Author Jacqueline Friedland presents her novel 'Breathing Under Water' at the JCC Indianapolis during the Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts.
Jacqueline Friedland will be at JCC Indianapolis on Thursday, November 5, talking about her novel Breathing Under Water. The event runs from 7 PM to 9 PM, and it's part of the 28th Annual Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts, which has been running across the city from October 25 through November 17.
Breathing Under Water is a work of fiction that follows two women dealing with family, financial, and personal challenges. Their lives intersect through a teenager with autism, and the story frames itself around resilience, unexpected connection, and the idea that the people who need saving can end up becoming saviors themselves. It was named one of Zibby Owens' Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2026, so if you've been keeping an eye on the summer reading lists, this is the one that's finally coming to town.
The book has a pretty central place in the JCC's programming this year: it's the Community Reads selection and the first title in the JCC's Well-Read Book Club. The evening itself is a Jewish Book Council Program, so it's more than just a single talk—it's one of the anchor events of the festival.
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As for the festival, it's grown quite a bit over the years. It started as a one-week book fair, but it became a larger cultural arts program in 2000 when Irwin "Irv" Katz began making an annual contribution and renamed it to honor his wife, Ann, who was an inveterate reader. This is the 28th edition.
Tickets are $10 for general admission, and it's free for Festival Passholders. The talk is at JCC Indianapolis, 6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260, from 7 PM to 9 PM on Thursday, November 5.
