The Measure

Author: Nikki Erlick

Who Picked the Book: Amberly

One-sentence summary: When mysterious boxes arrive revealing the length of everyone's lives, the ripple effects are many as people learn how to deal with this new information.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: This was just such an interesting premise to read about, consider, and discuss.

Our least favorite thing about it: Maybe that it presented several heartbreaking scenarios.

Main Topics of Discussion: Death, Relationships, COVID, Grief

Our favorite quote: “Once you know something, you forget what it was like to not know it.”

Notes: This was truly a book to discuss. Several of us even discussed the premise with our spouses before our meeting - that's how interesting it was. The author doesn't dive into the "why" of the boxes' arrival, but rather the aftermath and the choices people must make. And the way that knowledge affects society as a whole. Some of these ripple effects were things we hadn't even thought of until they were brought up in the book - insurance implication, healthcare and treatment, and adoption biases. 

All of us said that this book made us think of some of the things that COVID introduced to society or brought to the forefront. Certainly, the before/after nature of the boxes' arrival was familiar. 

We liked how the author took us through several scenarios with each of the characters and how their strings (or knowledge of their strings) affected their lives and choices. There was a wide array of experiences covered and it was all interesting. Overall, we really enjoyed reading this book and discussing all the things it brought up. 

Memorable Meeting Moments: Amberly took us to Zanata for dinner and it was amazing. Then, we went right next door to Fable & Fire, which is a book store / bistro. We had some drinks and held our book discussion there. What a fun night!

What We Ate: We had salad, baked brie, hummus, pimento cheese appetizers. And pizza, salmon, and chicken for entrees. The flambeed Bananas Foster and flourless chocolate cake rounded out our meal.