MetroWestprograms
Katy Strulson
Upcoming Events
October 2022
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Samantha Greene Woodruff, "The Lobotomist's Wife" Woodruff imagines Ruth Apter, a brilliant woman who falls for the charismatic doctor who introduced the lobotomy to the United States as treatment for depression, headaches, and even the “baby blues.” As the medical community abandons lobotomies, Dr. Apter becomes increasingly driven and deluded. When Ruth sees his passion turn to deadly obsession, she knows she’s the only one who can stop him. A propulsive yet chilling page-turner, this is a…
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Michael Oren, "Swann's War" In-person at the J! A thrilling literary fiction whodunit set on a rugged New England fishing island during WWII. With all the island's men fighting overseas, trained cop Mary Beth Swann steps into her husband's role as the beloved police captain. She has to fight for the respect of hardscrabble residents, with only the help of a simple-minded deputy, a disgraced doctor, and a mob-connected mainlander. And that’s before a murdered…
November 2022
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Michael Oren, "Swann's War" **Michael Oren will appear in person at the J on Sunday, October 23** A thrilling literary fiction whodunit set on a rugged New England fishing island during WWII. With all the island's men fighting overseas, trained cop Mary Beth Swann steps into her husband's role as the beloved police captain. She has to fight for the respect of hardscrabble residents, with only the help of a simple-minded deputy, a disgraced doctor,…
December 2022
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Lynda Cohen Loigman, "The Matchmaker's Gift" A heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to realize their unique gift of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places. "Loigman's latest is a gem. A scrappy Jewish teenager newly arrived in 1920s New York struggles to follow her calling as a matchmaker. Seventy years later, her cynical divorce-attorney granddaughter realizes she has very inconveniently inherited the family gift for matching soulmates. Both…
January 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Rachel Barenbaum, "Atomic Anna" Artist Molly names her superhero character Atomic Anna after her birth mother. Molly learns from her Soviet refusenik adoptive parents that Anna’s research was key to the development of the atomic bomb. Later she will learn about Anna’s other research into riding ripples of time, as her mother unexpectedly appears at different points of Molly's life. In this inventive time-travel drama, Anna struggles between her desire to stop the meltdown of…
February 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Alyson Richman and Shaunna J. Edwards, "The Thread Collectors" An ingenious young Black woman embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. A Jewish woman in NYC attends abolitionist meetings and stitches quilts for Union soldiers. As these two women risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War, their paths converge in New Orleans, where an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the…
March 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Jai Chakrabartis, "A Play for the End of the World" New York City, 1972. Jaryk Smith, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, and Lucy Gardner, a Southerner newly arrived in the city, are in the first bloom of love when they receive word that Jaryk's oldest friend has died under mysterious circumstances in a rural Indian village. Traveling there to collect his friend's ashes, Jaryk soon finds himself enmeshed in the chaos of local politics and…
April 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Shelly Sanders, "Daughters of the Occupation" In 1940, the Soviets invade Latvia and occupy Riga, Miriam's home, just as she gives birth to her son Monya. Then the Nazis arrive, killing Miriam's husband and rounding up Jews. Miriam asks her loyal housekeeper to hide her children and conceal their Jewish roots. In 1970s Chicago, 24-year-old Sarah meets her estranged grandmother Miriam who begs Sarah to find the son she abandoned in Latvia. A magnificent, emotionally…
May 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Sally Koslow, "The Real Mrs. Tobias" A funny and big-hearted story about the deeply complicated relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, told through three generations of women who marry into the same family. “With a shrewd eye and a light touch, Sally Koslow weaves a story about three strong women whose memories, dreams, and desires conflict and intersect as they navigate a series of family crises. Warm, witty, and heartfelt, The Real Mrs. Tobias is a cinematic, fast-paced treat.”…
June 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Kitty Zeldis, "The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights" Moving from the bustling streets of 1920s New York City to late nineteenth-century Russia and the lively quarters of New Orleans in the 1910s, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is a story of the families we are born into and the families we choose, and of the unbreakable bonds between women. "A compelling tale of friendship, class, prejudice, and love.” (Kirkus, starred review) FREE 12:00 Book Group discussion 1:00 Presentation…
July 2023
JCC MetroWest Book Group presents, Adam Langer, "Cycloramas" The deeply moving, propulsive story of ten teenagers brought together by a high school production of The Diary of Anne Frank that will shape and influence the rest of their lives. A series of events that unfolds in Evanston, Illinois in 1982 haunts the cast for years to come. In 2016, the actors have moved on with their lives. Some are wildly successful, some never left their hometown, and some just want to be…
