
We are excited to announce that DSF is launching its first Community Book Club and we can’t wait to share this experience with you! The book club will be led by Austin Watson, Family Network Coordinator. She has selected our first read, Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life is Not Okay by Cyndie Spiegel.
Austin was introduced to this book by her primary care physician, who is also a specialist in Cystic Fibrosis. As someone who works with medically complex families and their children, this physician is well aware of the unique challenges families like ours face. During a recent appointment, she recommended this book to Austin.
This book is written by Cyndie Spiegel. She is a storyteller and author that wrote this book after the most difficult year in her life, 2020. She defines microjoys as “easily accessible moments of joy that are available to us regardless of our current circumstances.” In 2020 Spiegel experienced the death of two beloved family members, a medical emergency, her own cancer diagnosis, and the global pandemic all at the same time. This book of personal essays outlines ways that we might also find microjoys in our lives of struggle and darkness.
You can watch this brief interview of Spiegel on the Today Show from about a year ago at this link. Her book is a short read or listen so it is not a huge time commitment. You can find it at your local bookstore or library, or on Amazon or bookshop.org, as well as on Audible.
As we continue with the book club, participants will have the opportunity to vote on the next book selection. It doesn’t have to be non-fiction; it could be anything—another non-fiction, a memoir, or even a fantasy. This first book is simply to get things started! Understanding that caregivers may have limited time to participate, we plan to introduce a new book every two months. The first book will span February and March, with our discussion(s) scheduled for the last week of March. Feel free to join for one or all of the books.
To join our book club:
- You must be a member of the DSF Family Network. If you haven’t registered yet, please sign up now at this link. Non-registered members will be removed until their Family Network registration is completed.
- Head over to our group page on bookclubs.com to sign up. If it does not automatically join you to our club after you create a new account, then click here to join the club.
By joining this free group page, you’ll receive updates on scheduling, club discussions, and polls to select upcoming books, as well as meeting dates and times. - iOS and Android apps are also available from Bookclubs.com if you prefer accessing the group through your phone.
We hope that you too will find Microjoys enjoyable and that we can share the stories together. Please feel free to email Austin with any questions. We can’t wait to get started!
