The Point

In this week's News Roundup: Hurricane Arthur winds reach 80 miles an hour on Nantucket, and strand some tourists on Martha's Vineyard. The death of a janitor in a Plymouth elementary school remains a mystery. Questions about the safety of Falmouth water a concern for pregnant women. The Monomoy Refuge master plan to protect nesting shorebirds meets with controversy.  There's a new on-demand Cape Baseball League video service. The Obamas will vacation on the Vineyard.

What is the future of classical music? You could get a glimpse of it when students from the Curtis Institute of Music visit the Cape and Islands later this month for a series of concerts. The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on a professional level.

Thomas Moore believes that individuals can fashion a religion of their own, whether one is inside or outside a religious practice, and that we can find a sense of purpose that satisfies us not only spiritually but also intellectually and emotionally. He joins Mindy Todd on The Point to talk about his latest book, titled A Religion of One’s Own

The Nantucket Comedy Festival, under the direction of comedian Kevin Flynn, was developed to bring top comedic performances to Nantucket in support of the local youth community. Proceeds benefit the festival’s associated non-profit, Stand Up & Learn, an educational program that has been implemented in Nantucket-area schools to encourage confidence and comedic self-expression through creative writing.

Next week launches the 22nd annual Bob Murray Housing With Love Walk.  The Walk brings together people from all over Cape Cod as they walk from Provincetown to Falmouth to raise awareness- and funds- to end homelessness in our region.

The Kennedy Family has long had a passion for sailing- James Graham’s new Book Victura- The Kennedys, A Sailboat, and the Sea chronicles four generations of the Kennedy family sailing aboard their small sailboat, Victura.

On June 25th 1876 Lt Colonel George Armstrong Custer and 220 men rode into battle against the Sioux and Cheyenne beside the Little Bighorn River in Montana and were never seen alive again. But what if there had been a survivor? John Hough Jr.’s latest novel Little Bighorn explores that “what if” and brings to life the soldiers and civilians on their infamous quest to conquer Sitting Bull.

The origins of America were complicated.  WCAI's Mindy Todd talks to historian, award-winning author, and Nantucket resident Nathaniel Philbrick about his book Bunker Hill: a City, a Siege, a Revolution. It's an in-depth look at what Philbrick calls the bloodiest battle of the American Revolution, and the blisteringly real origins of America.

Author Amy Brill talks about her novel The Movement of Stars.  The book was inspired by the work of the 19th century Nantucket resident Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in America.

Author Joan Anderson discusses her books about life changes. This author explores how many women, at halfway to a hundred, confront a need for great self- awareness. When the power of youth is gone, the possibility of failure first presents itself: the dreams of earlier times may now seem shallow and pointless. The books examines the tough questions: What am I meant to do now? What really matters? Who am I?