Historically Speaking Book Club - The Thread Collectors

The Thread Collectors - by Shaunna J. Edwards, Alyson Richman1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician.

Meanwhile, in New York City, a Jewish woman stitches a quilt for her husband, who is stationed in Louisiana with the Union Army. Between abolitionist meetings, Lily rolls bandages and crafts quilts with her sewing circle for other soldiers, too, hoping for their safe return home. But when months go by without word from her husband, Lily resolves to make the perilous journey South to search for him.

As these two women risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War, their paths converge in New Orleans, where an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us. Loosely inspired by the authors' family histories, this stunning novel will stay with readers for a long time.

Scheduled books:

Nov. 2025 - There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

Dec. 2025 -  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 

Jan. 2026 -  Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

Feb. 2026 - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

March 2026 - Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

April 2026 - The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 

April 2026 -The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamal