October Book Club: Transcendent Kingdom

Panther City Page Turners -
October Book Club: Transcendent Kingdom

Author: Yaa Gyasi
Year: 2020
264 pages, hardcover

📅 Date: Monday, October 19, 2026
🕒 Time: 6:00 pm
📍 Location: Tommy’s Hamburger Grill & Patio - Forest Park Blvd location
👤 Book Sponsor/Host: Sarah
💁🏽‍♀️ Co-Host: Anjali (Organizer)

Welcome to Panther City Page Turners, named after Fort Worth's iconic "Panther City" nickname. The nickname dates back to 1875, when a Dallas newspaper mocked Fort Worth as being so quiet that a panther could sleep undisturbed in the middle of downtown. Rather than taking offense, Fort Worth embraced the story, turning the panther into a lasting symbol of the city's resilience and pride. Formerly known as Funky Town's Page Turners (founded in 2013 by Kaity Stone), our group began a new chapter in 2026 while continuing a long tradition of bringing readers together. New members are always welcome!

📖 About the Book
Transcendent Kingdom follows Gifty, a Ghanaian American neuroscience PhD candidate studying the science of addiction and depression while grappling with her own family’s experiences with loss, addiction, mental illness, and faith. Moving between her childhood in Alabama and her life as a scientist, the novel explores the tensions between science and religion, reason and belief, and our search for meaning in the face of suffering. An intimate and thought-provoking story about family, grief, identity, love, and healing, it was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

✍️ About the Author
Yaa Gyasi was born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She earned a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her acclaimed debut novel, Homegoing, won both the PEN/Hemingway Award and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Award. Transcendent Kingdom, her second novel, further established Gyasi as a celebrated contemporary novelist known for exploring family, identity, race, faith, and the Ghanaian American experience.

🗣️ Discussion Format
We'll begin with casual conversation as people arrive, followed by introductions and a group discussion of the book. Participation is always optional. Feel free to share your thoughts, ask questions, or simply listen and enjoy the conversation. We welcome a variety of perspectives. Whether you loved the book, disliked it, or are still deciding how you feel, respectful discussion is encouraged.

🤔 Didn't Finish the Book?
You're still welcome to attend.
While we encourage everyone to read as much of the book as possible, you're welcome to join the discussion even if you didn't finish. You may enjoy hearing different perspectives and deciding whether you'd like to continue reading afterward.
Please note that the discussion will include spoilers.

📚 Future Reads
We are piloting a new system for selecting future books. By attending a book club meeting, you'll join the queue to become a future book sponsor/host. When it's your turn, you'll nominate two books, and members who attended the previous meeting will vote on the selection. As the book sponsor, you'll help lead the discussion, and Anjali (Organizer) will work with you to schedule the meeting on a date and time that fits your availability.

✅ Attendance Limit
To keep discussions engaging and ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate, attendance is limited to 15 attendees.
If the event fills, please join the waitlist. Spots often become available as the event approaches, and waitlisted members will be notified automatically when openings occur.

📩 RSVP Notes

Please RSVP only if you plan to attend.
If your plans change, please update your RSVP as soon as possible so another member can attend.
Some venues may require a small purchase as a courtesy for using their space.
Please register all attendees through Meetup so we can provide accurate headcounts to the venue.

Good Stories Bring Us Together.