Event box

Central Book Club

Central Book Club In-Person

Central Book Club meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7pm, alternating between in-person and online meetings to discuss a book club pick. This meeting is in person in the B Room at Central Library.

See what we're reading for the year here.

Want to submit book suggestions for future discussions? Please use this form.


This month's book is Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.


View our discussion questions ahead of time here.

Bring something festive to share to help celebrate the holidays together, and end the year on a happy note!

Date:
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Time:
7:00pm - 8:00pm
Time Zone:
Pacific Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
B Room
Audience:
  Adults     Public  
Categories:
  Library Event  
Registration has closed.