The meeting will be held on TUESDAY, November 2nd at 6:00 pm via Zoom. The book for our November meeting is The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin.
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A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants’ gender is fluid. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters...
Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.
Though not born in the PNW, Le Guin lived in Portland OR from 1958 until her death in 2018. The settings of her books are unboundaried and her themes and genres are as varied as her intended audiences. (I'm currently listening to Catwings, a delightful series for young readers that is equally engaging for the more seasoned among us.)
From what I've read about the book, The Left Hand of Darkness is going to demand my full attention and may shiver my timbers a bit as I work to keep the characters and themes sorted out. And just to add a little complexity, it is part of Le Guin's Hainish Cycle. According to most readers (and librarians) all the titles in the series can be read as stand-alones and reading in "order" is not a requirement.
Here are a few online resources that might be helpful:
Reviews/perspectives:
https://lithub.com/how-the-left-hand-of-darkness-changed-everything/
https://electricliterature.com/left-hand-of-darkness-ursula-le-guin-nationalism/
More about the author:
https://www.ursulakleguin.com/interviews-ursula
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M73cyc9lhhI
https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6253/the-art-of-fiction-no-221-ursula-k-le-guin
The book is available from the Gig Harbor branch of Pierce County Public Library. You can get a copy in one of several ways:
1. Call and identify yourself as a Gig Harbor Literary Society member and the staff will put a copy aside for you.
2. Request through the library website.
3. Request an electronic version through the Libby app on your device. (If you don't know how to do this, the library staff may be able to help.)
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, even if you don't have a chance to read or listen to the book, join us.
We will continue to meet via Zoom until the Library is able to restore programming in the branches.
Pour yourself a glass of wine, a beer or a cup of tea and join in the fun.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com