(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- The Raritan Valley Community College Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies will present its 6th annual virtual Summer Book Series. The series, which is free of charge and open to the public, will look at The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble, The Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson, and The Last Woman of Warsaw by Judy Batalion. The segments will be held via Zoom webinars and registration is required.
The following programs will feature three, new, historical fiction novels that explore the past:
June 12, 2026 from 10:00am-11:00am: The Sisters of Book Row (2026) by Shelley Noble. Set in 1915 Manhattan, the book focuses on three sisters who run a rare bookshop on “Book Row” and their fight against censorship by American anti-vice activist Anthony Comstock. The story follows Olivia, Daphne, and Celia Applebaum, who, inspired by real historical events and figures like Margaret Sanger, protect literature and secretly distribute women's health information. It’s a story of family, loyalty, and the fight for the freedom to read. To register for the June 12 session visit https://tinyurl.com/37ff6yaa.
July 17, 2026 from 10:00am-11:00am, The Keeper of Lost Children (2026) by Sadeqa Johnson. This book follows three characters in postwar Germany (1950s) and 1965 Maryland. It focuses on the “Brown Babies”—mixed-race children who were left behind after WWII. Ethel Gathers, a character based on the real-life Mabel Grammer, works to save these children. In the course of Mrs. Gather’s mission to help, her life intersects with soldier Ozzie Phillips and teen Sophia Clark. It’s an inspirational novel about how one person can make a difference in the lives of so many. To register for the July 17 session visit https://tinyurl.com/f4m8d37x.
August 21, 2026 from 10:00am-11:00am, The Last Woman of Warsaw (2026) by Judy Batalion. This book follows two young Jewish women—social activist Zosia and aspiring artist Fanny—in 1938 Warsaw. As antisemitism rises, they unite to find their missing photography professor, bridging their different worlds while navigating personal crises and the vibrant, doomed culture of pre-war Poland. To register for the August 21 session visit https://tinyurl.com/v8juz2e7.
The Summer Book Series is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of West-Central New Jersey.
Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey.
