The New York Public Library continues partnering with WNYC to present a book club experience! Each month, we will read a new title leading up to a live conversation, in-person or online, with the author and Alison Stewart, host of WNYC’s All of It.

The conversation will be followed a week later by a book discussion IN PERSON and ONLINE at the Mulberry Street Library. (The author will NOT join us for the book discussion.)

The Alison Stewart interview is on Thursday, March 28, at 6 pm. The Mulberry Street Library book discussion is on Thursday, April 4, at 6 pm. Please join us for either program or both!

The March title is Xochitl Gonzalez’s Anita de Monte Laughs Last — a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death.

1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten — certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.

But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.

Throughout the month, All of It host Alison Stewart and the Library will accompany readers, providing touchpoints on-air and on social media at @allofitwnyc and @nypl. Borrow the book (and more than 300,000 others) for free through the Library’s e-reader app SimplyE, available for iOS and Android devices.

Then, join our neighborhood book club book discussion online or at the Mulberry Street Library on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Here’s how it works:

Get the book

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog (available March 5)
• E-Book app: SimplyE, available on iOS and Android
• Purchase: The Library Shop — proceeds benefit The New York Public Library
• To see all of our previous WNYC Get Lit titles check out our book club page here!
• We will try to have some physical copies of the book at the Mulberry Street circulation desk.

Once again, the Mulberry Street book club book discussion is on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at 6 pm Eastern Daylight Saving Time (the time in New York City). You can join us online or in person at the library.

Please note: there are no adult restrooms at the library. Please plan accordingly.

The author will NOT be joining us for the book discussion.

Time: 6:00-7:00 pm EST

Free!

Registration