One Book One Town 2025
EQDG is excited to invite you to join us for our third annual community-wide reading event, One Book, One Town! We have chosen This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
An emotionally compelling novel about a family’s struggles that inspires compassion and hope. Our goal is to encourage productive dialogue around empathy and inclusion, and to discover the commonalities that unite us all as a caring community.
Pick up your copy from the Downers Grove Public Library or from Anderson’s Bookshop, and join us for a week of discussion groups and celebratory events during March 5-13, 2025. Please note that registration is required for all events; links to register can be found in each event description. We look forward to seeing you at any or all of the events below...
Calendar of Events
- Mar 05, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PMDowners Grove Public Library, 1050 Curtiss St, Downers GrovePlease join us for a thought-provoking discussion group about the novel This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. The group will be led by the Downers Grove Public Library in partnership with esteemed local author Damian Serbu, and is certain to be riveting!
- Mar 08, 2025, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PMThe Lytle Auditorium, 4919 Belmont Rd, Downers GroveEnjoy a Saturday morning sipping coffee and munching on pastries with other people who have loved ones in the LGBTQ+ community. This is a wonderful way to connect, get support, and share resources with others in a friendly and warm environment.
- Mar 10, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PMFirst United Methodist Church, 1032 Maple Ave, Downers GroveIn this interactive program, expert Dr. Jessica Lapinski will share factual information around multiple aspects of gender affirming care such as components of treatment, dispelling misinformation, current needs, and empowering the community with solutions and resources to overcome obstacles to care.
- Mar 11, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PMVirtual EventJoin us for a discussion and Q&A with Laurie Frankel. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to gain perspective from the author herself! This virtual event will be moderated by the DGPL. Attendees may submit questions for the author in the link.
- Mar 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PMAnderson's Bookshop, 5112 Main St, Downers GroveLooking for a creative way to help children cope with challenging emotions and stressful situations? Join us as therapist Stacey Patterson, LCPC, MT-BC and Education Director of Alder Grove Counseling, teaches us about using storytelling to help children process and cope with difficult feelings.
- Mar 13, 2025, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PMCadence Kitchen, 5101 Mochel Dr, Downers GroveClose out an exciting week of events by celebrating with us at a festive and fabulous party! Delicious food, great music and entertainment, delightful cocktails, and a joyful atmosphere await you as we celebrate the themes of acceptance, inclusion, and kindness woven throughout this book.
About the book
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a heartfelt, thought-provoking novel about family, identity, and unconditional love. The story follows Rosie, a physician, her husband Penn, a writer, and their five children as they navigate the complicated journey of their youngest child, who announces at the age of five that he wants to be a girl named Poppy.
Through the family’s journey, Frankel portrays the challenges and joys of raising a transgender child, highlighting the complexities of parenting and the importance of love, support, and creating a space for authenticity. With warmth, humor, and insight, This Is How It Always Is reminds us that families come in all forms, and that understanding can only grow through compassion and the willingness to learn about others who may be different than ourselves.
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