Books that fill 16 SENIOR WOMEN REWRITE THEIR STORIES THROUGH THE POWER OF READING AND SHARING IDEAS. By Ella Roberts
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a queremos pastel … Ya queremos pastel, aunque sea un pedacito … pero queremos pastel. Jan. 13 marks the ninth anniversary of the book club Primas Lectoras. Members throw their hands up in celebration as they grin widely at one another underneath their masks. The women circle around a pristinely decorated lemon meringue cake topped with a large number nine candle. Since she was a young girl, Maruja Roldan had a desire in her heart. A desire for literature. For years an untouched bookshelf took up space in her home, filled with stories she had never read.
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“My dream is to be able to translate the legacy of reading first to my grandchildren and also to any person who wants to enjoy reading. I would love
for people to have book clubs like the one we have in Antigua,” Roldan said. What started as a love for books, mostly prompted by father figures, became an established group of 16 women wishing to grow intellectually and spiritually together. The group meets about every two weeks in a gated community on the edge of Antigua to chat over coffee and snacks while they reflect on the chosen literature. However, over the years, members are finding that their group is much more than just reading a good book. With many of them widowed or retired, this club combats loneliness, especially after an isolating time during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea of the book club was born in a McDonald’s in November 2012 where Roldan and her friends Ana Muñoz and Silvita
