The Well-Read Society discussion

JUNE 2020 - THEME ANNOUNCEMENT AND BOTM POLL : ON MOTHERHOOD & FAMILY


The month of June was named after Juno, a deity in Roman mythology. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth. Coincidentally, June is also the month in which Mother’s Day is celebrated in some countries, including France (where one of the hosts - Sunny - is from).

For this reason, we believe there is no better month to read about motherhood and family.

Our two book propositions for June both highlight Asian authors and their novel about family relationships & motherhood. One of them is a novel by Ocean Vuong, an openly gay Vietnamese-American man and the other one is by Celeste Ng, a female author born in the U.S from Chinese parents.

Here are the book titles and their descriptions :

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born – a history whose epicentre is rooted in Vietnam – and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation.

At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood--and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. - Now adapted into a series starring Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington on Hulu

TO CAST YOUR VOTE, CLICK HERE : POLL LINK