In-person Event: OLD ENOUGH by Haley Jakobson

Please join us for an in-person event to celebrate the release of OLD ENOUGH by Haley Jakobson! For this event, Haley will be in conversation with Maalvika Bhat. 

Please note: Pre-registration for this event is required. By pre-registering, you are verifying that you are fully vaccinated and will wear a mask throughout the entirety of the event.

Savannah "Sav" Henry is almost the person she wants to be, or at least she's getting closer. It’s the second semester of her sophomore year. She’s finally come out as bisexual, is making friends with the other queers in her dorm, and has just about recovered from her disastrous first queer “situationship.” She is cautiously optimistic that her life is about to begin.

But when she learns that Izzie, her best friend from childhood, has gotten engaged, Sav faces a crisis of confidence. Things with Izzie haven’t been the same since what happened between Sav and Izzie’s older brother when they were sixteen. Now, with the wedding around the corner, Sav is forced to reckon with trauma she thought she could put behind her.

On top of it all, Sav can’t stop thinking about Wes from her Gender Studies class—sweet, funny Wes, with their long eyelashes and green backpack. There’s something different here—with Wes and with her new friends (who delight in teasing her about this face-burning crush); it feels, terrifyingly, like they might truly see her in a way no one has before.

With a singularly funny, heartfelt voice, Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what finding your people can feel like—for better or worse.

BUY THE BOOK!

Haley Jakobson (she/her) is a bisexual writer living in Brooklyn, New York. In her work, she explores queerness, mental health, and trauma. Haley loves bodega sandwiches (no cheese), writing on the subway, and will change your mind about Geminis. OLD ENOUGH is her debut.

Maalvika Bhat is a Dual PhD student at Northwestern University studying Technology & Social Behavior. When she's not nose-deep in a book, she's posting to 115k followers on Tiktok & gabbing on her podcast, Show Me How Good It Gets. More interests include: engineering pedagogy, board games, cartography, girlhood, science museums, and maple syrup in waffle squares. 

Accessibility: This event will be held at the bookstore, which is an accessible space. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For questions or access needs, please email [email protected]. 

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Women & Children First, 5233 North Clark Street, Chicago, United States