Erie Reader Book Club: August 2025
Self Made by A'Lelia Bundles
SUNDAY, AUG. 24 at 10:30 a.m. (Please note, the date and time of this book club has changed for this month only, due to scheduling conflicts with the organizers)
The Erie Reader Book Club will be reading and discussing the biography Self Made: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles in correspondence with the Erie Gives Erie Reader issue.
In choosing a book for this issue, we turned to the Erie Gives organizers, our friends at the Erie Community Foundation. Thanks to their thoughtful and insightful suggestions, Self Made was decided on as this month's choice.
Erie Gives Day is all about supporting local organizations and, at its heart, is a philanthropic venture. Who better than Madam C.J. Walker to represent the spirit of philanthropy in our book club choice – Walker's is a classic 'rags to riches' story, and her dedication to her communities shone through her work.
Born Sarah Breedlove, Madam C.J. Walker was a laundress before founding a line of cosmetics and hair care products for Black women that helped her to become the first Black female self-made millionaire in America. Walker is well-known not only for her wealth, but also her philanthropy and social activism. She made donations to numerous organizations such as the NAACP and was also a patron of the arts.
A'Lelia Bundles' connection to the story is a personal one, too: as the great-great-granddaughter of Madam C.J. Walker, she founded the Madam Walker Family Archives and represents the Walker estate for intellectual property and promotional dealings.
The story of Madam C.J. Walker should be an inspiration to us all – someone who made a name for themselves and then used that name to do as much good as possible in the world.
10:30 a.m. // Werner Books and Coffee, 2608 Liberty St. // Free to join, cost of book not included // For more info: wernerbooks.com
(Originally the book club meeting was scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 31 but has been changed to Sunday, Aug. 24 at 10:30 a.m. to accomodate a scheduling conflict)
