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ABOUT THE URBAN SOALCE BOOK LOVERS' CLUB:The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club for started in 2010 as a result of a meet-up of writers whose stories were published in the book "Chicken Soup for the Indian Teachers Soul" inspired by the energy of this experience "The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club was born. From there it has grown from strength to strength hosting its monthly meet on the second Sunday of every month. Over the years the club has hosted over 50 published authors to discuss their writings, and these writers were the best from Bangalore, India and around the world who have sought us out to experience this dynamic of our club. Today The Urban Solace Book Lovers' Club has a set of loyal supporters and a sterling reputation of being the longest running book club in the city in a cafe setting and is sought after by several writers from Bangalore and across the country to be featured in our experience.
ABOUT THE BOOK: The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
The Whale Rider is a 1987 novel by New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. In 2002 it was adapted into a film, Whale Rider, directed by Niki Caro.
Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather's love and attention. But he's focused on his duties as chief of the Maori in Whangara, New Zealand—a tribe that claims descent from the legendary "whale rider." In every generation since the whale rider, a male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir—there's only Kahu. She should be next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl.
Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle she has a unique ally: the whale rider himself, from whom she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales. Once that sacred gift is revealed, Kahu may be able to re-establish her people's ancestral connections, earn her great-grandfather's attention—and lead her tribe to a bold new future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WITI IHIMAERA
Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler born 7 February 1944 is a New Zealand author. Raised in the small town of Waituhi, he decided to become a writer as a teenager after being convinced that Māori people were ignored or mischaracterised in literature. He was the first Māori writer to publish a collection of short stories, with Pounamu, Pounamu (1972), and the first to publish a novel, with Tangi (1973). After his early works, he took a ten-year break from writing, during which he focused on editing an anthology of Māori writing in English.
Ihimaera is an influential figure in New Zealand literature, and over his long career has won numerous awards and fellowships, including multiple awards for both fiction and non-fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards spanning the period 1973 to 2016, the Robert Burns Fellowship (1975), the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship (1993), and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement (2017). Until 2010 he was the Professor of English and Distinguished Creative Fellow in Māori Literature at the University of Auckland. He has since published two volumes of his memoirs: Māori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood (2014) and Native Son: The Writer's Memoir (2019).
ABOUT THE CURATOR: POOJITA
Poojita has been a regular attendee at the USBLC (Urban Book Lovers Club) for almost a year, having discovered it on BookMyShow ten months ago. The USBLC has created opportunities for her to explore new genres and she enjoys discussing books with people from different walks of life and gaining insights from their POV. In her free time, she reads, paints, and travels (sometimes tries to do all three at once). Reading is her #1 procrastination tool and she gravitates toward fantasy. Cecelia Ahern and Sara Dessen are among her favourite authors. She often revisits "If You Could See Me Now" and "Just Listen," finding comfort in the nostalgia they evoke, though this leaves her with a growing stack of untouched books that she hoards. Professionally, Poojita works as a product manager at a non-profit EdTech.
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32, Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, Bangalore, India 560042, Karnataka, India
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