the now-shuttered Mercer Women’s Prison, the trauma she’s kept buried for years threatens to surface.

Inspired by true events and the real-life women’s prison that was the first of its kind in Canada, Liberty Street is at once poignant and dazzling; an unforgettable story about resilience, mental health, and female connection that weaves back and forth through time to a stunning and powerful conclusion.

Feature Book Discussion

Tuesday September 29, 6:30pm
West Perth Public Library
Join us to chat about Liberty Street by Heather Marshall! Share your thoughts, hear different perspectives, and enjoy a great conversation with fellow readers. Everyone is welcome.
REGISTER (link coming soon)
 

Tell Me A Story

Thursday October 15, 6pm
Parkview Gardens, 575 Elizabeth St. E., Listowel [map]
We are celebrating trailblazing women with a night of storytelling! Come to hear four incredible women share their journeys in male dominated sectors.  
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Chatelaine in the 50s and 60s

Thursday October 22, 7pm
Zoom Program through Stratford Public Library
Join Dr. Valerie Korinek, author of Roughing it in the Suburbs: Reading Chatelaine Magazine in the Fifties and Sixties, as she explores the ways in which Chatelaine played a role as 'mass market feminism' in that era.Find out how much Marshall's characters were based in fact in this compelling Zoom presentation by a Canadian expert on Chatelaine.
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Booked: Behind Bars at the Huron Historic Gaol

Saturday October 17, 2pm
Huron Historic Goal and Museum, 110 North Street, Goderich [map]
Tour the Huron Historic Gaol and Museum in Goderich and learn about the men, women and children who spent time in the prison during its long history. 
Maximum of 50 registrants. Groups of 25 will alternate between 1 hour in the gaol and 1 hour in the museum. There will be time to explore the gift shop afterwards. Please note the Gaol is not wheelchair accessible. 
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