Hi, it’s Vanessa, your ENLIGHTENMENT host.

I love to travel, and read books about other amazing places I love and would love to visit. I’m hoping there are other travelers, both active and armchair, who feel the same. So for us, here is the Wanderlust Book Club, which alternates every month with the California Club (books about the Golden State we live in).

I’m planning my next trip, which hopefully will include Morocco, so for September, I picked My 1001 Nights: Tales and Adventures from Morocco by Alice Morrison. The book gets good reviews for being from a Western travel author who writes from “within” a culture instead of “above” it — along with her adventures' across mountain ranges and deserts, Morrison gives equal time to her meeting and interacting with the hospitable and genuinely warm peoples of Morocco.

Along with the book, I usually invite a special guest to each club meeting, someone who is an expert or very connected to the theme of the book and can answer our questions about the topic. So even if you haven’t finished / opened the book, you can still be part of the conversation.

This time, we’ll have the book talk at our special guest’s place: Little Morocco Cafe in Downtown Sacramento. Owner Jamaleddine Kabbaj and his staff will serve their breakfast and lunch dishes while telling us the history, culture and customs of their country.

Below is the book description.

Tickets are $5 (not including Eventbrite’s fee) to reserve your seat at the table; you must order your own food and beverages. Free parking on Saturdays at the County Garage and the City Lot near the restaurant.

Claim your seat - Register here on our Eventbrite page.

*****

When Alice Morrison headed out to Morocco, it was to take on one of the most daunting challenges: to run in the famous Marathon des Sables. Little did she expect to end up living there for 1,001 nights.. But once she settled in a flat in Marrakech, she was won over by the people, the spectacular scenery and the ancient alleyways of the souk. Soon she was hiking over the Atlas mountains, joining nomads to sample their timeless way of life as they crossed the Sahara desert, and finding peace in a tranquil oasis.

Despite more than 10 million tourists coming to Morocco each year, there is remarkably little that has been written about its people, their customs and the extraordinary range of places to visit, from bustling markets to vast, empty deserts. Alice makes sure she samples it all, and as she does she provides a stunning portrait of a beautiful country. As a lone woman, she often attracts plenty of curiosity, but her willingness to participate - whether thigh deep in pigeon droppings in a tannery or helping out herding goats - ensures that she is welcomed everywhere by a people who are among the most hospitable on the planet.