Below is a summation of the members' reactions to this work.
While the narrative theme of Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt is set amidst the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the New York City area, the novel is really a coming-of-age story of how one family is impacted by the loss of one of its own to the devastating disease. In particular, the story focuses on how 14-year-old June Elbus deals with the decline and death of her beloved uncle and how his death reveals the fissures in her family's relationships. This is a story about sisters, and parents, and friendship. It is also a story about love and loss and the fine line between childhood and about puberty and the tough choices that define who we are and will become.
The group's discussion focused on the family relationships and on what happens when parents try to revive their own abandoned dreams through their children. The members felt the book explored the coming-of-age and family dysfunction themes in a heartfelt way that was very real and true.
