Next Wednesday, August 5, we will officially start the first edition of the Do Good Better book club.
The book that will launch us is Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World, by Dr. Anu Taranath.
Get this: this book has just been listed by Oprah Magazine as one of the best travel books OF ALL TIME! What an incredible achievement, and well-deserved. This is a challenging, thought-provoking, immensely practical book and I can’t wait to dig into it together.
Here’s what others are saying about it:
"This book is certainly the most teachable--and instructive-- book on global travel I have read yet." - David Citrin, Global Health and Anthropology, University of Washington
"This is a must-read for anyone who wishes to travels the world lightly with deep care and respect for the various communities, people, and countries they visit." - Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, African feminist writer and blogger
"Enlivened by her travel stories--at once tense, challenging and brightly beautiful-- Taranath's book may become required reading for those who wander, and those who want to."- Mindful Magazine
You can’t read Beyond Guilt Trips and not be changed. As soon as I started to read it, I knew I didn’t want to read it alone. I could take the ideas and tuck them into my brain and forget about them. But, if I talk about it with others, the ideas will have the chance to percolate and sink in and germinate and produce actual change in how I live and work and travel internationally. I know the same will be true for you.
So how will our book club work?
There are 9 chapters, plus a prologue and epilogue, so 11 total sections. We will read the introduction the first week and then 2 sections/week. This will take us into September, with a wrap-up post of what we’ve learned. I will post questions and thoughts and highlight quotes each week and anyone is welcome to add more questions or responses or to share your own highlights in the comment section.
And as a final bonus, Dr. Taranath has agreed to join us for a Zoom call in September to continue the discussion and learning! I’m so excited about this opportunity.
Here’s what it will look like:
August 5 read and discuss the Prologue
August 12 read and discuss Chapters 1-2
August 19 read and discuss Chapters 3-4
August 26 read and discuss Chapters 5-6
September 3 read and discuss Chapters 7-8
September 10 read and discuss Chapter 9 and the Epilogue
September 17 a wrap-up post
Later in September, date TBD, our conversation with Dr. Taranath
Anu recently let me know that Amazon has restocked their supply of the book, which is also available as a Kindle book for those who live abroad and can’t get an order to arrive.
Head over there today to download the book and start reading!
P.S. This post is open for all subscribers, but the book club will be moving behind the pay wall for our discussions. The cost is $5/month and you are welcome to join up just for these months if you’d like to do a trial membership to see what you think and join the conversation. If you’d like to join but the cost is prohibitive, drop me an email.
Congratulations on this new venture for Do Good Better, Rachel! Also, so amazing and wonderful that you've arranged with the author to have a conversation with book club members! I listened to a recording of a public radio interview she did when this book was first published, and loved what she had to say.