FREEPORT — Acclaimed author Sharon Peters, a career journalist who grew up in Bangor and has worked at newspapers throughout the country, will speak about her book, “Trusting Calvin: How a Dog Helped Heal a Holocaust Survivor’s Heart,” at South Freeport Congregational Church, UCC, 98 South Freeport Road.

The luncheon talk will run from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. on June 6.

Her book chronicles the true story of Max Edelman, who survived nearly five years in labor and death camps during the Holocaust. Edelman, who was beaten blind by camp guards in the final months before his liberation, moved to Cleveland after the war, where he worked and raised two successful sons. When he was nearly 70 he decided he needed, for the first time, a guide dog. Their relationship was troubled until Edelman was finally, at the dog’s insistence, able to release his hold on some of the self-protective barriers he had erected during his years in the camps.

Peters graduated from the University of Missouri and earned a doctorate in human and organization development when she was in her 40s. She launched and wrote the popular weekly Pet Talk column for USA Today in 2005. She became involved in animal advocacy after taking a one-month leave from her job after Hurricane Katrina and volunteering with rescue groups in south Mississippi. She has fostered more than 20 dogs, and her pet dog, Jasper, is a certified therapy dog who visits cancer patients every week. She currently lives in Colorado.

The luncheon runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and involves a soup and sandwich lunch, desert, lecture, question-and-answer period and book signing. The cost is $20 per person. Tickets must be purchased before the event and can be reserved by phoning 865-4012.