The Books n' Brew Book Discussion group me ets at McCarty Mills Taproom\, a relaxed setting to socialize\, discuss bo oks\, and enjoy libations. McCarty Mills Taproom is at 140 S. River St.\, Unit 108\, across the street from the Santori Library\, and food/drink is available for purchase. For adults 19+.
\nBooks are selected by the group or facilitating librarian\, and copies are available on the 3rd floo r of the Santori Public Library and at the West Branch Library Reference D esk. Contact Cesar Ortega at cortega@aurorapubliclibrary.org \;or call 630/264-3612 for mor e information. \;
\nWe will be discussing The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan:
\nFrom Goodreads< /p>\n
In this taut and explosive debut novel\, one lapse in judgemen t lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.
\nFrida Liu is struggling. She doesn&rsquo\;t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents&rsqu o\; sacrifices. What&rsquo\;s worse is she can&rsquo\;t persuade her husba nd\, Gust\, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with t heir angelic daughter Harriet does Frida finally feel she&rsquo\;s attaine d the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has\, but she&rsq uo\;s just enough.
\nUntil Frida has a horrible day.\n
The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida &mdash\; ones who check their phones while their kids are on the playground\; who let their children walk home alone\; in other words\, mothers who only have one laps e of judgement. Now\, a host of government officials will determine if Fri da is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the suc cess or failure of a mother&rsquo\;s devotion. Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet\, Frida must prove that she can live up to the standards set for mothers &mdash\; that she can learn to be good.
\nThis propulsive\, witty page-turner explores the perils of &ldquo\;perfect &rdquo\; upper-middle-class parenting\, the violence enacted upon women by the state and each other\, and the boundless love a mother has for her da ughter.
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