When former trial attorney Diane Rapaport used to research court cases, she became fascinated by the stories she encountered in the records throughout New England. Retiring from the legal field gave her more time to pursue this interest and write, “The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England” (Commonwealth Editions, 2007). She will discuss her research and some of these cases on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. at the Warwick Public Library.

Naked Quakers and other forgotten Americans are brought to life in these true court cases from colonial New England. The title story involves a Quaker woman who walked into a Puritan Sunday meeting and dropped her dress in front of the gathering to protest actions of the colonial authorities.

Chapter topics include “Witches and Wild Women,” “Parents and Youth,” “Tavern Tales,” “Slaves and Servants” and “Offshore Antics,” among others. The book was a finalist for ForeWord magazine’s 2007 “Book of the Year” Award for History.

In Rapaport’s first book, “New England Court Records: A Research Guide for Genealogists and Historians” (Quill Pen Press, 2006), she uses her legal training to help people find ancestors and trace regional history in court records. This title won three 2007 Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association. She also writes for magazines, including her popular “Tales from the Courthouse” column for New England Ancestors, the journal of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Today she is a professional writer who enjoys speaking to groups and lives in Lexington, Mass.

The library is located at 600 Sandy Lane. The program is free but reservations are needed. Call 739-5440, ext. 126 to reserve seats.