Reading Groups

Between Worlds: Immigration, Identity, and Belonging with Helios Tavío Domínguez

4 Sessions Mondays, 6:30 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT July 14 to September 15, 2025

Online via Zoom

The ‘With Books’ option includes the titles required for this group at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
7/14, 8/4, 8/25, 9/15
Online via Zoom

This reading group explores the complex emotional and cultural terrain of immigration through a series of independent sessions, each pairing a work of fiction with a non-fiction counterpart. From questions of departure and return to the lived experiences of undocumented immigrants, these sessions offer space to reflect on the psychological, familial, and cultural dimensions of crossing borders and living between worlds.

We’ll read Carla Maliandi’s The German Room alongside Rebecca Mead’s Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return, focusing on the emotional journey of migration and the shifting meaning of home.

We will also pair Julián Delgado Lopera’s Fiebre Tropical with Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s The Undocumented Americans, centering voices often left out of mainstream narratives and exploring the resilience required to live in legal and social limbo.

What to read in advance of the first meeting: The German Room by Carla Maliandi

What to expect from this reading group: The course will be conversational and participant-driven, encouraging attendees to share personal insights, experiences, and connections inspired by the books.

Reading List:

Session I: The German Room by Carla Maliandi
Session II: Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return by Rebecca Mead
Session III: Fiebre Tropical by Julián Delgado Lopera
Session IV: The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Please note: All virtual classes are recorded. Please click here for information about our recording policy.

Led by

Helios Tavío Domínguez

Helios Tavío Domínguez

Born in the Canary Islands, Helios Tavío Domínguez is a Museum and Exhibition Content Designer with a deep passion for storytelling and fostering connections through culture. A New Yorker at heart and Brazilian by love, Helios embraces the richness of identity as an ever-evolving journey, shaped by experiences in dynamic cities like Madrid, New York, and São Paulo, and enriched by the unique perspective of growing up on a small island.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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