Magazine May/Jun 2019

A LITERARY EVENING Born in Moscow, fellow Club Member Ashwini Devare was a former correspondent with BBC Asia, CNBC and CTV News in the USA. She lived in various countries as her father was often posted out as an Indian Foreign Service Officer, but has called Singapore home since 2002. She wrote on current affairs before she decided to pursue her other passions, including fiction and non-fiction writing. Ashwini is the author of “Batik Rain” – a collection of short stories and her memoir, "Lost at 15, Found at 50" which was launched at The American Club!

Thursday, May 16 Adults’ Library, Thinkspace Complimentary Light bites available Members’ Guests are welcome! Program: 7:15 p.m. Registration and mingling 7:45 p.m. Author reading and Q&A 8:30 p.m. Discussion and Mingling

Lost at 15, Found at 50 by Ashwini Devare In this autobiography, Ashwini Devare gives an interesting view to various political developments and upheavals. Before she was 15, she has lived in various parts of US, Myanmar, Korea and Switzerland and also dabbled and dealt with historical events – from being born at the height of Cold War, USA mired in the Vietnam War, to Sikkim in the midst of a pro-democracy movement that would overthrow the monarchy, the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur

Shastri in Tashkent, India during turbulent times, and South Korea, where student demonstrations convulsed the country. Ashwini gives an interesting account of her life as an observer of historical political events and a former journalist in this book.

Registration required. For more information or to register, please drop by the Library, call 6739-4308 or email library@amclub.org.sg

BOOK CLUB Join our monthly Book Club sessions to meet fellow aficionados and partake in thoughtful discussions about award winning novels!

Thursday, May 30 Adults' Library, Thinkspace 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Complimentary refreshments will be served Book Club will be on hiatus during summer and festive season

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien The story starts with Ai-Ming, a Chinese refugee fleeing from the post-Tiananmen Square crackdown. Ai-Ming was welcomed into Marie’s household by her mother who lives in Vancouver, Canada. She tells Marie the story of her family in China, from the crowded teahouses in the first days of Chairman Mao’s ascent to the Shanghai Conservatory in the 1960s and the events leading to the Beijing demonstrations of 1989. It is a story of revolutionary idealism, music, and silence, in which three musicians - the shy and brilliant composer Sparrow, the violin prodigy Zhuli, and the enigmatic pianist Kai - struggle during China’s relentless Cultural Revolution to remain loyal to one another and to the music they have devoted their lives to. As the stories continue, Marie discovers her connection to Ai-Ming’s stories.

30 TAC |