Wednesday, September 23 11 am to 12:30 pm

Location: Shaarei Tikvah Congregation, Scarsdale NY

Fee: $35 payable to Scarsdale Adult School

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum , they notice an older gentleman following them. He is Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been briefly married to her mother when Daphne was nine. Now 53, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie since a fateful car accident that changed the direction of both of their lives. The story takes place in the weeks after their reunion, as she learns the truth behind the divorce and revisits the accident and its reverberations. Patchett’s ultimately uplifting novel is about secrets, memory, storytelling, family, and how the feeling of being known by another person can make all the difference in life.

Book selection: Tayari Jones, Kin

Vernice and Annie are two motherless daughters growing up in Honeysuckle, Louisiana during the 1950s. Best friends since early childhood, they are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt who provides her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice (Niecy) departs for Spelman College and discovers a new world of sisterhood, affluence, aspiration, and inequality. Annie, abandoned by her mother as a baby and fixated on filling the emotional hole left by her absence, embarks a journey that brings love and adventure as well as peril. In Annie and Niecy’s alternating narration, the women reflect on their maternal abandonment; despite their separation by distance and circumstance, their bond of sisterly friendship endures. Exploring social injustice through the lens of personal relationships, Kin is an intimate contemporary novel laced with grace and humor. 

Friday, October 16 11 am to 12:30 pm

Location: ONLINE / Zoom

Fee: $ 35 payable to Scarsdale Adult School

Dr. Lucy McBride is a primary care physician based in Washington, DC, who knows how challenging it is to navigate a healthcare system that rushes through appointments focused on prescriptions and testing. And how can we evaluate the expensive (often false) promises offered by the burgeoning “wellness industry?” Beyond the Prescription is a road map to becoming a more empowered patient and reclaiming agency over our health. Whether managing a chronic condition, coping with a new diagnosis, or trying to make sense of conflicting health advice, she offers practical strategies and solutions to help us understand our “patient personalities”; learn to ask better questions during rushed appointments; deal with anxiety caused by internet and AI searches on medical conditions; and evaluate trade-offs in seeking treatment. No matter who you see for primary care or specialty physicians, you can benefit from her behind-the-scenes insights & information.

Time will be allotted to audience Q&A. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to purchase & read the book before the scheduled event. The session will be recorded and made available to pre-registered participants if they cannot attend the session live.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a trustworthy, compassionate physician & public health educator.

Tuesday, October 20 1:30 pm

Location: The Jewish Museum, NYC

Fee: $ 65 payable to Lori Rotskoff

This exhibition sheds new light on the role that women played as artists, designers, patrons, and tastemakers shaping modernist aesthetics in early 20th-century Vienna and beyond. With more than 200 objects by some 30 Jewish women artists on view, it is organized thematically to reveal the extraordinary range and technical prowess of the women of the Wiener Werkstatte across various mediums, including textile design, ceramics, fashion, and more.

According to the New York Times, “this exhibition doesn’t only do the now-common job of spotlighting the work of talented women overshadowed by their male contemporaries…it presents a fresh image of the women there who crafted a whole new idea of how a woman might be—no longer a modest and seemly helpmeet to men, but someone with the power and courage to make a mark.”

Wednesday, November 4 2:00 pm

Location: The American Folk Art Museum, 2 Lincoln Square, NYC

Fee: $ 35 payable to Lori Rotskoff

Featuring spectacular examples of needlework and other ornamental arts made by American girls in the 18th and 19th centuries, this exhibition sheds new light on a rich but understudied genre, bringing together 100 + exceptional objects from over 35 museums and private collections nationwide. Explore girlhood artworks from an art historical perspective, including landscape paintings, needlework samplers and pictures, watercolors, and other artworks commonly united under the umbrella term “schoolgirl art.” Considering these works as deeply resonant expressions of place, this exhibition expands the story of the American landscape and places young women at its heart.

Read more about the exhibition in this enthusiastic review in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/arts/design/young-women-artists-american-landscape.html

Tuesday, November 10 1:30 pm

Book selection: Ada Ferrer: Keeper of My Kin: A Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter

Discuss the acclaimed memoir by Ada Ferrer, Pulitzer-Prize winning author and Professor of History at Princeton University. In 1963, four years after Fidel Castro came to power, Ada Ferrer’s mother made the agonizing decision to flee Cuba with her infant daughter, Ada, and to leave behind her nine-year-old son named Poly. That moment was a ripple in a much larger story of global revolution. Yet, within their family, that separation was a crossroads that reverberates with heartbreaking repercussions today. In this masterfully composed book, the author shifts between her roles as historian and family member, weaving a multi-generational tale that reaches into the past to better understand the present. We see key historical events through the eyes of the grandmother who raised Poly after Ada’s departure; through Ada’s parents, forced to reinvent themselves in a new land; and through the two brothers who were left behind (Poly and another once-secret brother named Juan Jose.) Drawing on a treasure trove of letters as well as government documents, photographs, and other sources, Ferrer offers a loving, meaningful reflection on family, belonging, memory, and the legacies of history.

