WOW Book Club: Don't be Afraid Gringo - June 2013

Our next book club discussion will focus on Honduras through the book "Don't be Afraid, Gringo" by Elvia Alvarado (translator - Media Benjamin).

 

Here's a book summary:

The award-winning oral history of Elvia Alvarado, a courageous campesina (peasant) activist in Honduras, the poorest country in Central America. Trained by the Catholic Church to organize women's groups to combat malnutrition, Alvarado began to question why campesinos were malnourished to begin with. Her growing political awareness, her travels by foot over the back roads of Honduras, and her conversations with people frm all over the country have given her insights into the internal workings of her society that far surpass those of the majority of campesinos who have never ventured outside their villages.

Working as a campesino organizer, Alvarado has led dangerous land recovery actions in an effort to enforce the national land reform laws. As a result of these activities, she has been harassed, jailed, and tortured at the hands of the Honduran military.

We'll be meeting on Sunday June 23 at Spiro Coffee in the Van Ness neighborhood!

Next Book to Read:

July 2013: The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (China)

WOW Book Club - May 2013: Outcasts United

We'll be reading a true story in "Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town" by Warren St. John.

Here's a book summary:

The extraordinary tale of a refugee youth soccer team and the transformation of a small American town.

Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical Southern town until it was designated a refugee settlement center in the 1990s, becoming the first American home for scores of families in flight from the world’s war zones—from Liberia and Sudan to Iraq and Afghanistan. Suddenly Clarkston’s streets were filled with women wearing the hijab, the smells of cumin and curry, and kids of all colors playing soccer in any open space they could find. The town also became home to Luma Mufleh, an American-educated Jordanian woman who founded a youth soccer team to unify Clarkston’s refugee children and keep them off the streets. These kids named themselves the Fugees.

Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees and their charismatic coach. Warren St. John documents the lives of a diverse group of young people as they miraculously coalesce into a band of brothers, while also drawing a fascinating portrait of a fading American town struggling to accommodate its new arrivals. 

Please join the discussion on Sunday May 26 at 2pm at the Sacreds Grounds Coffee House in the NOPA neighborhood.

Next Book to Read:

June 2013 - Don't be Afraid, Gringo by Elvia Alvarado (Medea Benjamin - translator) - Honduras