FACTUAL BOOK CLUB: "The Island of Unwanted Women" by Agata Komosa-Styczeń

About the event

In October, the Factual Book Club examines a forgotten fragment of Danish history – a place where the welfare state revealed its dark side. 📚 On October 2nd, we will discuss Agata Komosa-Styczeń's book "The Island of Unwanted Women" – a reportage about the fate of the residents of the center on the island of Sprogø, where for forty years women deemed "troublesome" were sent: too independent, "immoral," not fitting the vision of a productive society. The author describes the paradox of a system that offered care and access to culture while simultaneously taking away freedom and deciding on the sterilization of its wards. She asks where the line between help and oppression lies. And whether the Danish welfare state has truly learned from this history. We will talk about how, in the name of "progress" and "common good," an individual's right to self-determination can be taken away. About how factual literature brings to light the experiences of the forgotten and silenced. And about why such stories sound disturbingly relevant today. "The Island of Unwanted Women," Agata Komosa-Styczeń, Czarne Publishing House 🎤 The discussion will be led by Aleksandra Pakieła. 📅 October 2nd (Thursday), 6:30 PM 📍 Wrzenie Świata, ul. Gałczyńskiego 12, Warsaw Co-financing: City of Warsaw