Croton Reads 2018 – our landmark fifth year for this program — was a great success as we chose a work set in the Hudson Valley. Local area author Allison Pataki visited and discussed her historical novel The Traitor’s Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America. Given the subject of the novel — Penny Shippen Arnold, wife of Benedict Arnold, and Arnold’s treasonous acts at West Point in the Revolutionary War era — the work has deep ties to the Hudson Valley and the Croton community. Prior to the event we also hosted a unique panel discussion in conjunction with the Croton Friends of History, featuring Sean Grady, Gary Petagine and Dennis Corcoran, experts and re-enactors in period garb, which gave additional historical context to the novel. Overall, we had great feedback from attendees; the locality of the setting resonated with our community, rekindling or sparking new interest in local history.