Friends of the Macon County Public Library to Host Author Emma Churchman June 7

 PRESS RELEASE (05-07-2025)

FRIENDS OF THE MACON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 

FRANKLIN – Author Emma Churchman will be the guest of The Friends of the Macon County Public Library discussing her latest book, “The Deep End of Hope in the Wake of Hurricane Helene: 40 Days and Nights of Survival and Transformation.”  The author talk, called Books and Bites, is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, June 7 at the Macon County Public Library, 149 Siler Farm Road.

Refreshments will be served by the Friends and the author will sign copies available for sale at the event. Call the library at (828) 524-3600 for more information.

Churchman’s book is Amazon’s #1 best-seller about disaster relief. Published by GracePoint Publishing’s Evolve Press, “The Deep End of Hope” is among the first on the market describing what happened in Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Churchman says that the book helps people understand how to recover quickly in the wake of unexpected events and is based on her background and experience serving as a trauma chaplain for her community of Gerton, North Carolina.

Kevin King, executive director of Mennonite Disaster Service, said that the book “is a must-read for every disaster response organization and its constituents, including volunteers and donors.”

With raw honesty and unexpected humor, Churchman chronicles the recovery of her community as it is forced to rebuild itself. Without power, phones, or the internet, local residents teetered between chaos and unity. As lawlessness emerged and desperation mounted, Churchman made a choice that would change everything: to transform her fear into a fierce kind of love. Part survival story, part love letter to human resilience, this memoir illustrates what is possible when crisis strips away differences and reveals a shared humanity. In a world increasingly divided, her story reminds readers that their greatest strength lies not in their independence but in their connections to each other.

A portion of the book proceeds will go to Mennonite Disaster Service, which was one of the first groups in Gerton to help with recovery efforts.

The Friends of the Macon County Public Library seek to develop and maintain citizen interest and participation in the growth and development of the Macon County Public Library and to stimulate the use of the library’s resources and services. The Friends raise money to support library programs and the purchase of equipment and technology through memberships and sales from the used bookstore located in the Shops at Riverwalk, 115 Highlands Rd. in Franklin.