The November book is Eternal by Lisa Scottoline. This is a slight digression from our normal non-fiction selections. Eternal is an historical novel based on true stories which has received over 10,000 Goodreads reviews with over 68% 5 stars.
Eternal is set in Rome in the autumn of 1937 as Mussolini begins to assert his power and aligning Italy's Fascists with Hitler's Nazis. As anti-Semitism takes legal root and WW II erupts, the Nazis invade Rome and bring new atrocities against the city's Jews. This is relevant today as neo-fascists are winning elections in Italy.
Sadly, in 2021, Liliana Segre, a 90-year-old member of the Italian Parliament, and a survivor of Auschwitz, with the number 75190 tattooed on her arm, felt compelled to endorse a bill banning fascist and Nazi parties and propaganda in Italy. She is now under police protection and receives scores of hate mails every day. This certainly underscores the importance of Lisa Scottoline's fictional recounting of fascism in Italy during the war.
The meeting will be held on November 15 at Giuseppi's (at Shelter Cove). Members will pay for their dinner at the restaurant but are urged to register on the LML website so that the restaurant can be given an accurate headcount.
