The acclaimed author of Sweetness in the Belly journeys to Vietnam in this rich and tantalizing new novel. Raised in the United States but Vietnamese by birth, Maggie has come to Hanoi seeking clues to the fate of her father, a dissident artist who disappeared during the war. Her search brings her to Old Man Hu'ng's pho stall. The old man once had a shop frequented by revolutionary artists, but now Tu', a hustling young entrepreneur, is his most faithful customer. Maggie, Hu'ng, and Tu' come together during a highly charged season that will mark them forever. Exploring the indelible legacies of war and art, as well as love's power to renew, The Beauty of Humanity Movement is a stellar achievement by a globally renowned literary light.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Dakota Fanning Like Brick Lane and The Kite Runner, Camilla Gibb’s widely praised new novel is a poignant and intensely atmospheric look beyond the stereotypes of Islam. After her hippie British parents are murdered, Lilly is raised at a Sufi shrine in Morocco. As a young woman she goes on pilgrimage to Harar, Ethiopia, where she teaches Qur’an to children and falls in love with an idealistic doctor. But even swathed in a traditional headscarf, Lilly can’t escape being marked as a foreigner. Forced to flee Ethiopia for England, she must once again confront the riddle of who she is and where she belongs.

Searching for answers about her dissident father's disappearance, a Vietnamese-American art curator returns to her ancestral country, where she meets a venerable pho stall soup maker and a dynamic young tour guide whose historical and cultural insights irrevocably shape her life.

The mystery and beauty of modern-day Vietnam is skillfully unveiled in Camilla Gibb’s fourth novel, The Beauty of Humanity Movement, which takes its title from a short-lived group of artists and intellectuals who spoke out against Ho Chi Minh’s policies, following the country’s liberation from colonial rule. Set in the recent past, amidst the vibrancy of Hanoi, and with a cast of young characters who long for the status of American consumer products and the fame of Vietnamese Idol, The Beauty of Humanity Movement tells the story of a country undergoing extraordinary change. Gibb also weaves together a tale of love, loss and redemption, while exploring the legacy of art and the meaning of family—defined, “not always by bloodlines but by the heart.” At the heart of the story is Old Man Hung, one of the few remaining witnesses to the circle of outspoken artists and intellectuals who congregated in the café he inherited, and lost, many years before. With a failing memory and the great love of his life lost, Hung’s day seems almost over until a chance encounter with Maggie, a young Vietnamese-American art curator who comes to Hanoi in search of clues to the life of her father, an artist who disappeared during the Fall of Saigon. For the 80-year-old Hung, Maggie’s appearance evokes painful memories of the woman he turned his back on 40 years ago, but whose curious beauty and betrayal still haunt him. Included in the discussion guide is an exclusive Bookclub-in-a-Box interview with Camilla Gibb. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author, as well as a complementary RAG (Read-Along-Guide), a quick reference pamphlet offering interesting facts and questions to consider while reading the novel.

The mystery and beauty of modern-day Vietnam is skillfully unveiled in Camilla Gibb?s fourth novel, The Beauty of Humanity Movement, which takes its title from a short-lived group of artists and intellectuals who spoke out against Ho Chi Minh?s policies, following the country?s liberation from colonial rule. Set in the recent past, amidst the vibrancy of Hanoi, and with a cast of young characters who long for the status of American consumer products and the fame of Vietnamese Idol, The Beauty of Humanity Movement tells the story of a country undergoing extraordinary change. Gibb also weaves together a tale of love, loss and redemption, while exploring the legacy of art and the meaning of family?defined,?not always by bloodlines but by the heart.? At the heart of the story is Old Man Hung, one of the few remaining witnesses to the circle of outspoken artists and intellectuals who congregated in the caf he inherited, and lost, many years before. With a failing memory and the great love of his life lost, Hung?s day seems almost over until a chance encounter with Maggie, a young Vietnamese-American art curator who comes to Hanoi in search of clues to the life of her father, an artist who disappeared during the Fall of Saigon. For the 80-year-old Hung, Maggie?s appearance evokes painful memories of the woman he turned his back on 40 years ago, but whose curious beauty and betrayal still haunt him. Included in the discussion guide is an exclusive Bookclub-in-a-Box interview with Camilla Gibb. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author, as well as a complementary RAG (Read-Along-Guide), a quick reference pamphlet offering interesting facts and questions to consider while reading the novel.

The mystery and beauty of modern-day Vietnam is skillfully unveiled in Camilla Gibb’s fourth novel, The Beauty of Humanity Movement, which takes its title from a short-lived group of artists and intellectuals who spoke out against Ho Chi Minh’s policies, following the country’s liberation from colonial rule. Set in the recent past, amidst the vibrancy of Hanoi, and with a cast of young characters who long for the status of American consumer products and the fame of Vietnamese Idol, The Beauty of Humanity Movement tells the story of a country undergoing extraordinary change. Gibb also weaves together a tale of love, loss and redemption, while exploring the legacy of art and the meaning of family—defined, “not always by bloodlines but by the heart.” At the heart of the story is Old Man Hung, one of the few remaining witnesses to the circle of outspoken artists and intellectuals who congregated in the café he inherited, and lost, many years before. With a failing memory and the great love of his life lost, Hung’s day seems almost over until a chance encounter with Maggie, a young Vietnamese-American art curator who comes to Hanoi in search of clues to the life of her father, an artist who disappeared during the Fall of Saigon. For the 80-year-old Hung, Maggie’s appearance evokes painful memories of the woman he turned his back on 40 years ago, but whose curious beauty and betrayal still haunt him. Included in the discussion guide is an exclusive Bookclub-in-a-Box interview with Camilla Gibb. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author, as well as a complementary RAG (Read-Along-Guide), a quick reference pamphlet offering interesting facts and questions to consider while reading the novel.

From the renowned author of Sweetness in the Belly, The Beauty of Humanity Movement and This Is Happy, comes a bold, urgent and richly imagined novel about what it means to be a family in our modern world. Lila is on a long, painful journey toward motherhood. Tess and Emily are reeling after their ugly separation and fighting over ownership of the embryos that were supposed to grow their family together. And thousands of miles away, the unknown man who served as anonymous donor to them all is being held in captivity in Somalia. While his life remains in precarious balance, his genetic material is a source of both creation and conflict. What does it mean to be a family in our rapidly shifting world? What are our responsibilities to each other with increasing options for how to create a family? As these characters grapple with life-altering changes, they will find themselves interconnected in ways they cannot have imagined, and forced to redefine what family means to them.