The following meeting will be on Thursday 25^thJune , 1:15, Meeting Room, which gives us two months to read Tsotsi by South African playwright Athol Fugard (1932–2025).  The novel was first published in (1980).   Tsotsi is set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Sophiatown, where survival is the primary objective, this novel traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader. Confronted with memories of his own painful childhood, this angry young man begins to rediscover his own humanity, dignity and capacity to love.  232 pages

Our book reviews:

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.
We appreciated the insight into the varied aspects of Indian cultures and the beautiful descriptive writing. It was seven years in the writing and won the Booker Prize in 2006. It explored the loss of identity and the way it traveled through generations under post colonialism.

Trees by Percival Everett
Trees is a powerful book about lynching in America’s deep South. The story begins with a string of bizarre murders in the small town of Money. In each murder the same dead black man appears. Soon there are copy-cat murders all over the country. The local police are flummoxed and then very irritated when both state and national black investigators arrive on the scene. One is a woman! Adding to the mix is the waitress in the local diner and “Mama-Zee” who has been recording lynchings her entire life. Oddly, most, but not all of us, found humour in this dark and disturbing story.

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
The group found this an informative book as none of us had knowledge of Panang in Malaysia. The fictional characters were cleverly woven into true stories: Sun Yat Sen, first president of the Republic of China, the murder trial of Ethel Proudlock, and the visit of Somerset Maugham. The novel considered a range of themes: colonialism, homosexuality, hidden lives, revolution, the art of writing.

 Brecon U3A Bookshelf, set up in 1996, concentrates on reading contemporary (21st century) novels and with each new term we have two new books - one to be discussed early in the term and the second towards the end.

Suggestions for books are welcome, bearing in mind  the group comprises both men and women with a wide range of tastes and experience, the cost, and ready availability of publications. The Group is entirely informal, open and friendly and welcomes new members to come and join us at any time - if you have not read the books, come and listen to the discussion and you may feel inspired.

 Good reading!