* * * New Book Club! * * *

For our first common book, we will be reading,  The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity and My Fight Against the Islamic State,  a memoir by survivor and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nadia Murad (more information below).

Interested? Here's how it works:

• The book club will meet on Thursday, August 29th, to discuss the book. This gives you, dear reader, the rest of the month to read and think about the book!
• You must be registered for the book club in order to participate in the August event. To register, just send me your email address!
• On the designated date in August, we will meet during lunchtime to discuss the book, the author, the situation in the Middle East, peace,…
• I will be prepared with some discussion questions, but if you have any you would like the group to discuss, please share them with me and I will add them to the list!

If you have any questions, please email me at your earliest convenience: kara.k.hodgson@uit.no

About the book:

Nadia Murad was born and raised in Kocho, a small group of farmers in northern Iraq. She and her brothers and sisters lived in a quiet life. Nadia had dreams of becoming a history teacher or opening her own beauty salon.

On August 15th, 2014, when Nadia was just twenty-one years old, this life ended. Islamic State militants massacred the people of her village, executing men who refused to convert to Islam and women too old to become sex slaves. Six of Nadia's brothers were killed and, afterwards, their bodies swept into mass. Nadia was taken to Mosul and forced, along with thousands of other Yazidi girls, into the ISIS slave trade.

Nadia would be captive by several militants and repeatedly raped and beaten. Finally, she managed a narrow escape through the streets of Mosul, finding shelter in the home of a Sunni Muslim family whose eldest son risked his life to smuggle her safety.

Today, Nadia's story — as a witness to the Islamic State's brutality, a survivor of rape, a refugee, a Yazidi — has forced the world to pay attention to an ongoing genocide. It is a call to action, a testament to the human will to survive, and a love letter to a lost country, a fragile community, and a family torn apart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the CPS Book Club:

Q: What is it?

A:         It's a chance for the UiT community to enjoy reading and discussing a common book together. Because of the club is run by the Center for Peace Studies, all chosen books will relate to some aspect of peace, war, or conflict. The chosen book is not meant to be academic in nature; it can be a work of fiction, a memoir, poetry - whatever the members decide upon!

Q: When does it measure?

A:         Three times a year - once during the spring semester, once during the summer, and once during the fall semester. Specific dates are determined by the facilitator.

Q: Who can participate?

A:         Any member of the UiT community - students, staff, faculty, auxiliary personnel… anyone with and affiliation to UiT is welcome!

Q: In which language will the discussions be held?

A:         Members are welcome to read the book in the language of their choice. However, for the purpose of including the greatest possible number of discussants, all club gatherings will take place in English.

Q: How much does it cost?

A:         Only the price of the book.