5/22: Pages for Progress - A Nonfiction Book Club at Booksweet

5/22: Pages for Progress - A Nonfiction Book Club at Booksweet

This non-fiction book club gathers quarterly and is rooted in community education, collective action, and a deep love for the people that make us great: YOU!

Each Pages For Progress meeting will begin with a discussion of a non-fiction book, followed by an activity that gives actionable steps toward something we can do in our community to support the causes that matter to the group.

For the second quarter in 2026 we selected a book that highlights queer identities and experiences to honor Pride Month. We'll meet on May 22 from 6 - 7:30PM. We'll be reading by Caro De Robertis. We hope you'll join us.

If you order a copy of the book through the store, you get a 10% discount. Give us a call, an email, or stop in to place your order.

About the book

From the acclaimed novelist, a first-of-its-kind, deeply personal, and moving oral history of a generation of trans and gender nonconforming elders of color—from leading activists to artists to ordinary citizens—who tell their own stories of breathtaking courage, cultural innovations, and acts of resistance.
So Many Stars knits together the voices of trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit elders of color as they share authentic, intimate accounts of how they created space for themselves and their communities in the world. This singular project collects the testimonies of twenty elders, each a glimmering thread in a luminous tapestry, preserving their words for future generations—who can more fully exist in the world today because of these very trailblazers.
De Robertis creates a collective coming-of-age story based on hundreds of hours of interviews, offering rare snapshots of ordinary life: kids growing up, navigating family issues and finding community, coming out and changing how they identify over the years, building movements and weathering the AIDS crisis, and sharing wisdom for future generations. Often narrating experiences that took place before they had the array of language that exists today to self-identify beyond the gender binary, this generation lived through remarkable changes in American culture, shaped American culture, and yet rarely takes center stage in the history books. Their stories feel particularly urgent in the current political moment, but also remind readers that their experiences are not new, and that young trans and nonbinary people today belong to a long lineage.
The anecdotes in these pages are riveting, joyful, heartbreaking, full of personality and wisdom, and artfully woven together into one immersive narrative. In De Robertis’s words, So Many Stars shares “behind-the-scenes tales of what it meant—and still means—to create an authentic life, against the odds.”

So... what's this book club like?

This is our third meeting of the quarterly Pages for Progress book club! Since this book club focuses on non-fiction books with an emphasis on community action, we touch base on our ground rules for safety at the beginning of each meeting. We hope to invite a group of people who have read the book (or don't mind a spoiler) to discuss their thoughts. We will bring prompts but invite anyone to pose a question or share their thoughts!

After discussing our thoughts on the book choice, we work through one activity together as a group, focusing on ways to support one another and the communities we participte in.

At the end of the meeting, the group discusses the next session's focus topic and book choice. Feel free to pitch a topic or book you think is fitting for the next quarter! For this club, the organizers make the final decision on our next book selection.

While we will have water and light refreshments (including nut-free and gluten-free options), Booksweet is located in The Courtyard Shops, filled with AMAZING dining options. Food and drinks are totally welcome at the meet-up; don't feel shy about sipping boba while we chat!

We hope to see you there!

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