Book Discussion: The Promise with Author Ann Weisgarber

Our next book discussion is coming up after the High Holy Days! Join us on Sunday, September 30 as author Ann Weisgarber visits HCRJ to discuss her historical fiction book, The Promise. This story is set during the 1900 Great Galveston Hurricane.

1900. Caught in a scandal, Catherine Wainwright, a pianist, must leave her comfortable life in Ohio. She travels to Galveston, Texas, and marries the recently widowed Oscar Williams, a childhood admirer whom she has not seen in years.

Catherine is unprepared for the life that awaits her. The weather is sweltering, Oscar’s home is rustic and remote, and his little boy, Andre, resents her presence.

But it’s Oscar who most unnerves her. He has expectations that Catherine is unable to fulfill.

Then there is Nan Ogden, Oscar’s housekeeper. Catherine’s arrival comes as a shock to Nan. Not only had she promised Oscar’s first wife that she would take care of Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar that she struggles to hide.

Meanwhile, a powerful hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico gathers strength and spins toward Galveston.

Author Ann Weisgarber will lead our discussion. Our conversation will focus on Rabbi Henry Cohen’s role in Galveston’s recovery as well as the storm’s impact on the island’s West End and the Houston area.  Did you know that 14 hours after the storm, Rabbi Cohen joined other community leaders at the Tremont Hotel to form the Central Relief Committee? Or that, in spite of the devastation, he saw to it that hospital and kitchen tents were erected and that meals were prepared for the survivors.

Ann is the author of The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, The Promise, and the upcoming, The Glovemaker. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Works from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. She also graduated from the University of Houston with a Master of Arts in Sociology. Ann was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. She lives in Galveston.

The Promise is available for purchase for $15 in the temple office. A light breakfast will be provided at the discussion. Please RSVP to Justin at 713-782-4162 or admin@hcrj.org.