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VIRTUAL: "A Guardian and a Thief" with Author Megha Majumdar

Monday, May 11, 2026Tuesday, May 12, 2026
7:00 PM

We're so thrilled to be chatting with author Megha Majumdar about her most recent book, A Guardian and a Thief, an Oprah's Book Club Pick! About the Book: Megha Majumdar’s electrifying new novel, following her acclaimed New York Times bestseller A Burning is set in a near-future Kolkata, India in which two families seeking to protect their children must battle each other. A piercing and propulsive tour de force. In a near-future Kolkata, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma’s husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After procuring long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for the flight to America. But in the morning they awaken to discover that Ma’s purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen. Set over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two stories: the story of Ma’s frantic search for the thief while keeping hunger at bay during a worsening food shortage; and the story of Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to care for his family drives him to commit a series of escalating crimes whose consequences he cannot fathom. With stunning control and command, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, each discovering how far they will go to secure their children’s future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe. A masterful new work from one of the most exciting voices of her generation. About Megha: Megha Majumdar is the author of the novel A Guardian and a Thief, which is an Oprah’s Book Club pick, and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the American Library Association’s Andrew Carnegie Medal, and the National Book Award. A Guardian and a Thief is also a New York Times notable book, a Washington Post notable book, and one of the ten best books of the year per The Atlantic and TIME Magazine. Her first book, the New York Times bestselling novel A Burning, was a TODAY Show Read With Jenna book club pick and a National Book Award nominee, among other honors. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, she now lives in New York. Note: This program will NOT be recorded. To register for this event, click HERE!