PASO ROBLES, CA – August 23, 2023 On Wednesday, September 20, beginning at 6:00 p.m., the public is invited to participate in a discussion of Hala Alyan’s The Arsonists’ City, a rich family story and a personal look at the legacy of war in the Middle East.
The Nasr family is spread across the globe—Beirut, Brooklyn, Austin, and the California desert. Still, they’ve always had their ancestral home in Beirut—a constant touchstone—and the complicated, messy family love that binds them. But the decision by one member to sell the family home brings everyone to Beirut, where they unite in a fight to save the house. They all have secrets—lost loves, bitter jealousies, abandoned passions, deep-set shame—that distance has helped smother. But in a city smoldering with the legacy of war, an ongoing flow of refugees, religious tension, and political protest, those secrets ignite, imperiling the fragile ties that hold this family together.
The title is available in various formats through the catalog. Registration is required for each participant. For ages 16+.