Join fellow bookworms at The Gateway Diner (899 Central Ave) to discuss:

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.” Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy’s body.

From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself in a strange purgatory where ghosts mingle, gripe, commiserate, quarrel, and enact bizarre acts of penance. Within this transitional state—called, in the Tibetan tradition, the bardo—a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie’s soul.

If you are so inclined, you can purchase the book from either The Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza for a 20% discount or at The Open Door Bookstore on Jay Street in Schenectady for a 15% discount. Just reference our club to get the discount (if you have any trouble, please let us know).

In order to make things easier for everyone at the Gateway Diner, please try to arrive around 6 pm to place your order. We will start the discussion at 6:30 pm.

PLEASE update your RSVP as soon as you know you will not be able to join us. This will allow someone on the waitlist ample time to read the book. That said, if you are on the waitlist, please anticipate attending (or change your RSVP if you cannot), as you will likely get a spot. Frequent violators of this request may be removed from the group without notice.

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Will you remember to change your RSVP if you cannot attend so that someone on the waitlist can attend in your place??  :)  Thank you!!

“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders

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“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders

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