Diversity Book Club: Messy Perfect Online
via MS TEAMS
Messy Perfect
by Tanya Boteju
Cassie Perera is a star student in St. Luke's junior class. But the new school year brings an unwelcome surprise—the return to St. Luke's of Cassie's former friend, Ben, who left a few years ago after a homophobic bullying incident Cassie knows she didn't do enough to prevent.
Still harboring guilt from her inaction, Cassie decides, in her usual, overzealous way, to team up with the neighboring public school to found an underground Gender and Sexuality Alliance—as a complicated strategy for making things up to Ben. Secretly, Cassie is also tempted by the possibility of opening up about her own sexuality for the first time.
As Cassie’s new friends urge her out of her comfort zone, she unlocks a kind of joy and freedom she’s never felt before—even as she struggles to balance these experiences with her typical tightrope of being the perfect daughter, student, and Catholic.
Cassie’s perfectly curated life unravels into turmoil, but can she embrace the mess enough to piece together something new?
Books will be provided upon request from the CTL. Email to schedule a time to pick up a copy at the CTL office or contact Jennifer Maney with any questions.
- Date:
- Friday, September 19, 2025
- Time:
- 12:00pm - 1:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Central Time - US & Canada (change)
- Online:
- This is an online event. Event URL will be sent via registration email.
- Audience:
- Faculty Graduate students and post-docs Staff
- Categories:
- Diversity Book Club