Join us in person or on Zoom to discuss real reads and true stories. You are welcome to attend the discussion even if you haven't finished the book.

This month's title: "Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods" by Amelia Pang

Book description: "In 2012, an Oregon mother named Julie Keith opened up a package of Halloween decorations. The cheap foam headstones had been five dollars at Kmart, too good a deal to pass up. But when she opened the box, something shocking fell out: an SOS letter, handwritten in broken English. The writer of the note, Sun Yi, was a mild-mannered Chinese engineer turned political prisoner, forced into grueling labor as punishment for campaigning for the freedom to join a forbidden meditation movement. Investigative journalist Amelia Pang pulls back the curtain on Sun’s story and the stories of others like him. What she reveals is a closely guarded network of laogai—forced labor camps—that power the rapid pace of American consumerism. Through extensive interviews and firsthand reportage, Pang shows us the true cost of America's cheap goods and shares what is ultimately a call to action—urging us to ask more questions and demand more answers from the companies we patronize."