What we’re about
Did you know that there are over 7,100 languages in the world today, but only 3% of the books that reach American readers each year are translated? There's a lot of great stuff out there to discover! If you're an adventurous reader looking to expand your knowledge about the world, then this book club is for you. We exclusively read works in translation, picking something from a different country every month and meeting to discuss our thoughts in a friendly and accessible environment.
For a full list of what we've read and where we've been so far, click here.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- June Meeting: SHOCKED EARTHMadison Public Library - Central, Madison, WI
For June we'll be reading SHOCKED EARTH by Saskia Goldschmidt, translated by Antoinette Fawcett!
Femke, her mother Trijn and her grandfather have very different ideas about how to run their family farm. Tensions between mother and daughter are growing; Femke wants to switch to sustainable growing principles, while her mother considers this an attack on tradition. To make matters worse, their home province of Groningen is experiencing a series of earthquakes caused by a gas extraction operation near their farm. While the cracks and splinters in their farmhouse increase, the authorities and the state-owned gas company refuse to offer the local farming community any help.
In SHOCKED EARTH, Saskia Goldschmidt investigates what it means to have your principles at odds with your closest kin. And how to keep standing when the world as you know it is slowly falling apart.
Please consider obtaining your copy from one of Madison's wonderful independent bookstores or from Bookshop.org! There are also used copies available from several online retailers.
- July Meeting: THE RAINBOW TROOPSMadison Public Library - Central, Madison, WI
For July we'll be reading THE RAINBOW TROOPS by Andrea Hirata, translated by Angie Kilbane!
Ikal is a student at the poorest village school on the Indonesian island of Belitong, where graduating from sixth grade is considered remarkable. His school is under constant threat of closure. Ikal and his friends—a group nicknamed the Rainbow Troops—face threats from every angle: skeptical government officials, greedy corporations, deepening poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and their own low self-confidence.
But the students also have hope, which comes in the form of two extraordinary teachers, and Ikal's education in and out of the classroom is an uplifting one. We root for him as he defies the island's tin mine officials. We meet his first love, the unseen girl who sells chalk from behind a shop screen, whose pretty hands capture Ikal's heart. We cheer for Lintang, the class's barefoot math genius, as he bests the students of the mining corporation's school in an academic challenge. Above all, we gain an intimate acquaintance with the customs and people of the world's largest Muslim society.
Please consider obtaining your copy from one of Madison's wonderful independent bookstores or from Bookshop.org! There are also used copies available from several online retailers.
