Book Meeting | Monday, March 31, 2025
How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future
ISBN: 9780063257535
Facilitator: Cindy Grossman
Book Description
In "How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future," journalist Maria Ressa shares her gripping journey of resistance against authoritarianism, drawing on her experiences in the Philippines under President Duterte. With powerful insights into the role of truth and media in democracies, Ressa emphasizes the importance of courage in the face of oppression, making this a timely and inspiring read for anyone concerned about the future of freedom and justice. Perfect for book clubs, this compelling narrative invites rich discussions on the fragility of democracy and the power of individual action.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, April 28, 2025
The Women
ISBN: 9781250178657
Facilitator: Joan Sheppard
Book Description
In "The Women," Kristin Hannah weaves a poignant tale exploring the resilience and strength of women during the tumultuous 1940s, set against the backdrop of World War II. The novel delves into the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, the sacrifices made for love, and the indomitable spirit of those left behind. With rich character development and emotional depth, this compelling narrative invites readers to reflect on the enduring bonds of family and the power of hope in the face of adversity, making it a perfect choice for book clubs seeking meaningful discussions.
Book Meeting | Monday, May 26, 2025
Astrid and Veronika
ISBN: 9780143038078
Facilitator: Andrea Coburn
Book Description
In Linda Olsson's poignant novel "Astrid and Veronika," two women from different generations forge an unexpected bond in a remote Swedish village, each grappling with their own pasts and losses. As they share their stories, themes of friendship, healing, and the search for belonging emerge, revealing how connection can illuminate even the darkest corners of life. Olsson's lyrical prose invites readers to reflect on the power of relationships and the resilience of the human spirit, making it a compelling choice for book clubs seeking deep conversations.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, June 30, 2025
I Heard Her Call My Name
ISBN: 9780593493786
Facilitator: Maria Kelly
Book Description
In "I Heard Her Call My Name," Lucy Sante weaves a poignant exploration of memory, loss, and the complexities of identity through the lens of her own upbringing in a post-war Belgian immigrant family. With lyrical prose and vivid imagery, Sante delves into the nuances of family bonds, the echoes of the past, and the ways in which our histories shape us. This deeply personal narrative invites readers to reflect on their own connections to place and belonging, making it an evocative choice for book clubs seeking to discuss themes of nostalgia and the immigrant experience.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, July 28, 2025
Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church
ISBN: 9780374601690
Book Description
In "Circle of Hope," Eliza Griswold delves into the complex interplay of love, power, and justice within the American church, weaving personal narratives with poignant social commentary. Through her exploration of faith communities grappling with issues of abuse, equity, and resilience, Griswold invites readers to reflect on the transformative potential of compassion and accountability. This thought-provoking work is a must-read for book clubs seeking to engage in deep discussions about morality, spirituality, and the quest for justice in contemporary society.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, August 25, 2025
Revenge to the Tipping Point
ISBN: 9780316581479
Facilitator: Joyce Mills
Book Description
In "Revenge to the Tipping Point," Malcolm Gladwell explores the intricate dynamics of societal change, delving into how small actions can lead to monumental shifts. Through captivating anecdotes and thought-provoking analysis, he examines the psychology behind revenge and its ripple effects on communities, ultimately challenging readers to rethink the thresholds that drive collective behavior. This compelling narrative is sure to spark lively discussions about human motivation and the power of seemingly minor events in shaping our world.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, September 29, 2025
Entitlement
ISBN: 9780593718483
Facilitator: Cindy Grossman
Book Description
In "Entitlement," Rumaan Alam weaves a gripping narrative that explores the complexities of privilege, race, and social responsibility through the lens of a summer getaway gone awry. As a group of friends grapples with their contrasting backgrounds and hidden grievances, the story unveils the fragility of their relationships against a backdrop of escalating tensions. This thought-provoking novel invites readers to reflect on the dynamics of entitlement and the moral dilemmas that arise when personal beliefs clash with the realities of others. Perfect for book clubs seeking rich themes and lively discussions!
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, October 27, 2025
James
ISBN: 9780593862735
Facilitator: Tim McCusker
Book Description
In "James," Percival Everett crafts a poignant exploration of identity, race, and the complexities of human relationships through the lens of a Black man's journey to understand his place in a world shaped by historical narratives. As James grapples with personal loss and societal expectations, Everett's sharp, witty prose invites readers to reflect on the intersection of personal and collective histories. This thought-provoking novel challenges assumptions while delivering both humor and heart, making it a compelling choice for book clubs eager to engage in rich discussions about culture and belonging.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, December 29, 2025
Tyranny of Merit
ISBN: 9780374720995
Facilitator: Karen Fletcher
Book Description
In "The Tyranny of Merit," Michael Sandel explores the moral implications of a meritocratic society, questioning the fairness of a system that equates success with individual talent while neglecting the role of luck and privilege. Through thought-provoking arguments and real-world examples, Sandel critiques the notion that hard work alone leads to success, inviting readers to reflect on the values that underpin our social and economic structures. This insightful examination of meritocracy will spark lively discussions about justice, equality, and the true meaning of success, making it a compelling read for any book club.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, January 26, 2026
Lovely One
ISBN: 9798217014224
Facilitator: Jan Droegkamp
Book Description
In "Lovely One," Ketanji Brown Jackson offers a poignant and deeply personal exploration of her journey as a Black woman navigating the complexities of the American legal system and her ascent to the Supreme Court. Through rich storytelling and insightful reflection, she addresses themes of identity, resilience, and the pursuit of justice, inviting readers to consider the broader implications of her experiences on society. This compelling memoir not only illuminates her path but also sparks vital conversations about representation, equity, and the power of perseverance, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of law and personal narrative.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, February 23, 2026
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
ISBN: 9780525562030
Book Description
In "On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous," Ocean Vuong crafts a poignant and lyrical exploration of identity, love, and the immigrant experience through the intimate letters of a son to his illiterate mother. Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous family history and the complexities of queer love, Vuong's prose is both haunting and beautiful, inviting readers to reflect on the fragility of life and the power of language. This debut novel is a moving meditation on memory and belonging, making it a rich choice for book clubs seeking deep emotional resonance and thought-provoking themes.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, March 30, 2026
Marriage at Sea
ISBN: 9780593854280
Facilitator: Gail Holmstrom
Book Description
In Marriage at Sea, journalist Sophie Elmhirst tells the story of a couple who set out to get married at sea and the eccentric, fascinating history of maritime marriage. Part love story, part cultural history, part adventure tale, Elmhirst explores the allure of the ocean and the enduring human desire to mark life's milestones in extraordinary ways.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, April 27, 2026
The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between
ISBN: 9780399589430
Facilitator: Cindy G.
Book Description
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Return is Hisham Matar's powerful memoir of his search for his father, who was kidnapped and imprisoned in Libya under Gaddafi's regime. Matar weaves personal history with political upheaval as he returns to Libya after decades in exile, seeking answers about his father's fate. A profound meditation on loss, home, and the bonds between fathers and sons.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, May 25, 2026
Eleanor Oliphant
ISBN: 9780735220706
Facilitator: Betsy Dokken
Book Description
Funny, touching and unpredictable' Jojo Moyes Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive - but not how to live Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted - while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she's avoided all her life. Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than... fine? 'Heartwrenching and wonderful' Nina Stibbe 'Deft, compassionate and moving' Paula McLain 'I adored it. Skilled, perceptive, Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. An outstanding debut!' Joanna Cannon
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, June 29, 2026
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible
ISBN: 9780802166487
Facilitator: Cindy Grossman
Book Description
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD “Alameddine is a writer with a boundless imagination.”—NPR From the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction comes a tragicomic love story set in Lebanon, a modern saga of family, memory, and the unbreakable attachment of a son and his mother In a tiny Beirut apartment, sixty-three-year-old Raja and his mother live side by side. A beloved high school philosophy teacher and “the neighborhood homosexual,” Raja relishes books, meditative walks, order, and solitude. Zalfa, his octogenarian mother, views her son’s desire for privacy as a personal affront. She demands to know every detail of Raja’s work life and love life, boundaries be damned. When Raja receives an invite to an all-expenses-paid writing residency in America, the timing couldn’t be better. It arrives on the heels of a series of personal and national disasters that have left Raja longing for peace and quiet away from his mother and the heartache of Lebanon. But what at first seems a stroke of good fortune soon leads Raja to recount and relive the very disasters and past betrayals he wishes to forget. Told in Raja’s irresistible and wickedly funny voice, the novel dances across six decades to tell the unforgettable story of a singular life and its absurdities—a tale of mistakes, self-discovery, trauma, and maybe even forgiveness. Above all, The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) is a wildly unique and sparkling celebration of love.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, July 27, 2026
Heartburn
ISBN: 9780679767954
Facilitator: Brenda Nelson
Book Description
A 40th anniversary reissue of the national bestselling author's hilarious first novel that memorably mixed food, heartbreak, and revenge into a comic masterpiece—now with a new foreword by Stanley Tucci. • "Touching and funny.... Proof that writing well is the best revenge." —Chicago Tribune Is it possible to write a sidesplitting novel about the breakup of the perfect marriage? If the writer is Nora Ephron, the answer is a resounding yes. In this inspired confection of adultery, revenge, group therapy, and pot roast, the creator of Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally... reminds us that comedy depends on anguish as surely as a proper gravy depends on flour and butter. Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has "a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs" is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron's irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes. Heartburn is a sinfully delicious novel, as soul-satisfying as mashed potatoes and as airy as a perfect soufflé.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, August 31, 2026
The Book Club for Troublesome Women
ISBN: 9781400344758
Facilitator: Penny Sinisi
Book Description
"This is a novel about ambitious women and the mentors that inspired them to excellence . . . Bostwick carves an unforgettable path for her characters."--Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone Margaret Ryan never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution in her buttoned-up suburb. By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman's dream. She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia--one of Northern Virginia's most exclusive and picturesque suburbs. She has a standing invitation to the neighborhood coffee klatch, and now, thanks to her husband, a new subscription to A Woman's Place--a magazine that tells housewives like Margaret exactly who to be and what to buy. On paper, she has it all. So why doesn't that feel like enough? Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia's newest and most intriguing resident. As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte's orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women--Bitsy and Viv--to the inaugural meeting. As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they'd been sold isn't all roses and sunshine--and that their secret longing for more is something they share. Nicknaming themselves the Bettys, after Betty Friedan, these four friends have no idea their impromptu club and the books they read together will become the glue that helps them hold fast through tears, triumphs, angst, and arguments--and what will prove to be the most consequential and freeing year of their lives. The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood. "Bostwick's latest is ideal for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry, Kristin Hannah's The Women, or Kate Quinn's The Briar Club, which explore the historical roles of women and the challenges they faced within a society structured to define and limit their roles in and out of the home." --Library Journal Starred Review
Book Meeting | Monday, September 28, 2026
The Tell Amy Griffin
ISBN: 9781529932737
Book Description
For decades, Amy ran. Through the dirt roads of Amarillo, Texas, where she grew up; to the streets of New York, where she built her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. To outsiders, it all looked, in many ways, perfect. But Amy was running from something – a secret she was keeping not only from her family and friends, but unconsciously from something terrible in her past. When her ten-year-old daughter confronts her on the distance between them, Amy is propelled to confront what she has spent a lifetime trying to escape. So begins Amy’s journey through the world of MDMA-assisted psychedelic therapy, to the limits of the judicial system, and ultimately, home to Texas, where her story began. In her relentless search for the truth, Griffin scrutinises the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women. She asks the question: When, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? And what kind of freedom is possible if we better protect girls from being taken advantage of on this journey. Heartbreaking, powerful and raw, The Tell points a way forward for all of us, shedding light on the courage and power of truth-telling that’s required to move through trauma. ‘For such a long time, people discussed my running. It took up so much space in my life. And yet nobody ever thought to ask: What are you running from?’ For decades, Amy ran. Through the dirt roads of Amarillo, Texas, where she grew up; to the streets of New York, where she built her adult life; through marriage, motherhood, and a thriving career. To outsiders, it all looked, in many ways, perfect. But Amy was running from something – a secret she was keeping not only from her family and friends, but unconsciously from something terrible in her past. When her ten-year-old daughter confronts her on the distance between them, Amy is propelled to confront what she has spent a lifetime trying to escape. So begins Amy’s journey through the world of MDMA-assisted psychedelic therapy, to the limits of the judicial system, and ultimately, home to Texas, where her story began. In her relentless search for the truth, Griffin scrutinises the pursuit of perfectionism, control, and maintaining appearances that drives so many women. She asks the question: When, in our path from girlhood to womanhood, did we learn to look outside ourselves for validation? And what kind of freedom is possible if we better protect girls from being taken advantage of on this journey. Heartbreaking, powerful and raw, The Tell points a way forward for all of us, shedding light on the courage and power of truth-telling that’s required to move through trauma.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, October 26, 2026
The Great Shaddow Susan Wise Bauer
ISBN: 9781250272928
Facilitator: Andrea Coburn
Book Description
"Allows readers to practically experience firsthand how humans have adapted to and dealt with disease throughout history...necessary and timely...engaging and entertaining. Highly recommended." ―Library Journal, starred "[A] splendid examination...Deeply insightful if unsettling." ―Kirkus Anti-science, anti-vaccine, anti-reason beliefs seem to be triumphing over common sense today. How did we get here? The Great Shadow brings a huge missing piece to this puzzle—the experience of actually being ill. What did it feel like to be a woman or man struggling with illness in ancient times, in the Middle Ages, in the seventeenth century, or in 1920? And how did that shape our thoughts and convictions? The Great Shadow uses extensive historical research and first-person accounts to tell a vivid story about sickness and our responses to it, from very ancient times until the last decade. In the process of writing, historian Susan Wise Bauer reveals just how many of our current fads and causes are rooted in the moment-by-moment experience of sickness—from the search for a balanced lifestyle to plug-in air fresheners and bare hardwood floors. We can’t simply shout facts at people who refuse vaccinations, believe that immigrants carry diseases, or insist that God will look out for them during a pandemic. We have to enter with imagination, historical perspective, and empathy into their world. The Great Shadow does just that with page-turning flair.
Book Meeting | Monday, December 28, 2026
The Autobiography of Cotton Cristina Rivera Garza
ISBN: 164445369x
Book Description
A novel about how cotton workers transformed the Mexico-US borderlands, by a Pulitzer Prize–winning author. In 1934, a young José Revueltas traveled to Tamaulipas to support the cotton workers’ strike in Estación Camarón, which became the basis of his landmark novel Human Mourning. In her own groundbreaking novel, Autobiography of Cotton, Cristina Rivera Garza recounts her grandparents’ journey from mining towns to those same cotton fields as it intersects with Revueltas’s life in a vivid and evocative history of cotton cultivation along the Mexico-US border. Through archival research and personal narrative, Rivera Garza chronicles the way cotton transformed the borderlands by reconstructing the cotton workers’ strike and reveals how cycles of deprivation and ecocide persist across generations. Deeply personal and politically acute, Rivera Garza crafts a new kind of border novel that tells how a brittle land radically altered her grandparents’ lives and the territories they helped develop. An intimate fictionalization, Autobiography of Cotton reveals a rich social history of agricultural colonization, labor activism, environmental degradation, and cross-border migration.
About the Author
Book Meeting | Monday, January 25, 2027
Go as a River
ISBN: 9780385688796
Facilitator: Nancy Garrison
Book Description
In the spirit of Where the Crawdads Sing, and set amid the beauty and wilderness of the Colorado mountains, an unforgettable and deeply moving story of a young woman who follows her heart Seventeen-year-old Victoria Nash runs the household on her family's peach farm in the small ranch town of Iola, Colorado—the sole surviving female in a family of troubled men. Wilson Moon is a young drifter with a mysterious past, displaced from his tribal land but determined to live as he chooses. Victoria's chance encounter with Wil on a street corner profoundly alters both of their young lives, igniting as much passion as danger. When tragedy strikes, Victoria leaves the only life she has ever known, fleeing into the nearby mountains. Taking shelter in a small hut, she struggles to survive in the wilderness, with no clear notion of what her future will be. As the seasons change, she also charts the changes in herself, finding in the natural world the strength and meaning that set her on a quest to regain all that she has lost, even as the Gunnison River rises to submerge her homeland—its ranches, farms, and the beloved peach orchard that has been in her family for generations. Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of the town of Iola in the 1960s, Go as a River is a story of deeply held love in the midst of hardship and loss, but also of finding courage, resilience, friendship, and finally, home—where least expected. This stunning debut explores what it means to lead your life as if it were a river—gathering and flowing, finding a way forward even when the river is dammed.
Book Meeting | Monday, February 22, 2027
Paper Girl
ISBN: 9780593656747
Facilitator: Maria Kelly
Book Description
An Instant National Bestseller! "There couldn’t be a timelier book . . . searingly poignant, essential . . . Macy follows closely in the footsteps of . . . Barbara Ehrenreich and Tracy Kidder, combining memoir with reportage, a raft of sobering statistics and, most uniquely in our era, a willingness to engage in uncomfortable conversations." —The Washington Post From one of our most acclaimed chroniclers of the forces eroding America’s social fabric, her most personal and powerful work: a reckoning with the changes that have rocked her own beloved small Ohio hometown Urbana, Ohio, was not a utopia when Beth Macy grew up there in the ’70s and ’80s—certainly not for her family. Her dad was known as the town drunk, which hurt, as did their poverty. But Urbana had a healthy economy and thriving schools, and Macy had middle-class schoolmates whose families became her role models. Though she left for college on a Pell Grant and then a faraway career in journalism, she still clung gratefully to the place that had helped raise her. But as Macy’s mother’s health declined in 2020, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her town had dramatically hardened. Macy had grown up as the paper girl, delivering the local newspaper, which was the community’s civic glue. Now she found scant local news and precious little civic glue. Yes, much of the work that once supported the middle class had gone away, but that didn’t begin to cover the forces turning Urbana into a poorer and angrier place. Absenteeism soared in the schools and in the workplace as a mental health crisis gripped the small city. Some of her old friends now embraced conspiracies. In nearby Springfield, Macy watched as her ex-boyfriend—once the most liberal person she knew—became a lead voice of opposition against the Haitian immigrants, parroting false talking points throughout the 2024 presidential campaign. This was not an assignment Beth Macy had ever imagined taking on, but after her mother’s death, she decided to figure out what happened to Urbana in the forty years since she’d left. The result is an astonishing book that, by taking us into the heart of one place, brings into focus our most urgent set of national issues. Paper Girl is a gift of courage, empathy, and insight. Beth Macy has turned to face the darkness in her family and community, people she loves wholeheartedly, even the ones she sometimes struggles to like. And in facing the truth—in person, with respect—she has found sparks of human dignity that she has used to light a signal fire of warning but also of hope.
About the Author
