Join us on Wednesday, June 3 at 5:30 for our next Cactus Book Club. Cream City Foundation will lead an evening of discussion and music exploring Alison Bechdel's landmark graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.
Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family called the "Fun Home." It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve. In her hands, personal history becomes a work of amazing subtlety and power — written with controlled force and enlivened with humor, rich literary allusion, and heartbreaking detail. Bechdel's memoir was later adapted into a celebrated Broadway musical, winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Throughout the evening, we'll weave in songs from that production to illuminate key moments in the story — no prior familiarity with the show required. Together, the book and its music open a powerful conversation about identity, family secrets, grief, and what we inherit from the people who shaped us.Recommended bookseller: Boswell Book Company
“Cream City Foundation is a philanthropic organization that provides resources and fosters strategic partnerships by harnessing the pride, passion, and commitment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+(LGBTQ+) people and their allies to advance human rights and respond to the human needs of LGBTQ+ people in Southeastern Wisconsin.”
ABOUT US: Cactus Book Club (CBC) meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 in the back room at Cactus Club. Each month a different community organization, collective, mutual aid group, or business chooses the book & recommended bookseller then leads the discussion. We read sociopolitical fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on works by women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and/or otherwise under-published groups. You don’t have to finish reading the book to attend. All book club meetings are free. No registration required. 18+. CBC is part of our ongoing Cactus+ programming. Contact bookclub@cactusplus.org with questions or suggestions. Interested in leading a book club? Apply here SUMMARY:Cactus Book Club: “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” by Alice Bechdel ORGANIZER:Cactus Club URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.cactusclubmilwaukee.com/events/cbc-may6-2026-2/ TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR