The Dialogue Society Book Group - Meeting 3: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 18:00 in Community Engagement

Where: Dialogue Society, 402 Holloway Road, N7 6PZ
Date: 7th November 2013
Time: 18:00
With: Dialogue Society staff

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel:

The Dialogue Society warmly invites you to join us at the third meeting of the Dialogue Society book group. The group explores the capacity of books to provide windows into different cultural and intercultural worlds. We will be choosing a series of quality novels to read and then to discuss together at relaxed, sociable gatherings at the Dialogue Society. Participants are welcome to suggest books for future sessions.

Participants need to find a copy of the chosen book, and to read it prior to the meeting. Books will generally be available from local libraries.

Over refreshments we will have a conversation about the book and our responses to it. Discussion may cover:

the quality of the storytelling
the authenticity and accuracy with which a historical/cultural situation is portrayed
our personal responses to it

You do not need to be an expert on literature or anything else to join in. The group should be enjoyable for anyone who enjoys a good book and likes discovering new ones.

Publisher's synopsis of the Life of Pi by Yann Martel:

Pi Patel, a God-loving boy and the son of a zookeeper, has a fervent love of stories and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family and their zoo animals emigrate from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship. Alas, the ship sinks – and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orang-utan, a wounded zebra, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi. Can Pi and the tiger find their way to land? Can Pi’s fear, knowledge and cunning keep him alive until they do?

Prospective books for future sessions (NB we are open to suggestions):

Sour Sweet by Timothy Mo
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
World and Town by Gish Jen
A Distant Shore by Caryl Phillips
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie