Books for March and April!
Hello, everyone. We had a great meeting at Noël's house Sunday and selected two books for the next meetings. Here's the info below. I didn't add links this time because Amazon.fr is down, believe it or not. I'm sure it will be back up soon.
*Winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize*
In 2009 Malala Yousafzai began writing a blog on BBC Urdu about life in the Swat Valley as the Taliban gained control, at times banning girls from attending school. When her identity was discovered, Malala began to appear in both Pakistani and international media, advocating the freedom to pursue education for all. In October 2012, gunmen boarded Malala's school bus and shot her in the face, a bullet passing through her head and into her shoulder. Remarkably, Malala survived the shooting.
"A story for each and every girl who chooses to break societal taboos, challenge the clergy, declare war against illiteracy and believe in the power of the pen."—Daud Khattak, Newark Star Ledger
"[A] vivid autobiography.... Yousafzai possesses an eloquence beyond her years, but her touching asides drive home the fact that she's also very much a 16-year-old girl.... Captivating and surprisingly personal."—Erika W. Smith, Bust
Anyone that has read NAKED and BARREL FEVER, or heard David Sedaris
speaking live or on the radio will tell you that a new collection from
him is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris from New York
inspired these hilarious new pieces, including 'Me Talk Pretty One Day',
about his attempts to learn French from a sadistic teacher who declares
that 'every day spent with you is like having a caesarean section'.
His family is another inspiration. 'You Can't Kill the Rooster' is a
portrait of his brother, who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his
bewildered father. And no one hones a finer fury in response to such
modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ludicrous towers of
food and cashiers with six-inch fingernails.
It's a pretty grim world when I can't even feel superior to a toddler." Welcome to the curious mind of David Sedaris, where dogs outrank children, guitars have breasts, and French toddlers unmask the inadequacies of the American male. Sedaris inhabits this world as a misanthrope chronicling all things petty and small. In Me Talk Pretty One Day Sedaris is as determined as ever to be nobody's hero--he never triumphs, he never conquers--and somehow, with each failure, he inadvertently becomes everybody's favorite underdog. The world's most eloquent malcontent, Sedaris has turned self-deprecation into a celebrated art form--one that is perhaps best experienced in audio. "Go Carolina," his account of "the first battle of my war against the letter s" is particularly poignant. Unable to disguise the lisp that has become his trademark, Sedaris highlights (to hilarious extent) the frustration of reading "childish s-laden texts recounting the adventures of seals or settlers named Sassy or Samuel." Including 23 of the book version's 28 stories, two live performances complete with involuntary laughter, and an uncannily accurate Billie Holiday impersonation, the audio is more than a companion to the text; it stands alone as a performance piece--only without the sock monkeys.
March 22nd book selection is I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
The meeting will be at Mandy's house in Villevieille*Winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize*
In 2009 Malala Yousafzai began writing a blog on BBC Urdu about life in the Swat Valley as the Taliban gained control, at times banning girls from attending school. When her identity was discovered, Malala began to appear in both Pakistani and international media, advocating the freedom to pursue education for all. In October 2012, gunmen boarded Malala's school bus and shot her in the face, a bullet passing through her head and into her shoulder. Remarkably, Malala survived the shooting.
"A story for each and every girl who chooses to break societal taboos, challenge the clergy, declare war against illiteracy and believe in the power of the pen."—Daud Khattak, Newark Star Ledger
"[A] vivid autobiography.... Yousafzai possesses an eloquence beyond her years, but her touching asides drive home the fact that she's also very much a 16-year-old girl.... Captivating and surprisingly personal."—Erika W. Smith, Bust
April 19th book selection is Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
This meeting will be at Susan's house in AspèresAnyone that has read NAKED and BARREL FEVER, or heard David Sedaris
speaking live or on the radio will tell you that a new collection from
him is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris from New York
inspired these hilarious new pieces, including 'Me Talk Pretty One Day',
about his attempts to learn French from a sadistic teacher who declares
that 'every day spent with you is like having a caesarean section'.
His family is another inspiration. 'You Can't Kill the Rooster' is a
portrait of his brother, who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his
bewildered father. And no one hones a finer fury in response to such
modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ludicrous towers of
food and cashiers with six-inch fingernails.It's a pretty grim world when I can't even feel superior to a toddler." Welcome to the curious mind of David Sedaris, where dogs outrank children, guitars have breasts, and French toddlers unmask the inadequacies of the American male. Sedaris inhabits this world as a misanthrope chronicling all things petty and small. In Me Talk Pretty One Day Sedaris is as determined as ever to be nobody's hero--he never triumphs, he never conquers--and somehow, with each failure, he inadvertently becomes everybody's favorite underdog. The world's most eloquent malcontent, Sedaris has turned self-deprecation into a celebrated art form--one that is perhaps best experienced in audio. "Go Carolina," his account of "the first battle of my war against the letter s" is particularly poignant. Unable to disguise the lisp that has become his trademark, Sedaris highlights (to hilarious extent) the frustration of reading "childish s-laden texts recounting the adventures of seals or settlers named Sassy or Samuel." Including 23 of the book version's 28 stories, two live performances complete with involuntary laughter, and an uncannily accurate Billie Holiday impersonation, the audio is more than a companion to the text; it stands alone as a performance piece--only without the sock monkeys.
Comments