By Jenna Newman

Read with the (Other) Jenna is back for another semester of diving deeper into captivating memoirs with the Villanova community. It’s hard to believe that four months ago I first came up with the idea for this virtual book club, and now, here we are, introducing the three books for the upcoming semester. 

Below is a brief introduction to the book club’s February choice, as well as a brief summary and insight into why I picked this memoir for the first of the semester.

February // Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu

Nadia Owusu shares her life story as the daughter of a UN official, moving throughout her childhood until she lost her father at the age of 13. Without her mother presence in her life, Nadia had a childhood filled with instability. When she arrived in New York as a young woman, Nadia embarked on a new journey to find herself and her identity.

For the month of February, I wanted to feature a memoir by a black author and was struck by the theme of identity in Nadia’s life. With life changes comes changing identity, something that I would argue everyone can relate to, whether it’s a current situation or something that has already passed. 

Be prepared by checking out our other book club picks for the spring semester below!

March // Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

April // When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Jenna Newman is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department.