June 30, Even As We Breath by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle is the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to publish a novel. Even As We Breathe is a historical novel that tells the story of a young Cherokee man who leaves home to work at a resort hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains during WWII. Unfortunately, shortly after his arrival he finds himself entangled in a fight to prove his innocence for a crime he didn’t commit. Not only does Clapsaddle tell a darn good story, but she does so in a way that feels conversational and intimate. Needless to say, it’s an immensely engaging read.

Moderated by Cherryl Holt

Once again Grace Episcopal Church, Oak Park will present a summer book group. The theme this summer is “Voices from the Margins.” The five books cover LGLBTQ+, Hispanic, Native American, Black and Multi cultural voices. All books are in the Oak Park Library, in the Book Club Section of the library. 7:00 pm. 

July 21, James, by Percival Everett. 

James is a slave who ran away to keep from being sold. He wants to find a way to free his family. A young Huckelberry “Huck” Finn joins James in his journey to freedom.

Moderated by Eleanor Welch

August 11, My Neighbor’s Faith, edited by Jennifer Howe Peace, Or N. Rose & Gregory Mobley

A collection of personal stories and essays of people’s experiences with their own faith, traditions and cultures.
Moderated by Karen-Jo Mensch

May 19, All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M. Johnson

Described as a “memoir-manifesto,” a series of autobiographical, non-chronological essays which relate numerous issues faced by Johnson growing up in a small town in New Jersey. The themes involve the intersection of Black and LGBTQ+ identities.
Moderated by Doug Luce

June 9, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. A novel by a young Latina coming of age in Chicago.
Moderated by Lisa Achilles.