Hybrid: A.M. Book Group

This week we will be reading Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin.

In the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. 

David is a young American expatriate who has just proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Hella. While she is away on a trip, David meets a bartender named Giovanni to whom he is drawn in spite of himself. Soon the two are spending the night in Giovanni’s curtainless room, which he keeps dark to protect their privacy. But Hella’s return to Paris brings the affair to a crisis, one that rapidly spirals into tragedy.

David struggles for self-knowledge during one long, dark night—“the night which is leading me to the most terrible morning of my life.” With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin's now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a deeply moving story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.

The A.M. Book Group meets in person with an option to participate via Zoom on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 10:00 am. This book group does not meet in December. New readers are always welcome. Tom Madden is the facilitator.

*You may also choose to attend the program online. Everyone who registers below will receive the Zoom link.

Many of the book discussion titles can be downloaded via the Library's Hoopla or Libby accounts. Please reach out to the Adult Services Department if you need assistance with downloading the title. Personal copies can also be purchased at Books on the Common at a 15% discount.

If you are participating by Zoom and have not received your Zoom link by the day before the program please contact the Adult Services staff at 203.438.2282 ext. 201.