Registration now closed

West Branch Nonfiction Book Discussion

Where the Children Take Us by Zain E. Asher

West Branch's monthly nonfiction book discussion group. August: Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable by Zain E. Asher

Join us for West Branch's monthly non-fiction book discussion group. We read a variety of contemporary non-fiction and meet once a month for a lively discussion. Contact discussion leader Janet Stephens at 630-264-3626 for a copy of the book or the list of current chosen titles. Join us virtually through Zoom or register for in-person, as seating is limited. Contact discussion facilitator Janet Stephens at jstephens@aurorapubliclibrary.org for more information or to receive a Zoom link to join us virtually.

When CNN anchor Asher was five, a terrible tragedy befell her family. During a road trip in Nigeria, Asher’s father and brother (actor Chiwetel Ejiofor) were involved in a car accident that left her father dead and her brother badly injured. Asher’s mother, Obiajulu, was suddenly a single parent, raising four children in a dangerous neighborhood in south London. A survivor of the Nigerian Civil War, Obiajulu was no stranger to displacement and uncertainty, and she dedicated all of her considerable energy to ensuring that her children would excel despite the blow their family had been dealt. Asher writes of her mother’s role in her professional success, and she tells her mother’s story alongside her own, from the courtship with Asher’s father in war-torn Nigeria, to the Brixton pharmacy where she fought to make ends meet for her four children, to an invitation from Queen Elizabeth to a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. At its heart, Where the Children Take Us is a love letter to the author’s mother, in all her strength and determination. Booklist

Upcoming events