Prior to each discussion, our office holds a random drawing to give away 5 free copies of the upcoming selection. You are encouraged to attend even if you do not have the opportunity to finish the book prior to the discussion. Please register for the discussion by Thursday, August 15 to be entered into the book club drawing. The registration link will stay open until the day of the discussion.
Registration Opens: Monday, August 5, 2024
Winners Announced: Friday, August 16, 2024
Discussion: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=2RNYUX1x3UWeypqhnAnW-WsU7lwr1JdCoPE2n2KW0QxUQTk4RFVZNlRLOFRGVzYzT1dKQ0c2N1M2NS4u
Montgomery, Alabama 1973. Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she intends to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.
But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a worn down one-room cabin, she’s shocked to learn that her new patients are children—just 11 and 13 years old. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black and for those handling the family’s welfare benefits that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica and their family into her heart. Until one day, she arrives at the door to learn the unthinkable has happened and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.
Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten.
Because history repeats what we don’t remember.