Introduction
To revisit a thousand years of momentous change in the life of an ancient people requires an open mind.
Jin Guantao has described this as an age in which thought has lost its place, yet one that makes us feel anew the value and force of thinking.
This week, let’s talk about books on history.
Literature & Reading / History & Civilization
Read the original article (Chinese) Original Event Information
Date and time: Sep 20, 2024 (Fri) 7:30PM
Location: 16595 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA 98052 (Eastline Apartment 3F Clubroom)
Topic: A History Book You Would Recommend
Capacity: 15 people, including five observers
— Schedule —
Arrival and seating
Opening and participant introductions: briefly share a recent book, film, program, or piece of music you enjoyed (3 minutes each).
Sharing session: a history book you would recommend (5–10 minutes each)
Group photo
— Registration —
https://forms.gle/kxRWFekRkUbq2aAk7
Please use the registration link above.
Registration order is determined by the link above.
Your email address is used to send the apartment access code and instructions.
After registering, add the assistant on WeChat to join the event group.
📌 Include “book club” in your friend request.
Find the account “别处读书会” on Xiaohongshu.
Find out about other events.
— Notes from Xiaowan —
I have been drawn to history since arriving in Seattle. Home has become an elsewhere I look back toward, and familiar concepts and habits have begun to come apart and take shape again. This has made me more curious about how different civilizations and countries developed, where their differences began, and where the things we call common sense came from.
Reading history is like acquiring another way of seeing.
About Elsewhere Book Club
Elsewhere Book Club
The name Elsewhere comes from Milan Kundera’s Life Is Elsewhere.
Life Is Elsewhere.
We seem more inclined to imagine a golden age when looking backward or forward. Yet, in my own life, this moment and elsewhere have become inseparable, each giving meaning to the other.
Live fully in this moment. The search for elsewhere also takes place here and now.
I arrived in Seattle just last month. In an unfamiliar place, my first impulse was to start a small book club, perhaps to meet others who find steadiness in books and enjoy sustained conversation.
Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed; a mustard seed holding Mount Sumeru.
I hope this small space can give us somewhere to exchange ideas each week.