About Community Reads
Community Foundation of North Louisiana invites any and all in the community to join Community Reads, a book club led by CFNLA. We encourage community members to join us as we read about issues like poverty, education, addiction, mental health, blight, and criminal justice reform. Each quarter, CFNLA will announce a new book selection. At the end of the quarter, we will invite up to 25 community members to participate in a group discussion and dialogue about the book. Discussion events will take place in both the Shreveport-Bossier area and Ruston. Interested community members may join the book club or simply sign up to receive Community Reads updates at the link above.
Need a copy of the book? Visit the Shreve Memorial Library website to find and reserve digital, print, and audiobook editions.
Spring 2020 Selection: Smacked, by Eilene Zimmerman
About the Book
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. She thought he looked sick and needed to see a doctor, and indeed, he told her he had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all: a beautiful house by the beach, expensive cars, and other luxuries that came with an affluent life. Eilene assumed his odd behavior was due to stress and overwork—he was a senior partner at a prominent law firm and had been working more than sixty hours a week for the last twenty years.
So begins Smacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eilene’s shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly thirty years became a drug addict. Eilene is determined to learn all she can about Peter’s hidden life, and also about drug addiction among ambitious, high-achieving professionals like him. Through extensive research and interviews, she presents a picture of drug dependence today in that moneyed, upwardly mobile world.
Discussion Event – Shreveport-Bossier
Save the date for our next discussion event on Tuesday, May 19, at 5:30 PM. Join our email list to receive updates about book club selections and events.
Discussion Event – Ruston
A new book club is being launched in Ruston! The Just Mercy discussion event has been postponed, but we will announce when it has been rescheduled. Please sign up for the newsletter to receive updates.