Every person who immigrates to the United States has a story to tell. Hilda Satt Polacheck's family emigrated from Poland to Chicago in 1892, bringing their old-world Jewish traditions with them into the Industrial Age.

She recounts her introduction to American life and the Hull-House community, working in a sweatshop, her friendship with Jane Addams, her marriage and life in Milwaukee, her support of civil rights, woman suffrage, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and her experiences as a writer for the WPA. The book begins when Hilda is ten and proceeds through WWI, Prohibition, and the Great Depression, ending with WWII. This is a uniquely personal recounting of many events that shaped the Twentieth Century. Back to top

Although born in Poland, Hilda Satt Polacheck (1882-1967) spent her life in the Midwest. Throughout her career as a writer and activist, she never forgot the immigrant neighborhoods, the markets, and the scents and sounds of Chicago's West Side. She received help and aid from Hull House, later worked as an employee there, and became a friend of Jane Addams. She wrote the manuscript in the 1950s but was told by the editors she contacted that no one would be interested in reading about an "obscure woman," and it was never published.

After her death, several versions of the unpublished manuscript were found in her home by her family. Her daughter, Dena J. Polacheck Epstein, revised the manuscript, checked all the facts included and published the book in 1989. Back to top

Please donate a can of soup for your neighbors when attending any of the One Book, One Freeport events. A barrel will be available for this purpose. All donations will be given to the Freeport Area Church Cooperative and the Salvation Army.

Soup lines were very common during the Great Depression. In 2013, most people know someone who is struggling and needs help. Let's have a good time and help our friends and neighbors at the same time. Back to top

Calendar Additions and Changes

• Mar. 11: "Meet Jane Addams" presented by Re-enactor Amy Nyman has been re-scheduled for Monday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Freeport Public Library.
• Mar. 20: "Old City/New City: Immigrants to Boston in the 19^th Century" will be presented by Dr. Martin Quirk on March 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Freeport Public Library.
• Mar. 14, 15, 16: The Fine Arts/Theatre Department at Highland Community College will be performing Clarence Darrow's Last Trial on March 14, 15, and 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Fine Arts Theatre on the Highland Community College Campus. Tickets are $10 Adult, $8 Senior, $6 Student. The play is a historical drama based on the late life of Clarence Darrow, an important figure in 20^th century legal realm and a leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization founded to protect the free speech rights of under represented social classes, including immigrants.
• Apr. 7: Winneshiek Theatre will host an encore performance of Serviceman's Snack Bar. It is an amazing story of a community giving and giving. In the midst of a world war, rationing, wages freezes and the last vestiges of the Great Depression, the people of Freeport and the surrounding communities pulled together over a 15-month period to provide refreshments for some 240,000 service men and women as they passed through town. The facts and voices behind this incredible story will come to life on the Winneshiek stage on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m.

The 2013 Calendar includes a variety of interesting programs designed to capture your interest, including:

Free Book Giveaways of I Came A Stranger by Hilda Satt Polacheck

• Giveaways on January 5 and January 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Jan. 15: The Caxton Book Club Book Discussion Group; 7 p.m. at the Freeport Public Library
• Jan. 30: Readers' Inc. Book Discussion Group; Noon at the Freeport Public Library
• Jan. 31: About a Book Discussion Group; 6:30pm at the Freeport Public Library
• Feb. 6: Book Discussion Group; 10 a.m. at the Freeport Public Library
• Feb. 15: Book Discussion Group; 9:30 a.m. at Liberty Village
• Feb. 17: Book Discussion Group; 4 p.m. at Prince of Peace
• Feb. 18: HCC Book Discussion Group; 12:30 p.m. at Garden Deli
• Feb. 21: Book Discussion Group; 2 p.m. at Parkview Home

Displays

• Journey Stories – provided by the Smithsonian Institution, it highlights immigration to America and then movement throughout the country. Located at the Freeport Public Library from January 5 to February 16.
• Railroad Stories – highlights the railroad's influence on people locating in Freeport and Northern Illinois. Provided by the Stephenson County Museum and located in the Freeport Public Library from January 5 to February 16.
• One Book, One Freeport – a display at the Stephenson County Visitor's Center featuring the book and immigration, January 13 to February 28.
• FHS Student Artwork – based on the book and on display at the Freeport Art Museum February 14 to 28 during regular hours.
• WPA Art Display – at the Freeport Art Museum featuring the original collection owned by the Freeport School District. On display February 16 to April 6 during regular hours.

