Book Club 14: Radius

Co-hosted by Janine & Laura + rotating community co-hosts

Our November book club pick is Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution by Yasmin El-Rafae.

About this book: A haunting, intimate account of the women and men who built a feminist revolution in the middle of the Arab Spring.

In 2012, the joyful hopes of the democratic Egyptian Revolution were tempered by revelations of mass sexual assault in Tahrir Square in Cairo, the revolution’s symbolic birthplace.

This is the story of the women and men who formed Opantish - Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment - who deployed hundreds of volunteers, scouts rescue teams, and getaway drivers to intervene in the spiraling cases of sexual violence against women protesters in the square. Organized and led by women during 2012–2013 - the final, chaotic months of Egypt’s revolution - teams of volunteers fought their way into circles of men to pull the woman at the center to safety. Often, they risked assault themselves.

Journalist Yasmin El-Rifae was one of Opantish’s organizers, and this is her evocative, aching account of their work, as they raced to develop new tactics, struggled with a revolution bleeding into counter-revolution, and dealt with the long aftermath of assault and devastation. Told in a daring, hybrid narrative style drawn from years of interviews and her own, intimate experience, it is a story of overlapping circles: the circles of male attackers activists had to break through, the ways sexual violence can be circled off as “irrelevant” to political struggle, and the endless repetitive loops of living with trauma.

Introducing a powerful new voice, a writer whose searchingly beautiful, spare prose cuts to the core of a story ever more urgent and relevant: of women’s resistance when all else has failed.
-- from Goodreads

🤷‍♀️ Didn’t finish the book? Haven’t started? Only here for feminist hot takes, collective unlearning, and good vibes? Perfect. We’re a no-pressure, no-expectations book club. Come exactly as you are.

⚠️ Content note: This book discusses eating disorders, body image, and misogyny. Please take care of yourself and feel free to step out or skip this session if needed.

📍 Where: Books Books Books, Lausanne

⏰ When: Thursday, June 25th at 18:30
(about 1.5 hours + optional post-book-club hangout!)

You can grab the book through our lovely host BooksBooksBooks, or listen to the audiobook if that feels more accessible right now.

Sign up for our newsletter to know which parts we’re focusing on — or simply show up and wing it. Bring your thoughts, your questions, your complicated feelings about mirrors, magazines, and the male gaze. We can’t wait to unpack this one together 💜📚✨

### What to Expect

• A 90-minute guided conversation led by Laura, Janine, and a rotating community co-host
• A warm, welcoming, non-judgmental space
• Thoughtful discussion, honest sharing, and room for complexity
• A mix of regulars and first-timers — everyone truly is welcome
• Time afterward to browse, chat, and connect

### Who This Is For

Anyone who wants to:

• read more feminist books,
• have meaningful conversations,
• meet new people in Lausanne,
• interrogate beauty, power, capitalism, and self-worth,
• or sit with thoughtful humans for an hour and a half (in English).

### RSVP Etiquette

Space is limited. Please adjust your RSVP if your plans change so someone else can join.

We’re looking forward to reading feminist books with you!

Your co-hosts,
Janine & Laura