Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru (In-Person)

We’re excited for the Desert Reserach Library Book Club to meet in-person for the first time next month on March 7th at 7:00pm PST to discuss Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru at Book Clubber Cindy’s house in 29 Palms. Cindy has joined our virtual book club meetings since we moved Kip’s Desert Book Club online in 2020. She selected this month’s book and has a uniquely personal perspective to share on some of the desert references in this one. In Cindy’s words…

“I read Gods Without Men in 2012 and I recall the vibe as being very Morongo Basin. Kunzru bounces between several stories and characters: Schmidt attempting to contact Venus in 1947, Nicky, a strung out rock star in a motel in 2008, various UFO conventions, and lots of references to ‘rocks.’

When I recommended Kunzru’s novel to the Desert Research Library Book Club last month I described it as taking place here in the Basin. George Van Tassel was friends with my grandfather, and, as a very young child, I visited the room under Giant Rock and ate at the adjacent cafe. So of course when I read the chapters about Schmidt and the UFO conventions I imagined the Pinnacles as the white quartz outcropping behind Giant Rock. And even though Nicky’s thread is in 2008, it could easily be 1973.

When I recently returned to Gods Without Men, I was surprised to learn that the Pinnacles rock formation actually exists…in Trona. But once you read this amazing head trip of a novel, I think you’ll recognize where it really takes place.” —Cindy Bernard

We look forward to reuniting old time Book Clubbers and meeting newcomers in person! Don’t forget to bring snacks and drinks to share, and please dress warmly as we will be meeting outdoors after sunset.

Used and new copies of Gods Without Men are available for under $5 from many online bookstores such as HDTS 2022 AbeBooks.com and Bookshop.org. Additionally, Massive Bookshop will be keeping up with the book club and making copies of each month’s book selection available to order on their online store. As a reminder, you don’t have to read any or all of the book to participate in Book Club, we will always include you in the conversation. See you on March 7th!

Desert Research Library Acquisitions

Thanks to Cindy’s recommendation, we will be adding a physical copy of God’s Without Men by Hari Kunzru to the Desert Research Library collection, which we plan to open to the public by appointment this Spring. If you have a suggestion of a book that we should read for Book Club that would be a good addition to our library, email us!

Directions and RSVP

RSVP for this free program at this link. Directions to this in-person meeting will be emailed out after you RSVP. If you would rather email us directly with questions or to receive directions, go for it!

COVID safety

Attendees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. We will be meeting outdoors, but masks will be required if going indoors. If you think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID in the past 14 days or are experiencing any symptoms, please refrain from attending this program. Thank you for keeping our community safe!