Three Aves Book Club: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"Cheeky, insightful, and irresistible." --​​​​​​​Ms. Magazine
"Full of lived-in humanity, warmth, and compassion." --Pittsburgh Current

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church's double standards and their own needs and passions.

There is fourteen-year-old Jael, who has a crush on the preacher's wife. At forty-two, Lyra realizes that her discomfort with her own body stands between her and a new love. As Y2K looms, Caroletta's "same time next year" arrangement with her childhood best friend is tenuous. A serial mistress lays down the ground rules for her married lovers. In the dark shadows of a hospice parking lot, grieving strangers find comfort in each other.

With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.

Book club will meet on Sunday, April 21st at Beermiscuous - 2812 N Lincoln Ave.

We'll meet from 5 to 6:30 pm!

We've got copies of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies in store so come by anytime. To reserve your copy or have it shipped to you directly, place an order online here.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Beermiscuous, 2812 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, United States