OLD Book Club

OLD Book Club–obscure, lesser-known, and, hopefully, divine–aims to explore the diverse array of books we call “classic” and to discuss the malleable bounds of the category while also making an often intimidating genre feel both more accessible and more fun. The selection of books intentionally covers a broad range of nationalities, experiences, cultures, and time-periods to broaden the traditionally narrow parameters of classic literature. Most importantly, we’re here to have a good time. Put on your most UNpretentious (figurative) pants and come talk OLD books!

This month we are reading Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah. The OLD Book club will meet at 6 PM on Wednesday, December 18th.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award, Paradise was characterized by the Nobel Prize committee as Abdulrazak Gurnah’s “breakthrough” work. It is at once the chronicle of an African boy’s coming-of-age, a tragic love story, and a tale of the corruption of African tradition by European colonialism.

Sold by his father in repayment of a debt, twelve-year-old Yusuf is thrown from his simple rural life into complexities of pre-colonial urban East Africa. Through Yusuf’s eyes, Gurnah depicts communities at war, trading safaris gone awry, and the universal trials of adolescence. The result is what Publishers Weekly calls a “vibrant” and “powerful” work that “evokes the Edenic natural beauty of a continent on the verge of full-scale imperialist takeover.”

Purchase a copy to read, or grab it from the library, and join us for discussion at Dog-Eared Books at 6 PM, on Wednesday, December 18th. This book club is free to anyone who wishes to participate, no registration required

Also, for 20 minutes after each club meeting, you will receive 20% off all books and merchandise!

Content Warnings for OLD Books Club 2024-2025
Content Warnings for Paradise
Content Warnings for We
Content Warnings for If Beale Street Could Talk
Content Warnings for Masks
Content Warnings for The Prophet
Content Warnings for The Joy Luck Club
Content Warnings for Orlando