REEDLEY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – What started as an idea between two sisters in Reedley, has become a community unlike any other.
“Well, going back to the beginning, when we thought about a book club, we really both enjoyed reading and we had other friends who enjoyed reading as well,” said Angelica Diaz, one of the Founders of Hermanas Y Comadres, Latina Book Club. ”There was just no space for us or we didn’t identify with any other group, so we said let’s create one ourselves.”
That is when the Hermanas y Comadres Latina Book Club was formed, hosting their first meeting back in March in the living room of Diaz’s Reedley home.
Each month the group gets together, first, gathering around the kitchen to enjoy meals such as Chilaquiles while sipping on a cup of Café de Olla.
The center table in the living room is covered with Mexican decor, dishes and colorful flowers creating a space for the women to feel at home and empowered by their Latina roots.
“Part of it was the name that caught my attention, Hermanas y Comadres. I thought oh this is a Latina book club, this is women empowerment, this is just for us women, and that’s why I decided to join,” said Noemi Gutierrez, a book club member. “It has inspired me religiously because like I have mentioned before, I feel like I come here more often than going to church. So this is going to sound funny, but I look forward to it every month.”
At first, the book club was made up of just friends, but quickly through word of mouth, it got so big they had to create a waitlist.
Those who already have a spot, are thankful to be part of this growing community.
“I feel very grateful because I know, even the author, Alejandra, in the Zoom meeting, said ‘Man, I wish I had something like this when I was growing up because, like, it’s a therapy session,’” said Jenett Porras, who joined the book club back in March.
When Hermanas y Comadres meets, it’s normal to see tears as well as hugs, as the women open up about deep issues and topics that are centered around the book they are reading.
In August, the book club read “First Gen,” written by Alejandra Campoverdi where she made a promise to “keep it real” by being open and transparent about life’s struggles, traumas, and difficulties many Latinas face.
”Spaces like this are so critical and so supportive and beautiful because you’re coming together and alleviating one of the top ways that we feel stress and angst in this experience which is finding the community and being like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve experienced that too, this is how I got through it,’ or just, ‘I see you and that makes sense,’” said Campoverdi. ”I could not be more honored that they chose First Gen as a part of their book club.”
The sisters who started it all also get the authors from each book that they read to meet the book club through Zoom or in person, making sure to support Latinx authors.
But regardless of what book they read or the meals they share, for this familia it’s all about creating a safe space to empower one another.
“It’s beautiful that they feel safe, and that we were able to offer that space to them,” said Christina Gonzalez, one of the founders of the book club. “We know that it’s a space that we need and that we cherish and we take care of it and to give that to them, and it just feels good.”
To find out more information or to get on the waitlist you can fill out this form.
