Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A Memoir of Survival in Sudan

Our next WOW book for our February discussion is Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with the support of Damien Lewis, a journalist.

Here's a summary of the book:

Writing with BBC correspondent Damien Lewis, Halima Bashir, a physician and refugee living in London, offers a vivid personal portrait of life in the Darfur region of Sudan before the catastrophe. Doted on by her father, who bucked tradition to give his daughter an education, and feisty grandmother, who bequeathed a fierce independence, Bashir grew up in the vibrant culture of a close-knit Darfur village.

She anticipated a bright future after medical school, but tensions between Sudan's Arab-dominated Islamist dictatorship and black African communities like her Zaghawa tribe finally exploded into conflict.

Please join us for a great discussion on Sunday February 22 at 2pm at The Secret Garden Tea House (Inner Sunset neighborhood).

Please let me know by Monday February 9, if you'll be able to attend this book club discussion to make reservations at the Tea House.

Note: If you're interested in watching a Darfur-related movie after the book club, Katherine and Justine will be hosting a movie night around 4pm (specific time will be determined) at Katherine's house, near the Tea House.

*Remember: you get a 15% discount at BookSmith, when you purchase your book and say you're a WOW Book Club member* - Support your local bookstore!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Double Meaning of Athena's Life

It was a great reunion to talk about Athena and how we learned about her life through different people's perspective.

We saw Athena as a person like anyone else, with flaws and insecurities, and looking for what her life's mission is. Through the stories of others who knew her, we see that she has made a difference already, without being aware of it.

We are all curious about certain parts of her life that we never get to learn about, such as her love life and the mystery of this boyfriend from Scotland Yards. If anything, what Athena has taught us is whether we do have the courage to be who we are, no matter how against this might be to the status quo. Are we brave enough to follow our own destiny.