The Sleeping Car Porter brings to life an important part of Black history in North America, from the perspective of a gay man living in a culture that renders him invisible in two ways. Affecting, imaginative, and visceral enough that you'll feel the rocking of the train, The Sleeping Car Porter is a stunning accomplishment. Baxter's name isn't George. But it's 1929, and Baxter is lucky enough, as a Black man, to have a job as a sleeping car porter on a train that crisscrosses the country. So when the passengers call him George, he has to just smile and nod and act invisible. What he really wants is to go to dentistry school, but he'll have to save up a lot of nickel and dime tips to get there, so he puts up with "George." On this particular trip out west, the passengers are more unruly than usual, especially when the train is stalled for two extra days; their secrets start to leak out and blur with the sleep-deprivation hallucinations Baxter is having. When he finds a naughty postcard of two gay men, Baxter's memories and longings are reawakened; keeping it puts his job in peril, but he can't part with the postcard or his thoughts of Edwin Drew, Porter Instructor.
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You must have a valid Coquitlam Public Library card to reserve your book club set. The card used to pick up the book club set must match the card used to make the reservation. Reservations can be made a minimum of 7 days before the pickup date and a maximum of 1 year in advance.
- Use the booking grid below to click on your preferred pickup date OR click on the “Go To Date” button to select a date using the calendar. Green spaces indicate item availability.
- The return date will be set automatically.
- Click the white “Add to Cart & Checkout” button.
- If you clicked on the blue “Add to Cart” button, you will need to scroll to top of page and click on the green “1 item / Checkout” button to complete your booking.
- Fill out the booking form.
- Check the Terms & Conditions box.
- Click on “Submit my Booking” button.
- IMPORTANT: The software only allows you to add to cart and check out ONE ITEM at a time. Repeat steps 1-5 for additional reservations.
You will receive an email notification when your reservation has been approved.
- Your Book Club Set will be ready on your selected pickup date. Your 7-week loan begins on your selected pickup date. No renewals permitted.
- Book Clubs must check out a complete set (12 copies); all copies must be returned at the same time by the due date.