Ask a Coffee Maker / Wanderlust Book Club: The Monk of Mokha

Hi, it’s Vanessa, your ENLIGHTENMENT host.

I love to travel, and read books about other amazing places I love and would love to visit. I’m hoping there are other travelers, both active and armchair, who feel the same. So for us, here is the Wanderlust Book Club, which alternates every month with the California Club (books about the Golden State we live in).

I’m on a coffee kick, so for June, I picked , by Dave Eggers, because it’s all about the hottest type of coffee around. Published in 2018, it’s the true story of a young Yemeni-American man who dreams of reviving the ancient art of Yemeni coffee. The book chronicles his journey from working as a doorman in San Francisco to traveling to his ancestral homeland, only to become trapped by the civil war in Yemen, forcing him to find a way out while trying to save his coffee business.

Along with the book, I usually invite a special guest to each club meeting, someone who is an expert or very connected to the theme of the book and can answer our questions about the topic. So even if you haven’t finished / opened the book, you can still be part of the conversation.

This time, we’ll have the book talk at our special guest’s place: Qisa Coffee in Curtis Park. Owner Abdul Aziz will make our drinks while giving us the history and cultural relevance behind them.

Below is the book description. Tickets are $5 (not including Eventbrite’s fee) to reserve your seat at the table on a busy Sunday at the cafe.

Claim your seat -

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Mokhtar Alkhanshali is twenty-four, unable to pay for college, and working as a doorman when he becomes fascinated with the rich history of coffee. He travels to Yemen and visits countless farms, collecting samples, eager to bring improved cultivation methods to the countryside. In 2015 he is on the verge of success when civil war engulfs the country. The US Embassy closes, Saudi bombs rain down, and Mokhtar is trapped in Yemen, desperate to escape.

A heart-pounding true story, The Monk of Mokha weaves together the history of coffee, the ongoing Yemeni civil war, and the courageous journey of a young man--a Muslim and a US citizen--following the most American of dreams.

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