Former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s book reading to take place at Sheridan church

Somonauk library unable to accommodate potential crowd

Somonauk Library board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, at the Somonauk Library. The visit by General Michael Thomas Flynn was revisited.

Former President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn will hold a children’s book reading, initially set to take place at the Somonauk Public Library, next week at the Fox River Lutheran Church in Sheridan.

The Somonauk library will not be able to accommodate the number of people expected to attend, said Kiara Tyrrell of the Children’s Department at the library.

Flynn’s expected visit garnered attention Tuesday as about 75 people showed up to the Somonauk library board meeting to voice their displeasure with the library’s previous decision to cancel the book reading with Flynn.

Trump pardoned the retired general in November 2020 after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

Flynn had been scheduled to read from his children’s book, “The Night the Snow Monster Attacked,” but the event was canceled hastily after library officials received some complaints, board President Roberta Mickelson said.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, before taking public comments, the library board said it would do what it could to reschedule the event.

This time, however, logistics led the reading to be scheduled elsewhere.

“Our public meeting room just does not have the capacity to host as many people that plan on coming to this event,” Tyrrell said.

The reading now is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, at the church, 2785 Route 52, Sheridan.

Flynn already approved this location, and with constraints on the timing of the event, his team would not have time to review and approve another location, Tyrrell said.