About us
Are you a non-fiction fan looking for more than just a summary? Join us! Tired of small talk? Let’s talk about the world instead. From social sciences and natural sciences to philosophy and current events, we dive into the topics that shape our reality. We’re not looking for everyone to agree; we’re looking for critical thinkers ready for an honest, open dialogue. If you’re curious about how the world works, there’s a seat for you.
We have two branches:
- WestGTA Group meets in Mississauga. To join us or for more details, please contact Helen (Organizer).
- Toronto Group meets monthly in Downtown Toronto or occasionally online.
How it Works
Members suggest books when first joining, through the discussion board or through monthly surveys. All non-fiction books are eligible: the authors and books do not represent the views of the organizers or members. Books should have at least 10 copies available in the Toronto Public Library and be under 400 pages. Each month, the group votes on a selection of books through an online poll. At the meeting, a volunteer facilitator presents a list of questions for discussion. Attendees should read the book before the meeting (there is no presentation or summary) but you are more than welcome to come and check out the group anyway. Our critical thinking grows through respectful dialogue: engaging with people, books, and ideas that challenge our own. And of course, we make sure to have fun!
Upcoming events
2
- CA$0.01
The parasitic mind: how infectious ideas are killing common sense - by Gad Saad
Restaurant within 4 min walk from Bloor-Yonge, Bloor-Yonge station, Toronto, ON, CAUSA Today National Bestseller. There's a war against truth... and if we don't win it, intellectual freedom will be a casualty. The West’s commitment to freedom, reason, and true liberalism has never been more seriously threatened than it is today by the stifling forces of political correctness.
Dr. Gad Saad, the host of the enormously popular YouTube show THE SAAD TRUTH, exposes the bad ideas—what he calls “idea pathogens”—that are killing common sense and rational debate. Incubated in our universities and spread through the tyranny of political correctness, these ideas are endangering our most basic freedoms—including freedom of thought and speech.
The danger is grave, but as Dr. Saad shows, politically correct dogma is riddled with logical fallacies. We have powerful weapons to fight back with—if we have the courage to use them.
A provocative guide to defending reason and intellectual freedom and a battle cry for the preservation of our fundamental rights, The Parasitic Mind will be the most controversial and talked-about book of the year.
═════ Discussion questions:
TBD
Facilitator: Andrii═════ $$ Refundable deposit:
We'd like to make sure everyone on the RSVP actually intends to join us and enjoy the event.
Please make a refundable deposit of $5 to hold your spot, via Paypal or Interac e-transfer to toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com, when you RSVP or shortly thereafter. If you are waitlisted please wait until a spot opens up for you before making a transfer.
You'll get your $5 back in cash if you join us at the event. If you decide to drop out later or not attend, consider this a donation to support our meetup and zoom subscriptions, which aren't cheap. Thank you!
═════ Meeting format:
- We meet to discuss the book after having read it beforehand.
- A facilitator guides the discussion ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak, one person at a time.
- Warning: Participation in a book club is a dangerous activity. You may encounter opinions different from yours. By joining the group you agree to assume all risks.
15 attendees ![Midnight in Chernobyl: Untold Story of the Greatest Nuclear Disaster [Online]](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/a/1/6/highres_534263062.jpeg)
Midnight in Chernobyl: Untold Story of the Greatest Nuclear Disaster [Online]
·OnlineOnlineNew York Times Best Book of the Year. A Time Best Book of the Year. A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year. 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence Winner.
From journalist Adam Higginbotham, the New York Times bestselling “account that reads almost like the script for a movie” (The Wall Street Journal)—a powerful investigation into Chernobyl and how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the history’s worst nuclear disasters.
Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering one of the 20th century’s greatest disasters. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of radiation poisoning, for a dangerous technology slipping its leash, for ecological fragility, and for what can happen when a dishonest and careless state endangers its citizens and the entire world. But the real story of the accident, clouded from the beginning by secrecy, propaganda, and misinformation, has long remained in dispute.
Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over the course of more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Adam Higginbotham brings the disaster to life through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed it firsthand. The result is a “riveting, deeply reported reconstruction” (Los Angeles Times) and a definitive account of an event that changed history: a story that is more complex, more human, and more terrifying than the Soviet myth.
“The most complete and compelling history yet” (The Christian Science Monitor), Higginbotham’s “superb, enthralling, and necessarily terrifying...extraordinary” (The New York Times) book is an indelible portrait of the lessons learned when mankind seeks to bend the natural world to his will—lessons which, in the face of climate change and other threats, remain not just vital but necessary.
═════ Discussion questions:
TBD
Facilitator: Lyn═════ $$ Donations:
Our events are free but donations are much appreciated. Your money will support our subscriptions to Meetup.com and Zoom. Please consider an e-transfer to toronto.nonfiction@gmail.com, using either https://www.paypal.com or Interac. PWYC. Thanks!
═════ Meeting format:
- A Zoom link will be sent to registered participants 1-2 days prior to the meeting. Please check your communication settings at https://www.meetup.com/account/comm/Non-fictionBookclubToronto/ to receive updates.
- We meet to discuss the book after having read it beforehand.
- A facilitator guides the discussion ensuring that everyone has a chance to speak, one person at a time.
- Warning: Participation in a book club is a dangerous activity. You may encounter opinions different from yours. By joining the group you agree to assume all risks.
6 attendees
Past events
342
![Prequel : an American fight against Fascism - by Rachel Maddow [Online]](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/9/a/b/highres_532795723.jpeg)