A movie, a play, and a re-enactor

• An American Tail at the Lindo Theater on Saturday, January 19 at 10 a.m. This children's matinee performance will feature the antics of a young Russian mouse emigrating to the U.S. Discounted tickets will be available to all attending.
• A Reader's Theater performance of Serviceman's Snack Bar at the Winneshiek Playhouse on Saturday, January 26 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, January 27 at 2 p.m. The readings feature letters written by servicemen traveling by rail through Freeport during WWII when all troop trains were met by local citizens and provided with refreshments.
• Amy Nyman appearing as Jane Addams at the Freeport Public Library on January 30 at 7 p.m.

A Reception with a folksinger, artwork and re-enactments from the book: The Empty Bowl Reception at the Freeport Art Museum from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on February 16.

• Empty Bowls Hunger Relief Project. Purchase a student made ceramic bowl, enjoy a bowl of soup, and bring a can of soup to fight food insecurity. Proceeds benefit local hunger initiatives.
• Opening Reception for WPA art exhibit.
• Folk Singer, Kendra Beth Swanson will perform Woody Guthrie songs on banjo, and old-time fiddle tunes, as well as an original piece composed especially for this event.
• Freeport students present a multimedia, performance piece – A Tent and a Bowl of Soup.
• Artwork by Freeport Students. Tent Cities and Soup Lines.

Lectures including the annual American History Lecture Series this year featuring topics related to immigration and travel throughout this country. The University of Illinois Extension is also providing a guest lecturer. Talks will be held at the Freeport Public Library and will begin at 7 p.m.

• "Orphan Train," a lecture by Clark Kidder on January 14
• "Black Migration to Freeport," a lecture by Joyce Salter Johnson on January 22
• "Orphan Train," a lecture by Clark Kidder on January 28 (second date added to accommodate overflow attendance)
• "US Immigration via International Adoption: A Case Study," a lecture by Sherry Finch Cluver on February 7
• "European Immigration or European Invasion? Cultural Perspectives on the Transformation of the Americas, 1492-1890," a lecture by Dr. Andy Dvorak on February 13
• "Ostfriesen Immigration to Stephenson County," a lecture by Wendell Kurr on February 26
• "Public Sentiments Toward Recent German Immigrants to the US during WW II," a lecture by James Winker on March 4
• "Old City/New City: Immigrants to Boston in the 19^th Century," a lecture by Dr. Martin Quirk on March 13
• "Heirloom Gardening & Seed Saving," a lecture by Professor Chuck Voigt on February 20

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Listing of Book Discussions

• Jan. 15: The Caxton Book Club Book Discussion Group; 7 p.m. at the Freeport Public Library
• Jan. 30: Readers' Inc. Book Discussion Group; Noon at the Freeport Public Library
• Jan. 31: About a Book Discussion Group; 6:30pm at the Freeport Public Library
• Feb. 6: Book Discussion Group; 10 a.m. at the Freeport Public Library
• Feb. 15: Book Discussion Group; 9:30 a.m. at Liberty Village
• Feb. 17: Book Discussion Group; 4 p.m. at Prince of Peace
• Feb. 18: HCC Book Discussion Group; 12:30 p.m. at Garden Deli
• Feb. 21: Book Discussion Group; 2 p.m. at Parkview Home

