How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water
Angie Cruz’s novel How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water introduces us to Cara Romero, a Dominican woman in her mid-fifties, who is navigating job loss and personal hardships during the Great Recession of 2007 – 2009. Told through a series of government-mandated job counseling sessions, the novel unfolds as Cara recounts her life story with wit, resilience, and unfiltered honesty. Cruz makes good use of humor and oral storytelling traditions in an updated version of the epistolary novel with its intimate look into the protagonist’s life, while touching on themes of immigration, displacement, economic struggle, and the pursuit of dignity in an unforgiving system.
Published in 2022, Cruz’s novel received rave reviews, being named a New York Times Review of Books Notable Book and a New York Times Editor’s Choice, as well as being a Latino Book Awards Gold Medal winner, a finalist for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates prize, among other accolades.
Cruz’s novel showcases the capacity of literature to open a window for us onto the experience of others and help us relate to them, whether we share superficial similarities or not. Cara Romero will draw you into her effort to regain her footing in her work and personal lives, and her story’s meditation on survival, identity, and the strength found in community is both timeless and freshly relevant.
"Cruz makes a virtuosic case for the novel as a vehicle for voice."—selected praise
How attendees use the Common Reader
The Common Reader is more than a shared book—it's a thread that runs through paper submissions, roundtables, and the keynote.
Submit a Common Reader Paper
In addition to your one regular paper submission, you may submit one additional critical or creative work on the Common Reader (with a 100-word headnote).
Anchor a Roundtable
Common Reader–themed roundtables get priority in the program.
Host a Chapter Event
Each Regent offers $100 to chapters that host a Common Reader activity in their region.
Attend the Keynote
Angie Cruz delivers the Common Reader Keynote — open to all registered attendees.