Beverly Hills Reads Brings Community Together Through Literature

Students, educators, families and community members gathered at the Salter Family Theatre at Beverly Hills High School on Aug. 23 for Beverly Hills Reads, an annual program built around a shared book and community conversation.

This year's event featured author Patmeena Sabit and her debut novel, Good People. Former Beverly Hills High School teacher Julie Goler led a discussion with Sabit focused on the book's themes of family, identity, belonging and how people come to understand one another.

The program was supported by the Beverly Hills Education Foundation, the City of Beverly Hills Health and Human Relations Commission and the Beverly Hills Unified School District.

"Books have an incredible ability to inspire us, stay with us, and bring us together, "Board of Education President Judy Manouchehri said. "Beverly Hills Reads celebrates the joy of reading while creating a meaningful opportunity for our students, families, educators, and community members to share ideas and conversations around a great book. It is a wonderful example of how a shared love of reading can strengthen the connection between our schools and the broader Beverly Hills community."

Beverly Hills Education Foundation Board President Hayden Adams said the event reflected the foundation's focus on expanding educational opportunities for local students.

"Beverly Hills Reads was a tremendous success and a great example of BHEF's mission in action. We exist to create extraordinary educational opportunities, and bringing an acclaimed novelist to BHHS to engage directly with our students certainly hit the mark. I was delighted to see so many students participate and especially impressed by the thoughtful questions and insights they brought to the discussion," Adams said.

The program continued Aug. 24 with a separate session for Beverly Hills High School students, who had an additional opportunity to speak directly with Sabit and discuss the novel.

Through the two-day program, Beverly Hills Reads continued its focus on bringing different generations together through literature while extending conversations about books beyond the classroom and into the broader community.