In this month’s book club, we are reading Manhattan Beach. We will be discussing Manhattan Beach at Arden Dimick Library on Saturday, May 25th at 10:30 AM.

Jennifer Egan spent years researching this novel. However, her characters are fictional, and the Naval Yard did not employ any women divers during WWII. For those interested in the history behind the story, here are a few links.

First of all, Brooklyn Navy Yard has a whole website devoted to Manhattan Beach readers who want history. It’s full of information and pictures.

There’s more about the city at Bklyner.com.

Did you find yourself wondering what Charlotte Russe is? It turns out that it means one of two desserts. The first is a fancy concoction, popular in the Victorian Era. But the second is a simple treat, consisting of sponge cake with whipped cream on top. This is the version discussed in the book.  It’s very difficult to find this latter version of Charlotte Russe’s these days – perhaps they’ve been edged out by cupcakes, which are basically the same thing (a little cake with a sweet topping)?