There's nothing better than a great book to transport you to new worlds, whether real, imagined, or simply as a much-needed escape from reality. This monthly book group, led by staff from
Hummingbird Books, will feature a variety of genres guaranteed to spark lively conversation and connection. If you don’t have a chance to finish the book, that’s okay, come anyway! Books can be purchased at Hummingbird Books in Chestnut Hill (or over the phone a 617-487-5101). Hummingbird Books is an independent, local female-owned and operated store with an extensive collection of adult and children’s books.
Book Group will meet September 17, October 15, November 12 and December 17.
Join us for all or individually. All are welcome. Geared towards adults. Preregistration is required.
Book Selection will be noted on the website approximately 6-8 weeks prior. Questions:
adultprograms@jccgb.org
Please click
here to register.
September - The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
In 1800s St. Thomas, Rachel defies her Jewish refugee community by starting a passionate love affair with her deceased husband's nephew Frédérick, sparking scandal and influencing her son's future as France's great artist.
October - The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America by Christopher C. Gorham
The Confidante tells the story of Anna Rosenberg, a Hungarian Jewish immigrant with only a high school education who became one of FDR's closest advisors and, later, the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the U.S. military as assistant secretary of defense. She was among the first Allied women to enter a liberated concentration camp and stood in Hitler's mountain retreat days after its capture. She helped shape the G.I. Bill and the Manhattan Project, weathered a McCarthy smear campaign, and organized JFK's famous 1962 birthday gala. Author Christopher Gorham, a history teacher and lawyer, pulls a major 20th-century power player out of undeserved obscurity.
November: Good People by Patmeena Sabit
The Sharafs seem to embody the American dream. They fled Afghanistan for northern Virginia, where Rahmat built a fortune cleaning gutters while Maryam raised their four children. They moved into a mansion, sent the kids to elite schools, and dreamed that their older daughter, Zorah, would go to the Ivy League and one day become a Supreme Court justice. Then Zorah's body is found in a submerged Mercedes, and rumors spread that her death was an honor killing.
The novel is told as an oral history in which the Sharafs never speak for themselves. Their story emerges instead through neighbors, classmates, officials, lawyers, and journalists, revealing jealousies and conflicting versions of Zorah. The result is a gripping debut about gossip, prejudice, and the question of who gets to decide the truth.
December: This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman
When Jeanne, the youngest of the three Rubinstein sisters, dies in her seventies, a petty quarrel over an apple cake drives her grieving older sisters, Sylvia and Helen, apart for more than ten years. Their children are too caught up in divorces, dating, career setbacks, college applications, bat mitzvahs, and ballet recitals to take sides, and the grandchildren won't either. Sylvia's son Richard faces the end of his marriage, while Jeanne's son Steve loses his job.
The book is told in 17 linked stories written over fifteen years and set in Boston, Cambridge, Providence, and Brooklyn. It follows three generations of a Jewish American family through shaky marriages, aging parents, and anxious kids.
This Is Not About Us is a witty, warm-hearted look at sisterhood, parental expectations, and the love that holds a family together.
Photos may be taken during this program and used for promotional purposes, including social media. If you prefer not to have your photo taken, please inform event staff when you arrive. 
