La Salle library to host author William Hazelgrove

Hazelgrove to present his book ‘Greed in the Gilded Age’ via zoom

La Salle Public Library

The La Salle Public Library will host virtually author and historian, William Hazelgrove, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, for a discussion about his book, “Greed in the Gilded Age: The Brilliant Con of Cassie Chadwick.”

“Greed in the Gilded Age” is a Gatsby-esque tale of mystery, money, sex and scandal. The word — millionaire — had just entered the American lexicon and Cassie Chadwick was front page news, becoming a media sensation before mass media and eclipsing President Roosevelt’s inauguration.

Combining the sexuality and helplessness her gender implied, Chadwick conned at least $2 million simply by claiming to be the illegitimate daughter and heir of steel titan Andrew Carnegie. Using newspaper articles, Hazelgrove will tell the story of one of the greatest cons in American history in this virtual program.

Hazelgrove is a bestselling author and historian. His books have hit the National Bestseller List, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and have been included in Book of the Month Selections, Literary Guild Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections and ALA Editor’s Choice Awards. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR’s All Things Considered along with features in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, Channel 11, NBC, WBEZ and WGN.

This program is free and open to all. Register by going to https://bit.ly/3y9Mnpp. For more information, contact the La Salle Public Library at 815-223-2341.