Books, Bites & Breath: Gathering with Gratitude, in partnership with Pause to Be Present‍ ‍

Tuesday, November 17 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Fee: $ 45 payable to Pause to Be Present

As Thanksgiving approaches, join us for an inspiring evening at J. Andersons Books in Larchmont. Explore themes of gratitude, joy, connection, and wonder through a lively presentation of book titles, informal discussion, and guided meditation. Research by experts shows that practicing gratitude offers real benefits to our physical and mental health. Learn strategies and mindsets that help us savor the experiences, things, people, and moments that add meaning, beauty, depth, and delight to daily life. Amidst the added stress and hurried pace of the holidays, discover new books and techniques that expand our appreciation of the external world and our inner capacity for resilience and joy. The interactive presentation will feature books in several genres, including personal growth; memoir; non-fiction, and poetry. Mingle with fellow guests, browse the shelves, and sample light bites, mocktails, and desserts perfect for fall (and for your Thanksgiving table.) The evening will conclude with a brief meditation, led by Cheryl Brause, focused on gratitude and the calming power of breath.

Registration fee ($ 45) includes drinks, light bites, the interactive program, and a “surprise” book to take home, related to the evening’s theme. (Book swapping allowed based on availability.) 10 % discount for additional book purchases.

Thursday, November 19 11 am to 12:30 pm

Location: Shaarei Tikvah Congregation, Scarsdale NY

Fee: $ 35 payable to Scarsdale Adult School

Discuss the acclaimed memoir by Ada Ferrer, Pulitzer-Prize winning author and Professor of History at Princeton University. In 1963, four years after Fidel Castro came to power, Ada Ferrer’s mother made the agonizing decision to flee Cuba with her infant daughter, Ada, and to leave behind her nine-year-old son named Poly. That moment was a ripple in a much larger story of historical change. Yet within their family, that separation was a crossroads that reverberates with heartbreaking repercussions today. In this masterfully composed book, we see global events through the eyes of the grandmother who raised Poly after Ada’s departure; through Ada’s parents, forced to reinvent themselves and make their way in a new land; and through the two siblings who were left behind (Poly and another once-secret brother named Juan Jose.) Drawing on a treasure trove of letters, photographs, and other sources, Ferrer offers a loving, meaningful reflection on family, belonging, memory, and history.

Click here to see rave reviews of Ferrer’s compelling personal history: https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/keeper-of-my-kin-memoir-of-an-immigrant-daughter/

Thursday, November 19 3:30 to 5:00 pm (ET)

Location: ONLINE / Zoom

Fee: $ 35 payable to Scarsdale Adult School

Discuss the acclaimed memoir by Ada Ferrer, Pulitzer-Prize winning author and Professor of History at Princeton University. In 1963, four years after Fidel Castro came to power, Ada Ferrer’s mother made the agonizing decision to flee Cuba with her infant daughter, Ada, and to leave behind her nine-year-old son named Poly. That moment was a ripple in a much larger story of historical change. Yet within their family, that separation was a crossroads that reverberates with heartbreaking repercussions today. In this masterfully composed book, we see global events through the eyes of the grandmother who raised Poly after Ada’s departure; through Ada’s parents, forced to reinvent themselves and make their way in a new land; and through the two siblings who were left behind (Poly and another once-secret brother named Juan Jose.) Drawing on a treasure trove of letters, photographs, and other sources, Ferrer offers a loving, meaningful reflection on family, belonging, memory, and history.

Click here to see rave reviews of Ferrer’s compelling personal history: https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/keeper-of-my-kin-memoir-of-an-immigrant-daughter/

Tuesday, December 1 1:30 pm

Book selection: The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria’s Romance Scammers, by Carlos Barragan

In this eye-opening work of immersion journalism, Madrid-based New York Times journalist Carlos Barragan takes readers inside the lives of four young “romance scammers” in Lagos, Nigeria, exploring how and why they engage in these devious scams, and the moral dilemmas they face. When his mother started emailing with a handsome American soldier who promised to send gold bars to her Madrid apartment, Carlos Barragan came face to face with the human toll of online romance fraud. After tracing the emails to an IP address in Nigeria, he set off to Lagos to find his mother’s scammer, where he discovered a much bigger story. There, in a crowded and impoverished neighborhood in the midst of Africa’s largest city, he encountered thousands of young men who call themselves the “Yahoo boys,” and each year they catfish millions of dollars from lovely victims overseas. Through the Yahoo boys’ twisting fortunes, he uncovers their psychological tactics, the brutal economic realities that drive them, and the ethical challenges they confront. This riveting book shows how loneliness in the West and poverty in Nigeria are two sides of the same screen.

Tentative Date & Times:

Thursday, January 14 with an in-person class in Scarsdale at 11 am and an Online class at 3:30 pm (ET)

Gloria Steinem lived an exemplary life and is widely considered to be among the most influential Americans of the 20th & 21st centuries. This class will focus on the ways in which Steinem’s biographical background, early family life, and cultivation of intergenerational friendships and other social connections were intertwined with her commitments to political activism, feminism, and social change. We will consider Steinem’s personal / political history through her own voice and writings, including her acclaimed memoir My Life on the Road (originally published in 2015) and her posthumously published book, An Unexpected Life: A Memoir (Sept. 2026). Whether or not you read Steinem’s earlier book, the occasion of her passing, along with changes in our country’s (and the world’s) political and social context since then, warrants a fresh exploration. Participants will also be sent links to videos and audio interviews with and about Steinem, before the class session meets.

I’m always searching for new books, authors, museum exhibitions, films and other topics to discuss, explore, critique, and share with groups of curious lifelong learners. Please contact me with any suggestions and/or to find out more about upcoming programs.