The Literary Lounge Book Club with Javalyn LeBlanc: "By Any Other Name" by Jodi Picoult

Hey there! We'd love to have you join our book club, where we meet monthly to chat about all kinds of books, from romance to mystery to sci-fi and beyond. Our meetings are a welcoming and friendly space where you can share your thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment. Join us to discover new worlds and wonderful friends!

This month's pick is "By Any Other Name" by New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult. The book can be found at the library and on Libby! There will also be an opportunity to hear directly from Jodi Picoult via digital livestream as part of this month's Virtual Author Talk Series. 

About the book: In 1581, Emilia Bassano—like most young women of her day—is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all theater in England, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history. In the present, playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theater. Would Melina—like Emilia—be willing to forfeit her credit as author, just for a chance to see her work performed?