Outsiders Book Club @ Museum at Eldridge Street

By The Museum at Eldridge Street

Oct 25  |  Culture

Early Mornings at Eldridge Museum

In honor of the Year of the Woman – celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage – this book club celebrates stories of women as outsiders. The protagonists of these novels, short stories and memoirs find themselves on the margins of society – as activists encountering political, sexual or social opposition, or minorities struggling to understand a new culture. Through reading benchmarks, thoughtful questions and group discussions, you’ll unpack women-centric narratives and themes. Each month, you skilled group leader Lucy Shahar will guide robust group discussions and illuminate new insights. These sessions are part of a year-long series concluding in November 2020; additional dates will be released with each seasonal program calendar.

October 25
Introduction, author backgrounds and preliminary exercise, “a literary dinner party” – get to know one another and your book club leader Lucy as she guides you through preliminary exercises and introduces you to what you will be covering and discussing. This meeting will provide an important framework for the sessions to come.

November 22
The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit, memoir by Lucette Lagnado – The New York Time’s Book Review calls Lucette Lagnado’s gripping memoir a “brilliant, crushing book.” Lagnado blends faith, tradition, and triumph together as she tells the story of her Jewish family’s exodus across the backdrop of Cairo, Paris, and New York.

December 20
July’s People, novel by Nadine Gordimer – Set during a fictional civil war in South Africa, Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer tells the story of the liberal, white Smales family as they are rescued from the horrors of war by their black servant, July. Written before the end of apartheid, Gordimer’s novel gives her prediction on how it would end.

Lucy Shahar is a retired intercultural facilitator and consultant. She has worked extensively with immigrants, focusing on understanding and dealing with the cultural differences they encounter. Lucy has also taught US History, with an emphasis on immigration. She has extensive experience moderating book clubs in person and online.

Image by Mary Blount

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