September book selection: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
About the event
That moment of the book club history just came... We get into a Family Saga! For this meeting, we travel across Korea and Japan through a sweeping story about migration, resilience, and identity. *Pachinko* invites us to explore how history shapes individual lives and how families carry both the burdens and the hopes of the generations that came before them. Through intimate personal stories set against the backdrop of major historical upheavals, the novel asks a powerful question: how do ordinary people preserve dignity, love, and belonging when the world around them constantly denies them a place?
About the Book *T*he story begins in early 20th-century Korea with Sunja, the beloved daughter of a poor but proud family living in a small fishing village. After an unexpected pregnancy threatens her future, she accepts a marriage proposal from a kind minister and moves to Japan, beginning a life marked by hardship, sacrifice, and perseverance.
The novel follows four generations of Sunja’s family as they struggle to build lives in a country that treats them as outsiders. Facing discrimination, poverty, war, and social exclusion, each generation must confront difficult choices about identity, survival, and belonging. Spanning decades and moving between Korea and Japan, *Pachinko* weaves together themes of family loyalty, cultural displacement, and the quiet courage required to endure history.
About the Author Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American writer known for her powerful explorations of migration, identity, and the experiences of the Korean diaspora. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child, and she later studied history at Yale University before pursuing a career in writing.
Curiosities Lee spent years researching the history of Koreans living in Japan while writing *Pachinko*, conducting interviews and studying the social realities of the community. *Pachinko* became an international bestseller and has been adapted into a television series by Apple TV+, bringing the story to an even wider global audience.
About the event: Commitment fee To help ensure accurate attendance and make event planning sustainable, a commitment fee of €2 is required to confirm your participation. Unfortunately, at a recent event, several participants registered but did not attend or provide any notice. As organizing these meetings requires time, preparation, and resources, this small fee helps encourage reliable RSVPs and attendance. The fee is non-refundable if you choose not to attend or do not show up. However, if the event is cancelled by the organizer or rescheduled to a date that prevents you from attending, your fee will be refunded promptly after the change is announced. For special circumstances, like waking up sick and having to cancel last minute, you can write me a private message and we'll transfer the fee to a next event you indicate. You can send the fee here: [https://revolut.me/angelicacorsi](https://revolut.me/angelicacorsi) Please include your MeetUp name in the payment note so I can identify your registration. If you can no longer attend, or if you prefer not to pay the commitment fee, please update your RSVP as soon as possible so your spot can be made available to others. Thank you for your understanding and support.
About the Location We will meet in Merienda Haus, a wonderful cosy coffee shop offering Argentinean and Uruguayan specialities. I invite you to order something and enjoy their drinks and food menu:=)
