November Book Club: Pedro Páramo

Panther City Page Turners -
November Book Club: Pedro Páramo

Author: Juan Rulfo (Spanish; English Translator: Margaret Sayers Peden)
Year: 1955
128 pages, paperback

📅 Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
🕒 Time: 6:00 pm
📍 Location: Tommy’s Hamburger Grill & Patio - Forest Park Blvd location
👤 Book Sponsor/Host: Michael
💁🏽‍♀️ 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
First published in 1955, Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo is a haunting, dreamlike classic of Mexican literature—and one of the most influential Latin American novels of the 20th century.

The story begins with a simple promise: Juan Preciado travels to the remote village of Comala to find the father he has never known, Pedro Páramo. But the town he encounters is eerily deserted, populated by voices, memories, and figures whose relationship to the living and the dead is not always clear. As the novel moves between past and present and among different characters, the story of Comala gradually emerges—along with that of Pedro Páramo, the powerful landowner whose desires and cruelties have shaped the lives of nearly everyone around him.

At once a ghost story, a family saga, and a portrait of power, loss, longing, and a community haunted by its past, Pedro Páramo is remarkably compact but rich in atmosphere and meaning. Rulfo’s fragmented, nonlinear storytelling helped reshape Latin American fiction and influenced writers including Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, and Mario Vargas Llosa.

Short, strange, and beautifully written, Pedro Páramo is the kind of novel that invites interpretation—and should give us plenty to talk about at book club.

✍️ About the Author
Juan Rulfo (1917–1986) was a Mexican writer, photographer, and one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Latin American literature. Though his published fiction was remarkably small in volume, his distinctive blend of stark realism, fragmented storytelling, and the supernatural had an enormous impact on later writers, particularly those associated with the Latin American Boom and magical realism. Pedro Páramo is his best-known work and is widely regarded as a landmark of modern literature.

🗣️ 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.