Diane Rehm Book Club: Memorial Days
A Conversation with Geraldine Brooks

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
1:00 p.m. ET

EVENT DETAILS

The Diane Rehm Book Club selection for April is Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks, bestselling Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Horse.

In this new memoir, Brooks traces her journey from heartbreak at the sudden loss of her husband, Tony Horwitz, through her days of mourning, and eventually, towards a kind of peace.

After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine and Tony settled down to raise two boys on Martha’s Vineyard. The life they built was one of meaningful work, good humor, and tenderness. But all of this ended abruptly when, on Memorial Day 2019, Geraldine received a devastating phone call. The demands were immediate and many. Without the space to grieve, the sudden loss became a yawning gulf.

Eventually, Brooks began to consider various ways in which cultures mourn and what rituals of her own might help to rebuild a life around the void of Tony’s death.

She tells this story in this life-affirming account of marriage and mourning. Join Diane for a conversation with Geraldine Brooks on Wednesday, April 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

And we want to hear from you! What do you want to ask about the book? We will take questions from the audience — please submit your questions here by Wednesday, April 30 at noon ET.

REGISTRATION FOR VIRTUAL EVENT

To participate in the Diane Rehm Book Club, you must register by 12:00 p.m. ET on April 30. A Zoom link will be provided via email prior to the event.

There is a suggested donation of $12 to attend the event. If you are unable to donate at this time, you can request a special promo code.

QUESTIONS

If you have further questions, contact us at [email protected].