December 14, 2024: Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini

R.E.A.D. (Read Enrich Advise Discuss) We meet in the library meeting space. All welcome to come listen even if you have not yet had a chance to read the book.

In Boston, a dedicated teacher in the Watertown public school system is stunned by somber holiday tidings. Sophia’s music program has been sacrificed to budget cuts, and she worries not only about her impending unemployment but also about the consequences to her underprivileged students. At the church where she volunteers as music director, Sophia tries to forget her cares as she leads the children’s choir in rehearsal for a Christmas Eve concert. Inspired to honor a local artist, Sophia has chosen a carol set to a poem by Longfellow, moved by the glorious words he penned one Christmas Day long ago, even as he suffered great loss.