Personal Despair in Civil War Is Topic of Oct. 18 Lecture

Moments of Despair: Suicide, Divorce, & Debt in Civil War Era North Carolina
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011
Wilson Special Collections Library
5:00 p.m. Reception | Main Lobby
5:30 p.m. Program | Pleasants Family Assembly Room
Free and open to the public
Information: Liza Terll, Friends of the Library, (919) 548-1203

The author of a new book that examines how the Civil War reshaped North Carolinians’ understanding of personal strife will give a free public lecture Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Wilson Special Collections Library.

David Silkenat, assistant professor of history and education at North Dakota State University, will discuss his recent book Moments of Despair: Suicide, Divorce, & Debt in Civil War Era North Carolina (UNC Press, 2011).

The book describes how black and white North Carolinians were forced to reinterpret the morality of suicide, divorce, and debt amidst the upheaval of the war, with lasting implications for southern culture.

Silkenat, who earned both a Ph.D. (’08) and M.A. (’05) in history from UNC, utilized collections held by the Southern Historical Collection in Wilson Library while researching his book.

The lecture is sponsored by the Southern Historical Collection and the Friends of the Library.

Related Links

• Southern Historical Collection
• Moments of Despair (book information from UNC Press)
• Review of Moments of Despair from Our State magazine