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“Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.”
Senator Robert F. Kennedy |
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“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.”
Warsan Shire |
August Selection
Summary of The Beekeeper of AleppoNuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live happily in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the war escalates and comes really close. They feel forced to flee. What Afra has seen right before their flight is so terrible she has gone blind.
Nuri and Afra embark on a dangerous, dark (not just for Afra) and long journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain.
As Nuri and Afra slowly and carefully make their way towards the UK, they have to deal with their losses, deal with the different way in which they regard their past, their journey and their future and on top of all that they have to deal with multiple dangers and unjust situations.
Can they let go enough of what they had to endure to find not only their way to England, but above all, their way towards each other again?
About Christy LefteriChristy Lefteri grew up in London and is the child of Cypriot refugees. She is a lecturer in creative writing at Brunel University. She has worked as a volunteer at a UNICEF-supported refugee centre in Athens. The stories she has heard and her own experiences during that time form the basis of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, published in 2019. She currently lives in London.
Discussion questionsHere you find:
Nuri and Afra embark on a dangerous, dark (not just for Afra) and long journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain.
As Nuri and Afra slowly and carefully make their way towards the UK, they have to deal with their losses, deal with the different way in which they regard their past, their journey and their future and on top of all that they have to deal with multiple dangers and unjust situations.
Can they let go enough of what they had to endure to find not only their way to England, but above all, their way towards each other again?
About Christy LefteriChristy Lefteri grew up in London and is the child of Cypriot refugees. She is a lecturer in creative writing at Brunel University. She has worked as a volunteer at a UNICEF-supported refugee centre in Athens. The stories she has heard and her own experiences during that time form the basis of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, published in 2019. She currently lives in London.
Discussion questionsHere you find:
- Icebreaker Ideas to kick off your book club event
- Questions you can prepare while reading to explore part of the novel in depth
- Questions you can discuss at your book club meeting without any preparation beforehand
- Serve snacks prepared with honey.
- Sharing a meal is important in the novel as well as in Syria itself. When you have got very culinary book club members, you may opt for some typical Syrian (finger) food.
- Watch a short video with facts about bees (video takes less than 4 minutes)
- Watch a short video of Aleppo before and after the war (video takes less than 3 minutes)
- Give a short summary of the novel.
- Explore the character Nuri into depth and present this to the group.
- Explore the character Afra into depth and present this to the group.
- Have a look at the title and cover and share your knowledge/thoughts with your book club.
- Research the symbolism/role of the bees in the novel.
- Research the way your country deals with refugees (from Syria or elsewhere) and present this to the group.
- Blindness is a theme in the novel. Find several examples and present these to the group.
- What do you consider the main problem / the conflict in this novel and why?
- What/when is the climax in this novel, the high point of the action, when the conflict or problem is resolved or causes a character’s downfall and explain why you think so.
- What/when is the resolution in this novel, the moment/way the conflict or problem is solved and normalcy or a new order is restored. Explain why you think so.
- How does the author switch from the now to the past. What do you think of the way she did so?
- In the novel we do not only read about Nuri and Afra’s endurances, but learn about the fate of many other refugees. Which of these stories did you find most heartbreaking and why?
- What do the bees symbolise in the novel? Give examples from the book.
- Blindness is a theme in the novel. Find examples.
- What is the role of Mohammed in the novel?
- Have a look at the title and cover and share your thoughts.
- How did you feel about the ending?
- What are your biggest take-aways from this novel?
- What other novels have you read that deal with refugees or blindness? In what ways do they differ and in what ways are there similarities?
- Has this novel changed the way you look at refugees and their situation? How?