ASU Book Group: 'Appleseed' by Matt Bell
The ASU Book Group's April 2022 reading selection is "Appleseed” by Matt Bell. The book group is open to all in the ASU community and meets monthly from noon–1 p.m. with two different options for attendance: either in-person at the Piper Writers House or virtually on Zoom. In-person attendees are invited to join the author for lunch after at the University Club, no-host.
Haven't read the book? Come anyway! Authors are always present.
NEW: *Attendees must register to receive the Zoom link.*
Synopsis:
Opening in 18th century Ohio, “Appleseed” begins with the story of two brothers who travel into the wooded frontier, planting apple orchards from which they plan to profit in the years to come. As they remake the wilderness in their own image, planning for a future of settlement and civilization, the long-held bonds and secrets between the two will be tested, fractured and broken — and possibly healed.
The story pivots to the second half of the 21st century when climate change has ravaged the Earth. Having invested early in genetic engineering and food science, one company now owns all the world’s resources. But a growing resistance is working to redistribute both land and power — and in a pivotal moment for the future of humanity, one of the company’s original founders will return to headquarters, intending to destroy what he helped build.
A thousand years in the future, North America is covered by a massive sheet of ice. One lonely sentient being inhabits a tech station on top of the glacier — and in a daring and seemingly impossible quest, sets out to follow a homing beacon across the continent in the hopes of discovering the last remnant of civilization.
The book is available on amazon.com and through local bookstores.
Matt Bell is an associate professor in the Department of English's creative writing program at ASU.
About the book group:
The ASU Book Group meetings and selections for 2021-2022 are:
Sep. 29: “A Good Map of All Things” and “Not Go Away Is My Name” by Alberto Álvaro Ríos
Oct. 27: “Blackface,” by Ayanna Thompson
Dec. 15: “Doodling for Writers” by Rebecca Fish Ewan (Canceled)
NEW DATE: Jan. 26: "Everyday Life in the Aztec World" co-authored by Michael Smith
NEW DATE: Feb. 23: "The Art of the Bee" by Robert E. Page, Jr.
Mar. 30: “Perspectives of Five Kuwaiti Women in Leadership Roles” by Souad T. Ali
Apr. 27: “Appleseed” by Matt Bell
The ASU Book Group is sponsored as a community outreach initiative by the Department of English and organized in partnership with the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.