BookPeople Presents: Saumya Dave - The Guilt Pill

Please welcome Saumya Dave, Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, and Upasna Gautam to celebrate The Guilt Pill!

This event is free and open to the public.

• Start time: 7:00 P.M.
• Run time: 45-60 minutes, followed by a signing line.
• Location: The second floor of BookPeople.

The author will be signing and personalizing copies of the book after the speaking portion of the event.

• To get a book signed, a copy of the event book or an item of equal value must be purchased from BookPeople.

Guidelines:

• Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

• If you have any other questions, please visit our Eventbrite FAQ. If your question isn't covered in the FAQ, feel free to email us at [email protected].
• All event guidelines are subject to change.
• BookPeople reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.

About the book:

What if women could get rid of their guilt?

Maya Patel has it all—her own start-up, a sexy, doting husband, influencer status, and now, a new baby. Or does she? Because behind closed doors, Maya's drowning. Her newborn's taking a toll on her marriage, her best friend won't return her calls, and her company's hanging on by a thread. The worst part? It's all her fault. If she could just be a better boss, mother, wife, daughter, friend… Maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty all the time.

Enter: #Girlboss Liz Anderson, who introduces her to the "guilt pill," an experimental supplement that erases female guilt. At first, it’s the perfect antidote to Maya’s self-blame and imposter syndrome, and she finally becomes the unapologetic woman she’s always wanted to be. But there's a catch: for Maya to truly "have it all," she needs to be ready to risk it all. And as Maya falls deeper and deeper down the pill's guilt-free rabbit hole, her growing ruthlessness could threaten everything she's built for herself—and the family she's worked so hard to protect.

Electric, taut, and sharply observed, The Guilt Pill is a feminist exploration of motherhood, race, ambition, and how the world treats women who dare to go after everything they want.

About the author:

Born in India, Atlanta raised, and now living in Brooklyn, Saumya Dave is an established writer, psychiatrist, professor, mental health advocate, and mother. She is also a mental health commentator on NBC and cofounded thisisforHER, a nonprofit which uses art therapy to improve mental health awareness and education for women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. Her extensive pharmacological research and knowledge leaps off the page in a really smart, but accessible way and she is uniquely equipped to write this novel.

About the moderators:

Dr. Pooja Lakshmin is the author of Real Self-Care, an NPR Best Book of 2023 and national best-seller. She is a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in women’s mental health, a clinical assistant professor at George Washington University School of Medicine, and a contributor to The New York Times. She has spent thousands of hours taking care of patients struggling with burnout, despair, depression and anxiety in her clinical practice.
Upasna Gautam is a Senior Product Management Leader at CNN, where she leads the development of the platform technology that delivers breaking news to the world. Upasna has been working in the tech industry for the last 15 years and has been an integral part of building technical, data-informed solutions for brands such as Ford Motor Company, Valvoline, PCMag, Mashable, Mars Corporation, and Kimberly-Clark. Upasna also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors at the News Product Alliance, is a freelance journalist at CNN, startup advisor, and an angel investor in early-stage software companies.

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Thank you for supporting Saumya Dave, Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, Upasna Gautam, and your local independent bookstore!

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