Welcome to Carroll Reads

A Book and Discussion Group for Carroll Community College Students and Community Members

Carroll Reads is a community reading and discussion group dedicated to exploring important books and films together and sharing the experience in a thoughtful, engaging environment. Our goal is to foster meaningful conversations, encourage reflection, and highlight how reading as a group enhances our understanding and appreciation of literature.

Fall 2026 Book Selection

• The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, by master storyteller, Erik Larson.
• On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the victor in a polarized and contentious race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a previously trivial federal fortress in Charleston Harbor, Fort Sumter.
• We could not find a timelier book to read, contemplating how political divisions ripped the country apart, as America currently faces similar challenges to its democracy. Erik Larson details a remarkably gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Fort Sumter. A unique moment in American history, marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enormous egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals.
• Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.” Lincoln embarks on a trial few leaders have faced, and a catastrophe that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.
• Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink, a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.

Book Availability:

• Available at the Carroll Community College Library
• Loan copies available from the History Department (first come, first served)
• Kindle, Audible, and affordable used copies can be purchased online
• Available at Barnes & Noble

• Fall 2026 Meeting Schedule:
  (All discussions held on Microsoft Teams at 7:00 PM)
  • Tuesday, September 8, 2026 – Introduction, no reading necessary.
  • Tuesday, September 22, 2026 – Book Discussion
  • Tuesday, October 20, 2026 – Book Discussion
  • Tuesday, November 17, 2026 – Book Discussion
  • Tuesday, December 8, 2026 – A discussion of Abraham Lincoln’s final speech to the nation, The Second Inaugural Address.
  • Optional In-Person Final Discussion
    December 15, 2026 – 7:00 PM on campus.

Email for more information: Carrollreads@carrollcc.edu
Or contact Kate Fanning for an outline of the book: Kfanning@carrollcc.edu

To register, please complete this registration form.