Questions for your Book Discussions

1. In what ways did the author's vivid descriptions of the immigrant neighborhoods, markets, scents and sounds of Chicago's West Side make the setting come alive for you?
2. Do you think Hilda's immigrant experience was typical or representative of other immigrants at the time?
3. What do you know about the immigration experience of your own family?
4. At first publishers told Hilda Polacheck that readers would not be interested in the experiences of an obscure woman. How does this book show the powerful effect a determined woman can have on the social issues of her time?
5. Identify the motivating factors that led Hilda's father to move his family from an affluent lifestyle in Poland to become nameless, faceless immigrants in Chicago.
6. What factors combined to cause Hilda to become a social activist in her adult life?
7. What aspects of the Jewish culture are important to the reader's understanding of the values and character of the Satt and Polacheck families?
8. How do Hilda's observations and quotations from her time at Hull House portray Jane Addams?
9. How does the change of settings throughout the book parallel Hilda's growth as an independent and purposeful thinker?
10. From this memoir, what factors motivated Jane Addams to dedicate her life to the immigrant poor in Chicago and Hull House?
11. What connection did Jane Addams draw between women's rights, human rights, and freedom of speech in her directing of Hull House programs?
12. Of Hilda Polacheck's many experiences – both good and bad – identify two that stood out to you and why?
13. Other than Jane Addams herself, who do you think had the greatest impact on Hilda's life and why?
14. What role did the arts, music and theater play in the life of Hull House (and Hilda's life)?
15. What stands out to you as the most challenging situation for the Satt family or for Hilda herself?
16. When in her life do you sense that Hilda felt the greatest sense of accomplishment or satisfaction?
17. Identify some of the significant figures of the socialist movement who appear in this book – and the role they played.
18. How and why did some in the media seem suspicious of Hull House and some of its programs?
19. Did the Polacheck family's move to Milwaukee signal the end of her life as an activist?
20. Contrast Hilda's mother's reaction to the loss of her husband versus Hilda's reaction to widowhood.
21. 21) Some critics have suggested this memoir spends too much time glorifying Jane Addams. Agree or Disagree.
22. Comment on this quote: "Jane Addams…woke the conscience of America to the debt owed to great masses of people pouring into America." (pg. 96)
23. How does the tone of this memoir manage to be both mundane and exciting, both humble and satisfied?
24. Of what value is it – here in 2012 – to read this collection of old memories and experiences?
25. Are there any other autobiographies you've read that this book reminds you of?
26. What new understanding or insight did this book give you regarding this period in history?

> Download the Discussion Guide Back to top

One Book, One Freeport is truly a community program. These partnering agencies make it all happen, providing funding or programming assistance.

Any of your tax-free donations would be greatly appreciated to help fund this program. Please forward them to:

One Book, One Freeport
Freeport Public Library
100 E. Douglas Street
Freeport, IL 61032

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The "One Book" movement began in 1998 when Nancy Pearl, executive director of the Washington Center for the Book in the Seattle Public Library, initiated "If All Seattle Read the Same Book." With funding from the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund and several local sponsors, she invited members of the public to read the novel "The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks, and brought the author to Seattle for three days in December to discuss his book in a series of free public programs.

www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0601/cfb.html
www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ppo/programming/onebook/

The mission of the program at the Freeport Public Library is to encourage a shared reading experience, foster a sense of community and promote literacy to people of all ethnic backgrounds, economic levels and ages. Based on similar programs in communities across the country, One Book, One Freeport provides free copies of a selected book and coordinates educational programs and events to explore topics related to the book.

The inaugural program ran in January and February of 2011, featuring the book Playing with the Enemy by Gary Moore. The Freeport community enthusiastically embraced the program. Participation was high and reviews were positive.

This is our second program and will run from January 5 through March 13. The WPA Display at the Freeport Art Museum will be available for public viewing until April 6. Copies of the book have been given to other libraries and schools in Stephenson County, widening the audience.

Committee members for One Book, One Freeport:

Judy Barney
Allen Buus
Jill Collin

Dr. Edward Finch
Nikki Keltner
Sharon Koch

Margaret Larson
Jennifer Priest
Pat Vorwald

For more information, comments or suggestions about One Book, One Freeport, please contact:

Pat Vorwald
Head of Adult Services
Freeport Public Library
100 E. Douglas Street
Freeport, IL 61032
815-233-3000 x221
815-297-8236 fax
pvorwald@freeportpubliclibrary.org Back to top

12/28/2012: One Book, One Freeport: Free books and programs for the community Back to top