Man Booker Prize nominee, Alison Pick, will join us in April
“An intense exploration. . . . We watch [Pick] valiantly, indefatigably confront images and imaginations of her pasts, presents and futures in intense, moving ways. . . . Pick’s outlines of the depths of her depressions and fears are earnest and heart-rending.”
“Pick’s book is a well written and sympathetic foray into the politics of personal identity. . . . Highly readable and . . . moving.”
“A story of religious rebirth, and the attendant—if not directly associated—suffering that rebirth entails. . . . Between Gods is a sometimes wincingly honest diary, filled with malaise and dread vulnerability. But within the frame of the book, Pick’s intelligence and intent to observe her moral possibilities remain apparent. . . . The gift, the empathy, of Pick’s memoir comes in her active presence, even as she admits that she is no longer between those particular gods—Christian, Jewish, or otherwise. They are the forces that feel greater than us, that loom on all sides and draw out our silhouettes, even within the shadows they cast.”
From the Man Booker-nominated author of the novel Far to Go and one of our most talented young writers comes an unflinching, moving and unforgettable memoir about family secrets and the rediscovered past.
Alison Pick was born in the 1970s and raised in a supportive, loving family. She grew up laughing with her sister and cousins, and doting on her grandparents. Then as a teenager, Alison made a discovery that instantly changed her understanding of her family, and her vision for her own life, forever. She learned that her Pick grandparents, who had escaped from the Czech Republic during WWII, were Jewish--and that most of this side of the family had died in concentration camps. She also discovered that her own father had not known of this history until, in his twenties, he had a chance encounter with an old family friend--and then he, too, had kept the secret from Alison and her sister.
In her early thirties, engaged to be married to her longtime boyfriend but struggling with a crippling depression, Alison slowly but doggedly began to research and uncover her Jewish heritage. Eventually she came to realize that her true path forward was to reclaim her history and indentity as a Jew. But even then, one seemingly insurmountable problem remained: her mother wasn't Jewish, so technically Alison wasn't either. In this by times raw, by times sublime memoir, Alison recounts her struggle with the meaning of her faith, her journey to convert to Judaism, her battle with depression, and her path towards facing and accepting the past and embracing the future--including starting a new family of her own. This is her unusual and gripping story, told in crystalline prose and with all the nuance and drama of a novel, but illuminated with heartbreaking insight into the very real lives of the dead, and hard-won hope for the lives of all those who carry on after.
more options for the spring
we are absolutely delighted with the response to the book club. it has been overwhelming. now we have the "problem" of determining the best way to accommodate that demand.
in the spring, we will offer two meetings about a month apart and featuring different authors. the books will be quite different: in a bit of a departure from the model we have been using, the first book is non-fiction by a well-known author. the second choice will be more like what we have been hosting in the past: an evening with an emerging author of fiction.
the books will be announced at the same time and tickets will go on sale at the same time. the choice is yours: come to one or the other or come to both. but do come. and bring some new friends for us to meet.
watch for more on the blog about the authors, the dates and ticket sales next month.
two more great nights!
thanks everyone who was part of the last two nights of book club. the food was delicious as were the cocktails (thanks everyone from public). Carrie gave two terrific and very different talks each night. and, as always, the group was engaged and the questions were thoughtful and thought provoking.
watch the website for news of our upcoming events in the spring.
Not sure which date in January for book club?
a few people have been asking us to confirm the dates for the January meeting. There are two dates: January 19 and January 20.
Ironically, the "first" date we sold tickets for is January 20 and the "second" date is January 19. But there is an easier way to figure out which date is yours: if your confirmation email says simply "january book club", your ticket is for january 20. Only the January 19 event confirmation says january 19.
clear? we hope so. but as a last resort, you can email us and ask.
and remember. doors open at 6:00. cocktails and mixing it up for about an hour then dinner is served sometime around 7. see you on the 20th! or the 19th!
january 19 a sell out
thanks for all the support. we have now sold out two nights at public kitchen. there is a wait list so, if you are interested in being added to that list (or if you want to be among the first to hear about the spring event), sign up for the email list on the join us page.
thanks everyone for your enthusiasm. looking forward to two great nights of great food, great literature and great friends.
wow! just one ticket left
We cannot believe the response to the book club. Just one ticket left for monday january 19th!
we are especially pleased to announce that, because demand was greater than expected, we have been able to make a donation to wild writers literary festival in waterloo on november 7 - 9. check out their website and head out to the festival.
And. because of Dave's generosity, your ticket price also includes an honorarium for the author.
we have a second night!!!
due to overwhelming demand for the event on january 20th, we have persuaded Carly to open the public kitchen on monday january 19th and carrie snyder has agreed to join us for a second night.
so head on over to the "join us" tab and buy some tickets. then go down to wordsworth in waterloo, grab your readers, snuggle into a comfy chair and get reading. january isn't too far away now.
tickets for the January meeting are now on sale!
the tickets are now on sale. just go to the "join us" tab on the website.
Once you have purchased your ticket, head on down to wordsworth books in waterloo and pick up your copy of Carrie's book, "girl runner". remember to take a copy of your confirmation email to show that you have paid.
then get reading. and have fun. it is a terrific book.
we have a date for January
pencil this date into your calendar: Tuesday January 20 2015 at public kitchen. that's the evening when we will gather for the second meeting of the appetite for reading book club to talk with Carrie Snyder about her book, "girl runner".
watch this blog for information about ticket sales . and, if you want to be sure not to miss the notice of tickets going on sale, sign up for the mailing list by going to the "join us" tab of the website.
see you in January!
more about girl runner
“Ultimately, Girl Runner is a beautiful, thoughtful homage to those forgotten women who stepped outside the boundaries of what was allotted to them, and a testament to the struggles and sacrifices that paved the way for the female athletes who followed.”
“What defines the novel is the depth and breadth of Aggie herself; she’s a rare heroine whose rich internal life is matched only by the abundance of her external living.”
Girl Runner is the story of Aganetha Smart, a former Olympic athlete who was famous in the 1920s, but now, at age 104, lives in a nursing home, alone and forgotten by history. For Aganetha, a competitive and ambitious woman, her life remains present and unfinished in her mind.
When her quiet life is disturbed by the unexpected arrival of two young strangers, Aganetha begins to reflect on her childhood in rural Ontario and her struggles to make an independent life for herself in the city.
Without revealing who they are, or what they may want from her, the visitors take Aganetha on an outing from the nursing home. As ready as ever for an adventure, Aganetha's memories are stirred when the pair return her to the family farm where she was raised. The devastation of WW1 and the Spanish flu epidemic, the optimism of the 1920s and the sacrifices of the 1930s play out it Aganetha's mind, as she wrestles with the confusion and displacement of the present.
Part historical page-turner, part contemporary mystery, Girl Runner is an engaging and endearing story about family, ambition, athletics and the dedicated pursuit of one's passions. It is also, ultimately, about a woman who follows the singular, heart-breaking and inspiring course of her life until the very end.