Book Club! The Last Watchman of Old Cairo (Ch 5-8)

Join us for The Last Watchman of Old Cairo! Please read about the book and sign up to attend here on our website!

Chapters 5–8

Theme: Discovery, Scholarship, and Ambition

Main question:

How do the parallel timelines complicate the idea of who has the right to preserve and interpret sacred texts?

Follow-up prompts

What ethical dilemmas around guardianship, scholarship, or ownership arise in this section?

How does ambition play out differently between the scholars and Joseph?

Where do we see tension between personal legacy and collective history?

Which relationship (father–son, siblings, etc.) reveals the most about duty and faith?