Author Karl Rhodes will speak on Thursday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. in the community room at Mennonite Life, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster.

Karl will share about "Peggy's War," a meticulously researched historical novel inspired by the true story of his great-great-grandmother Peggy Rhodes and the young men she protected during the Civil War. In the book, Peggy is a Mennonite living in the midst of the Confederate Shenandoah Valley. Even as her husband is dying, she conceals nonresistant Brethren and Mennonites in a secret cellar beneath her bedroom floor. She does so while managing a farm, raising five children, and serving as a postmaster.

The event at Mennonite Life will highlight hymns sung by nonresistant Mennonite and Brethren refugees fleeing participation in the war. The hymns include songs from "Harmonia Sacra" by Joseph Funk, a member of Peggy's community.

This event is free and does not require registration. To learn more, visit http://www.mennonitelife.org/events or call 717-393-9745.