Crecer Within Monthly
October Session
October 18th- 9:00- 10:30 AM PT
Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy
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This debut novel from a former NFL player is a hard-hitting, heart wrenching crime novel that brilliantly blends elements of jazz, football, and a gritty portrait of a city divided—perfect for fans of S.A. Cosby and Walter Mosley.
Coltrane Davis is at once a knight and a hustler. He has risen to wealth and success, graduating from San Diego’s back alleys to the halls of power through his partnership with Saul Sollman, a crooked kingmaker among the city’s elite. Running multimillion dollar scams with Saul, he has been Saul’s fixer, but now he wants out of the hustle so that he can focus on his teenage daughter’s burgeoning tennis career and finally be the dad he has always wanted to be.
But when the Los Angeles Chargers’ star running back vanishes one evening before a big game, Coltrane is drawn into an investigation of what happened by Saul and his protégé, the player’s agent; the stakes escalate with a gut-punch when the trail leads into San Diego’s underworld of drugs and prostitution and reveals clues to the disappearance of his daughter’s best friend, whose loss has haunted him.
Torn by the unreconcilable demands of the life he can’t seem to quit and the fierce desire he has to protect his own, Coltrane brings himself and his loved ones to the brink of destruction in his quest to free himself once and for all of Saul’s control—and focus on what really matters: family.
November Session
November 15th- 9:00-10:30 AM PT
What Will They Say by Denise Soler Cox
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You already know the rules. Bájale dos rayitas. De eso no se habla. Los trapos sucios se lavan en casa. You've lived by them your whole life. And they have cost you more than you know.
Denise Soler Cox was on a conference call when she felt the blood. She speed-walked to the bathroom, miscarrying her baby into a DIY pad she'd rigged together because God forbid she admit that she needed to go home. On her knees scrubbing blood from the grout with wet paper towels, she wanted to scream. But even then, she was worried that someone might hear.
This is what it looks like when the rules run your life, at work, in your body, your marriage, and at your mother's kitchen table. In the silence you kept the night something unfathomable happened and no one asked if you were ok.
For nearly a decade, brilliant women line up after her keynotes to confess secrets they'd never told anyone. Women who stayed silent to keep the peace, who felt guilty for wanting more, who believed that choosing themselves meant abandoning their families.
Through raw storytelling, a sharp, unapologetic sense of humor, and wisdom she earned the hard way, Denise exposes the ten cultural taboos keeping Latina leaders silent and shows us, finally, how to stop living by rules we never chose. How to find your public voice, how to shed a survivor mentality, how to choose your own healing without apology.
A leadership book that proves you can honor your cultura and take up every inch of space you deserve.
December Session
December 20th- 9:00-10:30 AM PT
Anger is only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo
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From National Book Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and renowned poet Elizabeth Acevedo comes a white-knuckle journey to self-understanding and doing the right thing, no matter the cost.
Lil is anything but small. She’s rebellious, she's loyal; she's figuring out what kind of good person she wants to be, or if she wants to be a good person at all. But more than anything? Lil wants to be free.
When her instinct for freedom leads to another stay in D.C. juvenile detention, Lil knows she’s lucky to just be on probation. But judgment, guilt, and an ankle monitor weigh heavily on her, and she can’t shake that pinned-down feeling.
The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin. Except he’s more distant now than just the hundred miles where he’s away at college. Something’s been off with him for a couple of months, but only Lil seems to realize how important it is to get to him.
As her court hearing ticks closer, a question looms over Lil as the missed phone calls and strange texts from her brother pile up: will she follow the rules until her sentencing, or put her future freedom on the line?
This is a curated community space designed for BIPOC readers and people of all genders. Each month we’ll read a carefully selected book. We will gather to discuss our thoughts, favorite moments, insights, and major takeaways once a month.
Come as you are. Share as much or as little as you’d like, and enjoy thoughtful conversations inspired by books, perspectives, and all of you, our intellectual members.
Every month brings a new book and an opportunity to explore new genres, authors, and amazing creative crafts together.
Join us this month and get ready for an explorative journey. We’d love to have you!
Monthly Book Club
These sessions will be donation based. Pay what you can.