Civic Awareness Series welcomes author Alex Kotlowitz Oct. 14

On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Robert R. McCormick House at Cantigny Park and the League of Women Voters of Wheaton continue their acclaimed Civic Awareness Series with an online presentation featuring Alex Kotlowitz, author of "An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago."

The Zoom program will begin at 7 p.m. CST. The program is free, but advance registration is required at Cantigny.org. Registrants will receive a Zoom link before the event.

In "American Summer," published in 2019, Kotlowitz examines the lives of those touched by violence, both as victims and criminals, in Chicago's most turbulent neighborhoods.

Kotlowitz is a former staff writer at The Wall Street Journal. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and on This American Life. He has won numerous prestigious literary awards and his 1991 book "There Are No Children Here" was a national best seller and selected by the New York Public Library as one of the most important books of the 20th century.

Cantigny Park is open daily in October from 7 a.m. to sunset. The Robert R. McCormick House, a historic house museum, is currently closed for renovation and will reopen to the public in 2022. More information and a calendar of events is online at Cantigny.org.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy and does not support or oppose any political party or candidate. The League of Women Voters of Wheaton serves the people of Wheaton, Winfield, West Chicago, Warrenville and Carol Stream. Learn more at wheatonlwvil.org.