The Montclair Public Library’s Everything Book Club recently hosted a robust discussion of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. The group is facilitated by Ariel Zeitlin, MLIS, Programming Librarian.
The Everything Book Club is one of 14 book clubs participating this summer in Montclair Reads The Sum of Us, a community-wide read presented by the Montclair Public Library and Partners for Health Foundation.
The Community Read is leading up to a special Open Book / Open Mind event on Tuesday, October 13, featuring a conversation between McGhee, an influential economic and public policy expert, and Michelle Alexander, renowned civil rights lawyer and author of The New Jim Crow.
Together, McGhee and Alexander will explore the central themes of The Sum of Us, including the costs of racism for everyone, the limitations of a zero-sum view of opportunity, and how working across differences can help build stronger, more equitable communities.
The October 13 event will take place at the First Congregational Church of Montclair and will include an audience Q&A and book signing with Watchung Booksellers. The program is free, but registration is required.