Book Talk: Soft Spots with Leila Renee

We're celebrating the release of Leila Renee's debut novel, Soft Spots! Leila will be joined in conversation by Cynthia Okechuwku, founder of Black Girls Read Chicago. Q&A and signing to follow! Please sign up directly with Call & Response Books on Eventbrite if you plan to attend. About the book: After miraculously securing a teaching job at a dysfunctional high school, loner Robin moves to South Bend, Indiana, where she's paired with an eerily perfect roommate: Naomi. Freshly estranged from her abusive parents, Robin obsesses over two absurd goals: to be the best teacher at the school, despite never having taught, and to become best friends with Naomi, who could not be more her opposite. Meanwhile back home, Robin's brother must decide between being loyal to his sister or their parents. Just as Robin grows closer to her students and Naomi, she receives earth-shattering news from her brother. Desperate to cope, Robin redoubles her efforts to befriend Naomi, spiraling even deeper into obsession and self-sabotage. Everything comes to a head when one of Robin's many bad choices come back to bite her, and she must confront the limits of forgiveness, the weight of memory, and the true cost of estrangement. Leila Renee is originally from Milwaukee. She earned her MFA from Syracuse University and her stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, The Kenyon Review, and more. She has received the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction and a Fulbright Award. She teaches at the University of St. Thomas and lives in Minneapolis. Cynthia Okechukwu is a lawyer by day, and in her free time she is an avid reader who enjoys amplifying books written by Black women through her in-person book club and online platform Black Girls Read Book Club. Black Girls Read Book Club (@blackgirlsreadchi) is a…