Join us to discuss these fabulous new books! Copies of the books are available in the Maxwell Abbell Library and from public libraries, as well as from local and online booksellers. For more information, email Rachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning, or call her at 847/926-7902.
Participants are encouraged to make a minimum donation of $54 to the Torah Fund Campaign. If you donate $180 or more you will receive the beautiful 5784 “Arevut” (Responsibility) Torah Fund pin. Click here for more information on how to make your Torah Fund donation online, by mail, or by phone.
Torah Fund Book Club Calendar 2023-2024
Kantika by Elizabeth Graver
In-Person Discussion: Saturday, October 21, 12:30 pm
A dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga that moves from Istanbul to Barcelona, Havana, and New York, exploring displacement, endurance, and family as home. Meet the Author in-person on Sunday, October 22 at 10:30 am at the Chicago Loop Synagogue and at 2:30 pm at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard.
Swimming with Ghosts by Michelle Brafman
Meet the Author In-Person: Saturday, November 18, 12:30 pm
From the acclaimed author of Washing the Dead and Bertrand Court comes a satirical and chilling tale that captures the ethos and ruin of children’s competitive swimming, where parents must face the haunting spirits of their own tumultuous upbringings or risk losing their way and—in turn—themselves.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
In-Person Discussion: Saturday, January 20, 12:30 pm
When a skeleton is unearthed in the small, close-knit community of Chicken Hill, Pennsylvania, in 1972, an unforgettable cast of characters—living on the margins of white, Christian America—closely guard a secret, especially when the truth is revealed about what happened and the part the town’s white establishment played in it.
White Bird by R.J. Palacio
FAMILY BOOK CLUB: Sunday, February 25, 12:00 PM
Sara Blum lives an idyllic life with her adoring parents in Vichy France. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation separates the family and forces the young Jewish girl into hiding.
Leaving Eastern Parkway by Matthew Daub
In-Person Discussion: Saturday, March 9, 12:30 pm
Meet the Author on Zoom: Thursday, March 14, 8:00 PM
Suddenly orphaned, 15-year-old Zev Altshul, desperate to escape Brooklyn’s Hasidic community, sets course across the U.S., where he finds himself in Urbana, Illinois playing handball to support himself.
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
In-Person Discussion: Saturday, April 13, 12:30 PM
A trustworthy boy who has never told a lie, 11-year-old Nico Krispis, duped by a German officer into leading his family and fellow Jewish residents to their doom, becomes a pathological liar, in a story that explores honesty, devotion and revenge—and the power of love to ultimately redeem us.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
In-Person Discussion: Saturday, June 1, 12:30 pm
Embarking on a legendary collaboration launching them to stardom, two friends since childhood have the world at their feet until they discover that their success, brilliance and money won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of the heart.
Click on each title for a link to read-a-likes and suggested reading. All books are available in the Maxwell Abbell Library.
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