SCC Common Read
From the SCC Common Read team…
Hello, fellow community of readers!
The SCC Common Read team invites you to read, The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
About the Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR
GMA BOOK CLUB PICK
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Please visit the SCC Common Read Facebook page and attend our events and discussions. Your input to the conversation is valued and welcomed.
—Josh Jones & Erin Johnson,
Chairs for the SCC Common Read Team
Course(s) at SCC Related to this Book
- History – Colonial New England, historical research, primary sources, the role of women in early American communities, and how historical narratives are preserved and interpreted.
- English / Literature – Historical fiction, storytelling techniques, character development, narrative perspective, and the relationship between fact and fiction.
- Criminal Justice – Investigation, evidence gathering, legal systems, ethics, justice, and how communities respond to crime and conflict.
- Nursing / Health Sciences – 18th-century medical practices, childbirth, women’s health, public health challenges, and the evolution of healthcare.
- Psychology – Trauma, grief, resilience, human behavior, memory, and the effects of social pressures on individuals.
- Sociology – Community dynamics, social roles, gender expectations, class structures, and how
societies define justice and belonging.
Political Science / Government – The development of legal systems, civic responsibility, and the relationship between individuals and institutions. - Communication – The power of testimony, storytelling, reputation, and how information is shared or suppressed.
Have a Book Suggestion for the next SCC Common Read?
Please fill out the book suggestion form for your book to be considered.
Previous Common Read Books
- 2025-2026 - Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts" by Crystal Wilkinson
- 2024-2025 - Ash Grove by Wanda Fries
- 2023-2024 - War & Homecoming: Veteran Identity and the Post-9/11 Generation by Travis L. Martin
- 2022-2023 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- 2021-2022 - Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, & Switzler
- 2020-2021 - Educated by Tara Westover
- 2019-2020 - Celia, a Slave by Melton McLaurin
- 2018-2019 - 1984 by George Orwell
- 2017-2018 - Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance
- 2016-2017 - Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton
- 2016 - The Work by Wes Moore
- 2015 - All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
