Book Talks Book Club
Wed June 26th
Pandora’s Collective and Britannia Library Present BOOK TALKS - BOOK CLUB Join the conversation about the book. Bring your favourite passages, points of interest, and share your reading experiences. Each person is responsible for either borrowing or buying their own copy to read. Time: 6:15 - 7:45 pm
June 26th: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION A New York Times "Ten Best Books of 2022 * An Oprah's Book Club Selection * An Instant New York Times Bestseller * An Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller * A #1 Washington Post Bestseller "Demon is a voice for the ages—akin to Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield—only even more resilient." —Beth Macy, author of Dopesick "May be the best novel of 2022. . . . Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love." (Ron Charles, Washington Post) From the acclaimed author of The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, a brilliant novel that enthralls, compels, and captures the heart as it evokes a young hero's unforgettable journey to maturity Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind. Upcoming book club meetings: July 24th: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman Aug 28th: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner Sept 25th: Book Recommendation Night Oct 23rd: A Little Life Paperback by Hanya Yanagihara Hosts: Mary Duffy, Sita Carboni, Natasha Boskic Location: Britannia Library Meeting Room. 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver, BC www.pandorascollective.com |
Wed July 24th
Pandora’s Collective and Britannia Library Present BOOK TALKS - BOOK CLUB Join the conversation about the book. Bring your favourite passages, points of interest, and share your reading experiences. Each person is responsible for either borrowing or buying their own copy to read. 4th Wed of every month (except Dec). Time: 6:15 - 7:45 pm
July 24th: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “lively” (The New Yorker), “convincing” (Forbes), and “riveting pick-me-up we all need right now” (People) that proves humanity thrives in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success as a species. If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the solidarity in the aftermath of the Blitz, the hidden flaws in the Stanford prison experiment to the true story of twin brothers on opposite sides who helped Mandela end apartheid, Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn't merely optimistic—it's realistic. Moreover, it has huge implications for how society functions. When we think the worst of people, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics. But if we believe in the reality of humanity's kindness and altruism, it will form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling. - Amazon.ca Upcoming book club meetings: July 24th: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman Aug 28th: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner Sept 25th: Book Recommendation Night Oct 23rd: A Little Life Paperback by Hanya Yanagihara Hosts: Mary Duffy, Sita Carboni, Natasha Boskic Location: Britannia Library Meeting Room. 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver, BC www.pandorascollective.com |