Readers in AAUW’s Brown Bag ‘n’ Books group met on May 13 and held a lively discussion about the Pulitzer Prize-winning book James by Percival Everett. The review was led by Miki Gillman, and the book received enthusiastic “two thumbs up” praise.
The eleven members present selected books to read and review for the 2025-2026 year, beginning in September after the summer hiatus. A bonus book was chosen to read during the summer, and will be dissected in a meeting in August, to be hosted by DD Patrick. The book is The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese. (synopsis below) Information about the meeting will be forthcoming at a later time.
Nancy Page is the unanimously-elected “volunteer” contact person for the group for the coming year.
All members are invited to read The Covenant of Water and participate in the summer discussion. All members are also invited to join BBnB for an exciting year of a widely-varied selection of books. Most meetings are held in the library at Laguna Lake Mobile Estates in San Luis Obispo.
• The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese (2023) 724 pages
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala's Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, Big Ammachi— will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants. (Awarded New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2023, finalist for the 2024 Audie Award for Narration by the Author, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee)
