How to Be Book Club - "Sula" by Toni Morrison

Existential crises are like a persistent rash. There's no cure, but if you're suffering from the Big Questions, maybe the How To Be Book Club can be a salve. Come hang out in Book Club Bar's back garden one Saturday each month, and join us in discussing works of philosophical fiction from across different eras and parts of the globe. We'll read the book beforehand (and do us a solid, if you can—get your book from our store), and then gather for casual conversation over drinks. No preparation needed; just bring your book and your curious mind!

This January we'll explore gender politics and feminism through our reading of Sula by Toni Morrison, paired with excerpts from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. Sula follows two friends of opposite dispositions from girlhood to womanhood, tracing the ways they embrace or reject the roles circumscribed for them through patriarchy, and how they are hence rewarded or punished by society. Morrison asks: What is freedom? What is the cost of freedom? Beauvoir's seminal text of second-wave feminist theory offers quite a few tools for thinking through the story Morrison tells about two black girls coming of age in 20th century Ohio, the most salient among which is her idea of transcendence (freedom, action) and immanence (confinement, passivity). We'll use this, along with a few others, to deepen our analysis of Morrison. Can't wait!

The Second Sex excerpts we'll read are:

• Introduction
• Volume II, Part I, Chapter I, "Childhood"
• Volume II, Part I, Chapter II, "The Girl"
• Volume II, Part II, Chapter V, "The Marries Woman"
• Volume II, Part III, Chapter XI, "The Narcissist"
• Volume II, Part III, Chapter XII, "The Woman in Love"
• Volume II, Part III, Chapter XIII, "The Mystic"
• Volume II, Part IV, Chapter XIV, "The Independent Woman"
• Conclusion

This month's picks: by Toni Morrison

& by Simone de Beauvoir

What your ticket includes:

• $8 off any drink at the bar

Grab a brunch cocktail at the bar and tell us what you thought of the book! Our informal discussion will be led by BCB bookseller Keri Kelly.

Registration is capped, so please register early if you are planning on attending. Please note: gratuity for the bartenders is not included. Please use your tickets at the beginning of the event.

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