BETHEL — Author Lynda Sudlow will present a free program at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at the Telstar High School Library, Route 26, on her book, “A Vast Army of Women: Maine’s Uncounted Forces in the American Civil War.”

The “Women’s History Month” program is co-sponsored by the SAD 44 Continuing Education Office, Western Mountains Senior College and the Bethel Historical Society.

The effects of the Civil War were felt at numerous levels in every community, but frequently the impacts on the lives of women get lost in the shuffle of historical storytelling.

Having spent almost a decade gathering the names of virtually every Maine woman involved in the War, Sudlow will talk about the variety of roles played by women from Maine and their organizations during this major conflict.

As one reviewer has noted, “The description of women-run relief associations in her book is a revealing model for how women from all states endeavored to support the war effort.”

Copies of the book will be available for sale and for signing, and members of the Bethel Historical Society will receive a 10 percent discount.

For more information call 824-2908 or 800-824-2910, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.bethelhistoricalsociety.com.