Summer 2020

The Virtual Engagement Committee invites all members to join us for a summer reading club. You are welcome to participate in one or both discussions. Discussions will be held on June 18 and July 16 at 3:00 pm (est). Your assigned discussion group will consist of no more than 8 to 10 people per group.

*Books will not be provided.

The Gifts of Imperfection - June 18 at 3:00 pm

When our embarrassments and fears lie, we often listen to them anyway. They thwart our gratitude, acceptance, and compassion--our goodness. They insist, "I am not worthy." But we are worthy--of self-discovery, personal growth, and boundless love. With Brené Brown's game-changing New York Times best-seller The Gifts of Imperfection--which has sold more than 2 million copies and has been translated in more than 30 different languages, and Forbes recently named one of the "Five Books That Will Actually Change Your Outlook On Life"--we find courage to overcome paralyzing fear and self-consciousness, strengthening our connection to the world.

This book is a motivational and inspiring guide to wholehearted living, rather than just the average self-help book. With this groundbreaking work, Brené Brown, Ph.D., bolsters the self-esteem and personal development process through her characteristic heartfelt, honest storytelling. With original research and plenty of encouragement, she explores the psychology of releasing our definitions of an "imperfect" life and embracing living authentically. Brown's "ten guideposts" are benchmarks for authenticity that can help anyone establish a practice for a life of honest beauty--a perfectly imperfect life.

Now more than ever, we all need to cultivate feelings of self-worth, as well as acceptance and love for ourselves. In a world where insults, criticisms, and fears are spread too generously alongside messages of unrealistic beauty, attainment, and expectation, we look for ways to "dig deep" and find truth and gratitude in our lives. A new way forward means we can't hold on too tightly to our own self-defeating thoughts or the displaced pain in our world. Instead, we can embrace the imperfection.

Purchase a copy on Amazon.

Registration | Curated Reading List

Becoming - July 16 at 3:00 pm

From Penguin Random House..........

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Purchase a copy on Amazon.