Beyond the Hashtag Book Club with Author Vanessa Hua
Join Arlington Public Library and Author Vanessa Hua in a book club to unlearn racism.
The November selection is "Forbidden City" by Vanessa Hua, who will be joining us for a Zoom discussion of her book.
About the book: On the eve of China's Cultural Revolution and her sixteenth birthday, Mei dreams of becoming a model revolutionary. When the Communist Party recruits girls for a mysterious duty in the capital, she seizes the opportunity to escape her impoverished village. It is only when Mei arrives at the Chairman’s opulent residence—a forbidden city unto itself—that she learns that the girls’ job is to dance with the Party elites. Ambitious and whip-smart, Mei makes a beeline toward the Chairman.
Mei gradually separates from the other recruits to become the Chairman’s confidante—and paramour. As he fends off political rivals, Mei faces down schemers from the dance troupe who will stop at nothing to take her place, as well as the Chairman’s imperious wife, who has schemes of her own. When the Chairman finally gives Mei a political mission, she seizes it with fervor, but the brutality of this latest stage of the revolution makes her begin to doubt all the certainties she has held so dear.
Forbidden City is an epic yet intimate portrayal of one of the world's most powerful and least understood leaders during the most turbulent period of modern Chinese history. Mei's harrowing journey toward truth and disillusionment raises questions about power, manipulation, and belief, as seen through the eyes of a passionate teenage girl.
This book discussion will be led by the Arlington Public Library group Beyond the Hashtag: Unlearning Racism, One Book at a Time. This group fosters a sustainable discussion around systemic racism while exploring these complex social dynamics through direct literary analysis and conversation.
Instructions to join the Zoom meeting will be emailed the day before the meeting to all registrants. New members are always welcome. You don't have to read the book to join, but it is encouraged.
18+. Registration required.
For more information, contact Deborah at LIB-AuroraHills@arlingtonva.us
- Date:
- Wednesday, November 16, 2022
- Time:
- 7:00pm - 8:00pm
- Audience:
- Events for Adults Good for Adults Age 55+
- Categories:
- Author Talk Book Club
- Calendar:
- Arlington Public Library