Thank you to everyone who participated in our discussion in the comments section of the articles on the website and at our meeting over Zoom about Caucasia by Danzy Senna.

Now, it is time to select our next two readings!

Each Tuesday, we’ll post a thread here on seniorplanet.org inviting you to comment on each section of the book. Then, during our final week of reading, we’ll host a group discussion over Zoom.

But first! We’ve put together a shortlist of engaging books suggested by our participants, Supporters, and staff. Now it’s up to you to pick the books we’ll read in August and September! Read on for details about each book, then take the poll at the end and tell us: What two books should the Senior Planet Book Club read next?

The book with the highest number of votes will be the August read, and the book with the second highest number of votes will be the September read. We’ll announce the result of the poll next Tuesday, August 8th!

Have any feedback on the book club? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

The Books:

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

“Fifteen years old and blazing with the hope of a better life, Hattie Shepherd fled the horror of the American South on a dawn train bound for Philadelphia. Hattie’s is a tale of strength, of resilience and heartbreak that spans six decades. Her American dream is shattered time and again: a husband who lies and cheats and nine children raised in a cramped little house that was only ever supposed to be temporary. She keeps the children alive with sheer will and not an ounce of the affection they crave. She knows they don’t think her a kind woman — but how could they understand that all the love she had was used up in feeding them and clothing them. How do you prepare your children for a world you know is cruel? The lives of this unforgettable family form a searing portrait of twentieth century America. From the revivalist tents of Alabama to Vietnam, to the black middle-class enclave in the heart of the city, to a filthy bar in the ghetto, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is an extraordinary, distinctive novel about the guilt, sacrifice, responsibility and heartbreak that are an intrinsic part of ferocious love.” – GoodReads.com

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

“1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his par­ents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done. With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.” – GoodReads.com

Red Thread of Fate by Lyn Liao Butler

“Two days before Tam and Tony Kwan receive their letter of acceptance for the son they are adopting, Tony and his estranged cousin Mia are killed in an accident. A shell-shocked Tam learns she is named the guardian to Mia’s five-year-old daughter, Angela. Tam has no choice but to agree to take in the girl she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. With her life completely upended, Tam must also decide if she will complete the adoption on her own and bring home the son waiting for her in a Chinese orphanage. But when her secret comes to light just as she and Angela start to bond, their fragile family is threatened. As Tam uncovers the events of the past, she discovers the true meaning of love; the one she is meant to be with, and the family she is meant to have, however unlikely.” – GoodReads.com

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

“By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.” – GoodReads.com

Take the poll!

Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash