It's hard to believe, but we are already on our way to our fourth book of the Virtual Book Club. I've been thrilled to see all the great support and interest in our (international :) online community of passionate readers. I can't wait till our next meeting on Belovedby Toni Morrison on Thursday, Dec. 3rd at 6pm Eastern Standard Time. By now you should all have received the Zoom link for this upcoming event; please be on the lookout for it. In the meantime, and in order to give you a month of preparation, I'm announcing Book 4 for our following meeting, on Thursday, Jan. 7th at 6pm Eastern Standard Time...1984by George Orwell!
I can't think of a more timely, important book (according to George Packer in the Atlantic, no novel of the past century "has had more influence"). Orwell was a brilliant prophet of the future, and through terms like "Newspeak" and "doublethink" he showed how ruthless leaders can manipulate language and the media for sinister political effect. Orwell's warnings about how the powers that be can block the truth and real information in public discourse have become especially relevant in our own social media-saturated age, where the proliferation of false news sources and misinformation is an ongoing challenge and visceral threat to our democracy. I'm not surprised that, as the New York Times wrote in 2017, this novel published way back in 1949 has suddenly become a "best-seller." I've long been enthralled by Orwell's crisp, laser-sharp prose and blazing intellect. For a taste of what makes him such a brilliant stylist, you may want to check out his beautiful essay "Why I Write." As always, I've included here a specially prepared Reader's Guide to help you with Orwell's novel. I'll be in touch again soon, in the meantime, Buona lettura / Happy reading...and see you soon for Morrison on Dec. 3rd!
