Courtesy of The University of Chicago Press

“Lydia Moland’s riveting ‘Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life,’ about Maine-born author, publisher, entrepreneur and abolitionist. One passage, about her husband David Lee Childs, stands out for our times: ‘He was also antislavery: not just ‘as against it as anyone else,’ but in the sense that he thought something should be done to end it, and soon. He was a fierce supporter of the right of Native Americans to defend themselves. He was, she later reflected, ‘wide awake before I was’. In other words, he was woke — in Boston, in the 1820s.” — LINCOLN PAINE, Portland

Mainers, please email to tell us about the book on your bedside table right now. In a paragraph or two, describe the book and be sure to tell us what drew you to it. We want to hear what you are reading and why. Send your selection to pgrodinsky@pressherald.com, and we may use it as a future Bedside Table.