Reese Witherspoon has selected Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s On the Rooftop as the latest pick for her influential book club.
Sexton’s third novel, published Tuesday by Ecco, tells the story of three sisters in 1950s San Francisco who sing in a jazz combo called The Salvations, and their mother, Vivian, a widow who’s determined to make them stars. A critic for Kirkus praised the book as “a heartfelt tale of family and community.”
Witherspoon announced the novel’s selection on Instagram, calling it “an utterly original and brilliant story about learning how to mother children who have very different dreams and how to encourage them to reach for the stars.”
“I just love this book so much because it’s all about this incredible group of young women that have the most amazing mother,” Witherspoon said in a video accompanying the post, set to the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. “There is a lot of plot here, wonderful character work and it’s all about finding your own voice.”
Sexton reacted to her book’s selection in an Instagram post of her own, writing, “Over the moon about this incredible news and eternally grateful @reesesbookclub and @reesewitherspoon for the support and endorsement. It means the world to me to know that readers will get to experience The Fillmore, this family, and their dreams.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
