LitLounge: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

LitLounge is meeting in partnership with Skokie Public Library. Register here; contact Nate Miller (nmiller@mgpl.org) for details.

This meeting is being held at the Skokie Public Library, in the Cosmos Room.

Skokie Public Library

5215 Oakton St, Skokie, IL 60077

The book can be checked out through all library ebook platforms, including Hoopla where copies are always available. Find instructions on our Download & Stream page, or contact us for assistance.

Book Synopsis:  1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten―certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. Students of color, like her, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.

But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.