Geneva International Book Club

(from GoodReads) On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity.

LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Presenter: TBD
Format:

• Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
• Book presentation (20-30 minutes)
• A brief history of the author’s life
• A short summary of the book
• Main ideas/themes
• Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
• Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)

Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting, but encouraged if you want to actively participate in the discussion.

We look forward to seeing you all!

Dilara’s father has dementia. Dilara hires builders to adapt her apartment for him, but when the renovation is complete she discovers that instead of a new bathroom, the builders have installed a Turkish prison cell. At first she is outraged. her family are exiles – they left Turkey many years ago and have never been back. The last thing she wants is a piece of her estranged homeland appearing uninvited in her new home.

But as the weeks pass, her indignation gives way to curiosity. Beyond the cell door, she glimpses the guards and hears the prisoners and smells the sesame scent of freshly baked simit. Even as she struggles to care for her father, to keep the family finances afloat and stop the wheels coming off her marriage, Dilara is drawn back again and again to the mysterious prison cell, and through it to a city that once belonged to her – back to Istanbul.

LOCATION: Maison Internationale des Associations, salle Albert Jacquard
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Presenter: Güniz
Format:

• Members introduction (5-10 minutes)
• Book presentation (20-30 minutes)
• A brief history of the author’s life
• A short summary of the book
• Main ideas/themes
• Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
• Announcement/info on next meeting (5 minutes)

Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting, but encouraged if you want to actively participate in the discussion.

We look forward to seeing you all!