This year's Global Classroom and UW's Center for Global Studies Annual Book Club will feature Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. Meet the author and receive a copy of the book, as well as clock hours. Read more about the topic below. 

The refugee crisis facing the world today is unprecedented in scope, and the stories of people forced to flee their homes and leave their families permeate our news cycle every week. Quite often, however, we focus on the dramatic images and stories of the flight itself, and stop short of investigating the lives refugees lead as they struggle to build new lives and homes in foreign lands. Our 2018 book club will discuss those less commonly told stories through the lens of Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West.

Hamid’s novel tells the tale of two remarkable young people, Nadia and Saeed, as they meet in an unnamed country on the brink of civil war. As the city they live in descends into chaos, Nadia and Saeed decide to seek a way out through a magic doorway that whisks them to the Greek island of Mykonos. As they travel through new doorways, each leading to an uncertain future and an alien place, the characters struggle to hold onto each other, the past, and the very sense of who they are. In this way Hamid tells a story that focuses less on the physical perils of refugees, and more on the emotional and mental struggle entailed in seeking refuge.

Participants will read Exit West and complete a brief assignment based on the text, as well as attend a 2-hour follow-up session in early May to discuss the themes of the book and how to incorporate them into a classroom setting. Participants will also receive a reading resources packet containing supplementary information and lesson plan ideas pertaining to the refugee crises. Educator participants will also be asked to submit a short (1/2 – 1 page) lesson idea they could use with their students based on a theme the book.

The cost for participation in the book club is $30.00. Registration includes a free copy of Exit West, attendance at the follow-up session (with refreshments), the reading resources packet, and 6 OSPI clock hours.

Registrants who sign up before April 4th will also receive a free ticket to attend a discussion with the author, Mohsin Hamid, at the Seward Park Third Place Books on April 4th at 7:00pm.* Only 25 tickets are available, so register early for this opportunity!

*Registrants who are unable to attend the discussion with Mohsin Hamid may pick up their free copy of Exit West at the World Affairs Council office beginning April 5th, between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

Click Here to Register!

This World Affairs Council Global Classroom program is sponsored by the Center for Global Studies at the University of Washington.