BOOK CLUB "The Prince" 🤴👤 by Niccolò Machiavelli with Jakarta Creatives

Hello, Jakarta Creative! Are you a member of Jakarta Friends yet?

Want to see pictures of past events? Take a look here! And feel free to upload a few pictures you might take at the event 😊

JakCre and JakFri is THE biggest, most active, and most inclusive MeetUp community in Jakarta… and we invite you to join us for this BOOK CLUB discussing "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli (non-fiction)!

Everyone is always welcome to join our events. Our community is all about creating authentic in-person connections in this urban jungle.

Come as you are... it’s the best version of yourself.

ABOUT THE EVENT
The idea is very simple: we will meet and discuss the book. Everyone will receive a copy of the book as PDF beforehand for free (which we kindly ask not to share with everyone - this is a book discussion for educational purposes). Please reach out to the host to receive your free PDF and feel free to ask any question in the discussion section of the event page.

Everyone is encouraged to read the short book (in English, about 100 pages) beforehand to participate to the discussion. Coming without having read the book is possible, but just half the fun.

The host will give a short introduction about the book and guide through the discussion, which will be very informal and fun. Everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts and ask questions to the group. This event is introvert friendly! No one will be put on the spot or forced to speak. Just join and share your passion for literature, no matter how much you read.

This is a dream event for anyone who wishes to take a deep dive into literature and have a fun, social lunch time. Our book club will be in English. Everyone's English level is OK as this is a nice occasion to practice English in an informal and welcoming setting.

===================================

About the book
This is a timeless, non-fiction classic written in the 16th century, and yet so relevant today.

The term "Machiavellian" has always been seen in a dark and dismaying light portraying the quality of a person willing to do whatever it takes, regardless of how deceitful it might be, in order to achieve a certain goal.

In his most important book after his preceding failures in politics, Machiavelli outlines the quality that should be desired in state leaders and arrived at the rather bleak conclusion that it is almost impossible to be a good politician and a good person at the same time. Do you agree with his assessment? Would you trade moral nobility for the sake of political stability? Have you seen any "Machiavellian" qualities in what you do?

Seen as satirical toward tyrants by some and reasonably realist by others, it is undeniable that his essays have brought about controversies and intriguing philosophical debates for the last few centuries.

“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”

===================================

Discover more about the book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28862.The_Prince

We have had several Book Clubs before! Take a look at these past events:

• BOOK CLUB: "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (July 2025)
• BOOK CLUB: "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad (June 2025)
• BOOK CLUB: "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin (May 2025)
• BOOK CLUB: "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield (Apr 2025)
• BOOK CLUB: "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor E. Frankl (Feb 2025)
• BOOK CLUB 🍄: "Let's become fungal" by Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez (Sept 2024)
• BOOK CLUB 🍄: Short stories about fungi by various authors (Aug 2023)
• BOOK CLUB 🍄: "Entangled Life" by Merlin Sheldrake (Mar 2023)

ABOUT THE VENUE
Kedai Tjikini is a brilliant and vintage hang-out hub with incredibly savory Indonesian cuisines and beverages perfect for engrossing ourselves in philosophical discussions whilst time traveling to the past.

Find out more about them here:
https://tjikini.com

ABOUT THE HOST
Your host for this event, Ben, is a literature enthusiast eager to learn not only from texts but also from fellow readers' interpretations and personal experiences. He will guide everyone through the discussion for a memorable book club event.

HOW TO REGISTER TO THE EVENT?
To register, just click “Attend”! There are a few simple rules

• We kindly ask attendees who cannot manage to join to update RSVP at least 24 h before the event as a courtesy to other attendees and event organisers.
• Be on time! We want to start the discussion together.
• People in the waitlist cannot attend, and are encouraged to check a few hours before the event if they got a spot
• Repeated no-show (3X) without updating RSVP will be removed from the group.
• Cancellation at the last minute is unfriendly for other attendees, organisers, and venue. Please cancel whitin 2 hours for exceptional circumstances only. Otherwise it will count as no-show!
• Attendees who bring a +1 are responsible to make sure that the guest understands and agrees to our rule of respect and inclusivity

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

WE HAVE A MEMBERSHIP FEE. HOW DOES IT WORK?
Our community has a membership fee of 300k IDR valid for 365 days after payment. Membership fee is offered with a promo discount to new members and first-timers, who can become members for 220k IDR/year. First-timers can decide to attend one event for free and see if they like becoming part of this community.

Membership to both Jakarta Friends and Jakarta Creatives is offered for only 390k IDR/year. Membership gives access to all events plus exclusive perks available only to paying members, like for example our Give Away Birthday Celebrations with lucky draw (Sept 2024) or FREE pasta cooking (and eating 😉) workshop (Nov 2024) or Museum visits with FREE GUIDED TOURS (Sept 2024). To many events, attendees can bring a +1 for free.

First-timers can decide to attend one event for free and see if they like becoming part of this community. Membership can be paid on the spot (cash/bank transfer/Gopay). Text Corrado (+62 89211 489 3580) if you have any questions about membership.

To all members we guarantee to keep organizing plenty of events. You will receive a full refund if the group closes down, or if there’s no event happening in three months.

In the past 2 years we have organised up to 2-3 events per week. That is, with a membership of only about 25k IDR/month you can attend up to 5-10 events! We guarantee to keep organising plenty of events. You will receive a full refund if the group closes down, or if there’s no event happening in three months.

THE RULES OF OUR COMMUNITY
Our communities are:

• Jakarta Friends: https://www.meetup.com/jakarta-friends
• Jakarta Creatives: https://www.meetup.com/jakarta-creatives/

Members often participate in events of both groups. Over the past two years we held over 200 events with over 2,000 attendees. Attendees rate our events very positively and give wonderful feedback.
We value diversity and inclusivity, respect and authenticity. We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kinds.

• You are invited to join our WhatsApp group where we announce our events regularly. We have several chats dedicated to in-person attendees to avoid spam and trolls.
• Feel free to tag us on Instagram, and we will repost! We are @jakarta.friends.creatives
• For questions about the event, please post a comment in the event page