Join fellow book lovers as we read and discuss fiction and nonfiction books related to art, artists, art museums, NOMA’s collections and exhibitions. Our full 2020 schedule and reading list has been announced. Organized by NOMA’s Felix J. Dreyfous Library, the Book Club is an informal group. You do not have to attend every meeting and we understand if you have to leave a discussion or program early. The book club offers several types of programs: a book discussion group that meets once a month (no reading in December), curatorial programs, field trips, and Meet the Author receptions. Most book club programs start promptly at noon, but please arrive at 11:30 a.m. if you wish to bring a sack lunch or meet beforehand. NOMA will provide water and soft drinks. RSVP for the meetings you wish to attend so we can prepare the meeting space. Please contact NOMA’s Education Department at 504.658.4128 or education@noma.org for information about joining the NOMA Book Club. May 2020 The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer Simon and Schuster, 2017, ISBN: 9781476777412 In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. In 2012, as thousands of Al Qaeda militants seized control of most of Mali, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of Timbuktu to the safety of southern Mali. Journalist Joshua Hammer tells the story of Haidara’s heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Mali’s—and the world’s—literary patrimony. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 12 – 1 pm | BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP