We enjoyed a good discussion last night on the book "An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny" by Laura Schroff. One idea that came out of the discussion was to create blessing bags (some ideas found here) to keep on hand in the car or on hand if walking downtown to help a homeless individual.
Need some more great books to read? We have a list for you including those that were selected for the next three months and the runners up so enjoy!
February Book Club
February 19th
Host: Kristie Chadwick
Reviewer: Devony Wilson
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World
by Rita Golden Gelman
Tales of a Female Nomad
is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an
extraordinary existence. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a
divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of
connecting with people in cultures all over the world. In 1986 she sold
her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in
Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing
everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed
orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens
of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world.
Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover
the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury
when we become adults.
March Book Club
March 19
Host: Jessica Price
Reviewer: Alicia Carlsen
Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness
by Tracy Kidder
In Strength in What
Remains, Tracy Kidder gives us the story of one man’s inspiring American
journey and of the ordinary people who helped him, providing brilliant
testament to the power of second chances. Deo arrives in the United
States from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war
and genocide, he lands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no
English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering
groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading
dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who
will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of
Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing.
Kidder breaks new ground in telling this unforgettable story as he
travels with Deo back over a turbulent life and shows us what it means
to be fully human.
April Book Club
April 16
Host: TBA
Reviewer: Kristie Chadwick
Orphan Train
by Christina Baker Kline
Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be. Penobscot
Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care
system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out
her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...
As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.
Other Recommended Books:
Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquevel
Juliet by Anne Fortier
The Selection by Kiera Cass
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.
Other Recommended Books:
Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquevel
Juliet by Anne Fortier
The Selection by Kiera Cass
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Happy Reading!
