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Dumpster Fire Book Club
Past event
Featured Book

Hell Followed With Us
Hell Followed with Us
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors.
"A long, sustained scream to the various strains of anti-transgender legislation multiplying around the world like, well, a virus." --The New York Times
Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him--the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world's population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can't get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.
But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC's leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji's darkest secret: the cult's bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.
Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick's terms...until he discovers the ALC's mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation.
About This Event
The world is a flaming dumpster! Are you unsure what to do about all that hot garbage and societal/environmental/political destruction? Well, a good first step is joining us at the bi-monthly Dumpster Fire Book Club to read dystopian YA! We promise you'll feel better about the horrors persisting around us! (At the very least, there will be snacks!)
This month, we're reading Andrew Joseph White's Hell Followed With Us. The book is recommended for ages 14 and up; adults are welcome, too!
About the Venue

Booked
Booked is an independent bookstore located at 506 Main St. in Evanston, Illinois, that carries a diverse selection of books for children and adults. In fact, it is our favorite independent bookstore, but we are biased, because we own it. We host author events, story times, book clubs, crafting events, birthday parties, just-because parties, and more.
Visit store pageMore at Booked

Booked Club for Grown-Ups
Booked Club reads contemporary, literary fiction and nonfiction from a diverse range of authors. Booked owners Abby and Betsy host Booked Club on the third Wednesday of the month (most months!) at 7:00pm at Booked. Bringing snacks and beverages to share is always encouraged but never required. Questions? Email abby@bookedevanston.com.

Dumpster Fire Book Club
THE HORRORS PERSIST, but so do we! Dumpster Fire Book Club welcomes adults and teens (12+) every other month to read dystopian fiction, led by Betsy! We love imagining a better world through imagining just how bleak it can get first! Email betsy@bookedevanston.com if you have any questions!

Sunday Smut Book Club
Special! Join us for the last Sunday Smut book club of the year! We'll of course trade thoughts on the book, but we will additionally share treats potluck style, and talk about our favorite reads of 2026! Bookseller Alicia hosts our Sunday Smut Book Club on the last Sunday of the month (most months!) at 3:30pm. Sunday Smut reads are the latest in romance novels with a range of subgenres, sexual and gender identities, and spice levels. Questions? Email alicia@bookedevanston.com.