Laurie Sandell

Julie Goler, Book Club Facilitator

Since I’ve come to LA, I’ve met with a number of book groups who are reading my book, thanks to the amazing Julie Goler, who holds the interesting position of “book club facilitator” and also teaches at Beverly Hills High School. She chooses a book for her group then moderates the discussion; there’s an interesting article on what she does, here. So far, the groups have been made up of women only, but the women come from all walks of life, and I’ve so enjoyed hearing their thoughts on the book from all their different perspectives. The other night I met with a group of women who were all around my age–25, give or take a few (or ten or thirteen) years–and the discussion took place in a sprawling home in Beverly Hills, over sushi from Koi and a cupcake tower. (Hello, can I join this group?) It’s funny how the same questions seem to come up over and over: What do your parents and sisters think about the book? Why did you tell the story in cartoons? Would you like a glass of wine? (No, thank you–see Pg. 199 of The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir.) But the more I ruminate on the answers, the more clarity I get, and the more clarity I get, the more depressed I get…kidding, sort of. Connecting with readers has been by far my favorite experience of writing a book. That, and the mega-chunk of change that is sure to be deposited into my bank account when/if the paperback becomes a best-seller and when/if the movie rights sell.