Bay Area Book Club's Book for month of November:
Memoirs Of a Geisha By Arthur Golden
Avaliable at Barns & Nobels & Borders Bookstores

Our Monthly discussion will be hold on Sunday, November 20,2005 at 4:00pm: University Cafe located on 271 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA (650)322-5301 Interested participants please email us at bayareabookclub@gmail.com for a list of discussion questions.

About the Book

The strikingly pretty child of an impoverished fishing family, Chiyo is taken to faraway Kyoto and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house where she is renamed Sayuri. Initially reluctant, Sayuri must finally invent and cultivate an image of herself as a desirable geisha in order to survive in Gion's cruel hierarchy. Through her eyes, we are given a backstage view of the ancient and secretive geisha district, Gion, and of the lives of the women who learn and practice the rigorous arts of the geisha. Behind its facade of haunting beauty the district turns out to be a viciously competitive place where women vie desperately for men's favor and largess, where a young girl's virginity is auctioned off to the highest bidder, where personal trust is almost nonexistent, and where no woman can afford even to dream about love or happiness. A timeless pocket of the world, Gion cannot remain cut off from the bustle of the modern era forever. When Japan enters the Second World War, Gion's isolation is finally breached and Sayuri must once again reinvent herself and her way of existence. Memoirs of a Geisha is a treasure of a book, an unparalleled look at a strange and mysterious world which has now almost vanished. It is also, and unforgettably, a dazzling portrait of a singular and most seductive woman who tells her story in a compelling first person voice.

About the Author

Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980 he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.

About US:



Simply put we are group of book lovers. Some of us are Bay Area natives and others come from different parts of the country and world. What makes our group unique is that we look through an author's lenses with different
viewpoints, cultural perspectives and socio-economic backgrounds.

We get together on monthly basis at a local coffee shop and discuss the chosen book for that particular month. Also based on our author's nationality/book's theme, we go to different ethnic restaurants. We also go to movies based on our reading and discussions.

So if you are interested in making new friends, learning about new authors/books, love reading, lectures or just listening to discussion about book than you are a perfect candidate to join our group. Come and join our group and let your friends know about our group