While we may not be able to meet in person right now, book clubs are still a great way to connect socially and stay engaged! 

After you have read this month's choice, join us for a great discussion. Each month we will read a new title from a variety of genres and authors. New members are always welcome.

Registration required.

In July, we will be discussing Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. This title is available as an ebook or an eaudiobook from DownloadLibrary.

In 1830, two English brothers arrive at a Barbados sugar plantation, bringing with them a darkness beyond what the slaves have already known. Washington Black—an eleven-year-old field slave—is horrified to find himself chosen to live in the quarters of one of these men. But his new master is not as Washington expects him to be. He is the eccentric Christopher Wilde—naturalist, explorer, inventor and abolitionist. Washington is initiated into a world of wonder: a world where the night sea viewed from a hilltop explodes with light, where a simple cloth canopy can propel a man across the sky, where even a boy born in chains may embrace a life of dignity and meaning—and where two people separated by an impossible divide can begin to see each other as human.

But when a man is killed one fateful night, Washington is left at the mercy of his new masters. Christopher Wilde must choose between family ties and young Washington's life. What follows is a flight along the eastern coast of America, as the men attempt to elude the bounty that has been placed on Washington's head. This is a novel of fraught bonds and betrayal. What brings Wilde and Washington together ultimately tears them apart, leaving the boy to seek his true self in a world that denies his very existence.

From the blistering cane fields of Barbados to the icy wastes of the Canadian Arctic, from the mud-drowned streets of London to the eerie deserts of Morocco, Washington Black teems with all the strangeness and mystery of life. This inventive, electrifying novel asks, what is freedom? Can a life salvaged from the ashes ever be made whole?

This virtual program will take place via Zoom. Zoom is a video conferencing tool that allows people to meet together online. You can use Zoom on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Learn more here.

You will receive a Zoom link at least 24 hours prior to the program. You will need this link to join the program.

By participating in this program, you acknowledge that you accept and agree to Kitchener Public Library’s Safe Use Code