Join us for an in depth book club discussion with your fellow transportation peers!
At the first WTS Community installment of our chapter Book Club, we'll be reading and discussing Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez.
If you are able to attend, we encourage you to BYO snack or drink to share with the group! Come join us for a fun and engaging discussion about first book selection. It's a great opportunity to meet fellow book lovers, share your thoughts, and discover new perspectives.
Event Details:
- Book: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González
- Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
- Time: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
- Location: HDR - 249 Central Park Ave, Suite 201, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
- Cost: FREE for everyone!
Don't have time to read? Feel free to join us even if you aren't able to finish the book!
About the book:
New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death
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.
Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127306192-anita-de-monte-laughs-last
The audiobook is also highly recommended! This novel is read by a full cast of Stacy Gonzalez, Jonathan Gregg, and Jessica Pimentel, best known for her role on Orange Is the New Black.
UPCOMING BOOK PICKS:
- The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Staling, Writing, and Healing by Lara Love Hardin