About this Event
About the book:
“A compelling, love-laced portrait of several generations of a family much like yours, mine and just about everyone’s.”—People (Most Anticipated Books of 2026)
Was this just a brief skirmish, or the beginning of a thirty-year feud? In the Rubinstein family, it could go either way.
When their beloved sister passes away, Sylvia and Helen Rubinstein are unmoored. A misunderstanding about apple cake turns into a decade of stubborn silence. Busy with their own lives—divorces, dating, career setbacks, college applications, bat mitzvahs and ballet recitals—their children do not want to get involved. As for their grandchildren? Impossible.
With This Is Not About Us, master storyteller Allegra Goodman—whose prior collection was heralded as “one of the most astute and engaging books about American family life” (The Boston Globe)—returns to the form and subject that endeared her to legions of readers. Sharply observed and laced with humor, This Is Not About Us is a story of growing up and growing old, the weight of parental expectations, and the complex connection between sisters—a big-hearted book about the love that binds a family across generations.
About the authors:
Allegra Goodman is the author of seven novels, including the national bestseller Isola, which was a Reese’s Book Club pick, and Sam, which was a Read with Jenna selection; two short story collections; and a novel for young readers. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and elsewhere, and has been anthologized in The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Nikki Erlick is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Measure and The Poppy Fields. Her debut novel, The Measure, was a “Read with Jenna” Book Club Pick on The TODAY Show and a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick. The Measure has been translated into 24 languages worldwide. Her second novel, The Poppy Fields, was an instant USA Today bestseller, a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist, an Apple Audiobook “Must-Listen,” and a national LibraryReads selection. Nikki graduated Harvard University and earned her master’s degree from Columbia University.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1113 Montana Ave, 1113 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, United States
USD 0.00
