Sunday 29 May 2022 13:00
The Book Club for Teens is resuming its meetings in May, facilitated by writer Stella Kasdagli.
The book we will be reading together this month is Vasilis Papatheodorou’s When pink flamingos go on strike. 30 club members aged 12 to 16 will meet online on Sunday, May 29, at 13:00, in order to discover more worlds that are waiting to be conjured by the readers themselves, i.e. us.
Don't worry if you haven't read the entire book, or if you didn't join our previous meeting: either way, Stella will be giving the cue each month, announcing the book that we will all be reading together over the weeks to follow. At the end of the month, the group of people who have read the book (or at least half of it) will be meeting to exchange thoughts, impressions, feelings and concerns, triggered by what we have just read, whether we liked it a lot or not so much.
A few words about the book for May: When pink flamingos go on strike is an eco-social thriller based on a true event that took place in France in 2007. It is a fascinating book that highlights the interdependence between humans and nature.
Research partners Lindsey and Paul are taking on a new mission: to investigate a series of strange environmental phenomena and identify the causes of an extreme ecological disaster that has hit Camargue, a place hosting rare animal species, including the largest breeding colony of flamingos in Europe. In that region, people lived in harmony with nature for centuries, until the moment when shutting down the local salt pan causes the beautiful birds to migrate, triggering an unprecedented disruption in the wetland’s food chain. The workers go on strike and the flamingos join them by striking in their own way. The two scientists will experience a fascinating adventure with ample plot twists, finding themselves in the line of fire amidst conflicting interests, facing the greed and hostility of locals, as well as the risk that the balance of the region's natural environment may be irretrievably compromised.
A few more words about Stella: Stella Kasdagli is a writer, translator, co-founder of the nonprofit “Women on Top” and an educator of teenagers and adults. She graduated (God knows how) from the French Literature department of the University of Athens and then studied Media Theory in London. She worked for several years as Editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan magazine, while also writing pieces for several other Greek and English-language sites and publications. Currently, she is designing and implementing activities that empower women, writing about issues that she believes should be discussed more, translating foreign-language literature, and facilitating workshops for teenagers on the subjects of body image, internet, and social change. She is also co-founder of the Mentorkids network and the online reading club Bookworm. She has written the following books (in Greek): Tummy.com; I only wanted to fit in; 30 women who changed the world (and how you can change it too); and the Princess Athena series. She has two daughters and is growing up with them in Athens.
Sunday 29/05 | 13.00 - 14.30 Via Zoom
For boys and girls aged 12-16 Free participation via online pre-registration
Pre-registrations starts on Monday 02/05, at 12.00
The first 30 to sing up through the link they will receive will be enrolled
Anyone reserving a seat at the Book Club is required to have read the book of the month (or at least half of it).
Vasilis Papatheodorou’s book When pink flamingos go on strike is available (in Greek) from Kastaniotis Editions.
