Jessamine Chan is a firm believer in the power of books. Bestseller author School for good mothers spoke to PEOPLE at the New York Celebration of Reading, hosted by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy on Nov. 20. Chan noted that readers have recently approached her about her novel, a literary dystopian book. School for good mothers follows a mother named Frida who, after a bad day, finds herself part of a residential government program that will determine whether she can regain custody of her daughter. The novel was selected by Jenna Bush Hager for her Read with Jenna book club and became a bestseller upon release in 2022. “I’m really proud to have written a novel full of ideas that is primarily about a mother’s love,” Chan said. “I think there are many different ways to get into a book. I don’t know if people read for comfort or for intellectual pursuits. I think it really depends on the mood they’re in.”
‘The School for Good Mothers’ by Jessamine Chan.
Amazon
“I actually exchanged messages with some readers,” Chan said. “I feel really, really lucky to be part of the conversation.” Chan, a featured author at the Celebration of Reading event, said in her remarks that she wrote the novel in her mid-30s, when she and her husband were still deciding whether to have children. The author notes that reading, ultimately, serves as a way of considering new perspectives.
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“I think books can be conversation starters in a very important way,” says Chan. “It’s so important to read in terms of understanding different perspectives, and I think that’s become even more important now.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The New York Celebration of Reading is an annual event hosted by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. According to their website, the non-profit organization aims to promote and expand literacy services for adults and families across the country.
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Jessamine Chan.
Beowulf Sheehan
“The more we can do to kind of break that cycle and encourage reading in the household, the more likely we are to break that cycle,” the foundation’s president, Andrew Roberts, told PEOPLE. “Until we get everyone working together, we’re not going to get there,” Roberts added. “This is not a problem that the K-12 system can solve alone. Everyone will need it.”
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Chan spoke during the event about the importance of reading in her own life, especially as a first-generation Chinese-American woman. “Reading was my only source of pleasure, my only escape. That was my reason to keep living,” said Chan. “I’m sharing my story to highlight the way books can be a lifesaver for any child who feels alone or doesn’t belong. Reading comforted and healed me. It was a way to feed my soul while I was engaged in a daily struggle with people who refused to see me in my full humanity.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education