The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (Virtual)
The book club has been on a break since March, but we are excited to bring it back this November to test out a new format for connecting with our community members near and far. Nothing can replace gathering together in a local’s house over a table of snacks, but we hope this virtual reprise of Kip’s beloved book club will bring us some much-needed connection when we see your familiar faces. We also hope to meet some of you long-distance book club fans who have followed along for years but may have never joined in person. Join us on Monday, November 2nd at 7:00pm PST to discuss The Other Americans by Laila Lalami. This month’s book was selected by HDTS’ very own, Elena.
“I am excited to discuss the pertinent and timely themes of Lalami’s book, including immigration, the veteran experience, and the relationship between law enforcement and community. The Other Americans is set in the Morongo Basin and includes an easter egg hunt of references to real-life high desert landmarks and businesses. These references make even more real the experiences of Lalami’s fictional characters, prompting my curiosity about people living around us who many may overlook. Reading like a page-turning crime novel, the story centers around a fatal hit and run, following a diverse cast of characters including a family of Moroccan immigrants, an undocumented immigrant, an Iraq War veteran, a local detective, and the young woman whose father’s death prompts her to return to the desert after leaving for the “big city.” I look forward to discussing this book with you all!”
—Elena
We are requesting that all interested book clubbers RSVP here. This will help us track expected attendance. At 7pm PST on November 2, click the link below to join in the discussion!
Zoom meeting link to join:
zoom.us/j/98202207056
Meeting ID: 982 0220 7056
If you have questions about using Zoom, feel free to email us. Or check out this video on how to join a Zoom meeting.
Every month from October 2014 until March 2020, Kip’s Desert Book Club gathered on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the home of a different resident of the Morongo Basin to discuss a book that in one way or another touches on the theme of “desert”.
Since the start of the pandemic, Kip has been hard at work making renovations to the kitchen and bathrooms at Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center, where he is the board President, and keeping their monthly USDA food drive alive. During this time, Kip’s Desert Book Club had largely been on pause, with the exception of a few virtual meetings. These virtual gatherings allowed us to welcome the participation of book club fans from beyond our local region.
Sixty-six books, more than seven years, and one pandemic later, Kip has decided to step back from being the primary book club organizer and join the rest of us as readers. Kip, we thank you for all the wonderful and eclectic desert books you’ve chosen over the years, as well as the unforgettable stories and knowledge you continue to share (if you know, you know!)
So, we are excited to announce that beginning in January 2022, our in-person book club will resume as the Desert Research Library Book Club (or DRL Book Club, for short). Each month, a member of the current Desert Research Library Artist Cohort will select a book from the library as that month’s book club selection.
