UCR’s Department of English invites you to join acclaimed novelist, Angie Cruz (@cruzwriter), for a reading and discussion of How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water (Flatiron Books, 2022). The novel tells the story of Cara Romero, who thought she would work at the factory of little lamps for the rest of her life. But when, in her mid-50s, she loses her job in the Great Recession, she is forced back into the job market for the first time in decades. Set up with a job counselor, Cara instead begins to narrate the story of her life. Over the course of twelve sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships, her struggles with debt, gentrification and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.

Sponsored by the Department of English, The Tomás Rivera Chair, Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Department of Hispanic Studies, Department of Media and Cultural Studies, and the Latino and Latin American Studies Research Center.