Circle of Friends Book Club meeting summary for January 2020
January 8, 2020
At our January meeting, members decided to continue our discussion of Reading Lolita in Tehran before moving on to any other topic. The discussion centered on current events as illustrative of what was experienced by the common people in the book, and similarities and differences in those experiences in Iran and in the United States. There was also a general discussion of the trauma experienced by those subject to war and upheaval.
Members then decided to offer the Prayer for America, and some devotions for peace.
The discussion next shifted to the book Exit West, and its story of refugees moving throughout the world. Members discussed the author’s origin, the “magical” aspect of the plot device of “doors” leading from one country to another, and the commonalities of all the places refugees are gathered. This led to a more general discussion of the role of women in creating and maintaining peace, and the role of language and how it is coded, changed, and sometimes twisted to facilitate or maintain power. The discussion was serious and wide-ranging, using the books discussed as openings for looking at larger dynamics in the world.