The Village Reads - Current Fundraising Campaign
What is a Community Read?
About the Club
The Village Reads is a group of residents who select one book each year that they encourage everyone to read and then attend an event centered around the book.
For more information, or to find out about the 2024 event, contact Raquel Unger at TheVillageReadsLWV@gmail.com or 949-873-7003.
About the Book
Tan Yunxian is born into an elite family in an era when the Confucian maxim, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” would normally govern her life and actions. However, her grandmother is one of the handful of female physicians in China and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, some radically different between men and women. From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls maintain a supportive, lasting friendship even while living vastly different lives.
The inaugural event of THE VILLAGE READS was held in April, 2023. The free event was an effort made by The Village Reads Club to bring Laguna Woods Village readers together through a common experience.
The club raised $1000 and put together a stimulating and fun event featuring a video of the author speaking about the book and a skit of an exchange between characters in the book. As expected, there were discussion groups with lots of interesting conversations.
For a copy of an article about the club and event that appeared in the Globe, click here.
The event is a part of the “BOOK IN COMMON” concept that is happening in communities all over the nation. You can search online for “one city one book” to learn more about it.
The goals of the event include:
To give participants a shared experience to help build community
To become a positive change agent in the community
To bring together the LWV reading community through a common experience
To value the pursuit of learning through reading books
To recognize our shared humanity
This year’s book is Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
About the Event
The event will be held Saturday, April 6 from 12:30 to 2:30 in the Sierra Room in Clubhouse 2. There will be a taped interview with renown author Lisa See, as well as two guest lecturers for the program: Hu Ying, Professor of East Asian Studies at University of California, Irvine and Sandra Rosencrans, who has lectured on the contemporary novel for almost 50 years, including for the OLLI program. Snacks will also be provided.
It was a great event last year and this year should be even better! The club is charging a nominal fee of $5 to attend. The event fills up fast so be sure to get your reservation in by emailing TheVillageReadsLWV@gmail.com
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
