About the book:

​A worldwide bestseller and the first part of Achebe’s African Trilogy, Things Fall Apart is the compelling story of one man’s battle to protect his community against the forces of change

​Okonkwo is the greatest wrestler and warrior alive, and his fame spreads throughout West Africa like a bush-fire in the harmattan. But when he accidentally kills a clansman, things begin to fall apart. Then Okonkwo returns from exile to find missionaries and colonial governors have arrived in the village. With his world thrown radically off-balance he can only hurtle towards tragedy.

First published in 1958, Chinua Achebe’s stark, coolly ironic novel reshaped both African and world literature, and has sold over ten million copies in forty-five languages. This arresting parable of a proud but powerless man witnessing the ruin of his people begins Achebe’s landmark trilogy of works chronicling the fate of one African community, continued in Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.

Some themes to watch out for:

• Tradition vs Change

• Gender roles and Masculinity

• Fate vs Free Will

Join Atlas Book Club Online:

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We will be discussing this months book on Tuesday the 29th of September at 18:00 UK time (Zoom meeting link will be posted in the subscribers only chat).

Can’t wait to chat with you all soon!

Love,

Catherine x

Welcome to Atlas Book Club (Online)! Your community of curious people having meaningful conversations about literature and the world.

After launching my world literature themed book club at the start of this month, so many of you have asked for an online version. I want to create a community which is as accessible as possible, so alongside hosting in person events in London, there will now also be an online version, which you can access via Substack.

Here is what you will get access to by becoming a paid subscriber:

• Curated Monthly Book Club pick themed around a different country

• Weekly thought provoking questions to aid your reading

• Access to Live Discussion Call at the end of the month

• Access to Members only chat

• Discount for in-person events

We will be kicking off our first month in September, where you will be able to participate in the group reading experience from anywhere in the world!

I can’t wait to chat with you guys soon:)

Love,

Catherine x

I used to avoid clubbing, alcohol or going out entirely, there was something about this abstinence which felt validating, because it acted as confirmation that I was ‘better than’. Good girl, wife material - labels which re-enforced this behaviour, and kept me away from doing anything which could damage my externally created self-worth.

The attitude of superiority or moral high ground gained from staying home on Saturday nights was a direct result of purity culture, a patriarchal ideology which exists to limit the agency of women.

Historically rooted in the control of women, purity culture enforces systems of shame surrounding freedom or sexual autonomy. Disgust is often projected at women who enjoy a night out, which attaches respectability to behaviour and encourages the policing of women’s actions. Realising these patriarchally rooted beliefs which made me feel shame towards wanting to go out further encouraged a desire to reject expectations imposed onto me by society.

Avoiding clubbing does not make you more virtuous than someone who chooses to go out every weekend. Nor is there anything superior about being a person who is judgemental of others. Using your choice of Saturday night plans as a way to place yourself above others, rather reveals the insecurities one feels about their own worth and identity.

The age of social media has expanded the scale of purity culture by creating rigid aesthetics, where acceptance is dictated by a specific list of do’s and do not’s. Break a rule and you’re out. Interests now exist as cliques, ways to identify or signal character traits. Health, wellness and fitness communities particularly feel less like a single element of a broad, multi-passionate life and more of an aesthetic or identity; a gatekept club, which demands perfection and adherence to expectations.

But what if you don’t belong to any group? Clean girl, rave girl, gym girl, pilates princess etc. It’s a form of market segmentation which makes it easier for brands to sell to you. A superficial way in which we attempt to find and build communities.

Real communities shouldn’t be solely based around the 5 hours per week you spend working out, they should encourage you to be fully and uniquely you. Unfortunately, ‘Just be yourself’ is easier said than done when algorithms constantly tell you what to watch, how to think and what kind of gymwear to buy. When we spend so much time consuming media, there is far less time to listen to our own inner voice. No wonder you struggle to be original if everything is fed to you by curated social media feeds. Even those who are aware of their desire to fit in with social groups may struggle to exercise true identity freedom, as humans are evolutionarily wired to crave social acceptance.

If more people are filtering their behaviour to adhere to expectations this creates a lack of authenticity, which could be contributing to rising loneliness, because when we are not living in alignment with who we truly are it is measurably harder to experience genuine connection. How can we been seen by others if we cannot even see ourselves?

Furthermore, social media and purity culture enforce an obsessive desire for perfection, directly contradicting the very thing which dancefloors require; a sense of messy, imperfect, self expression. Purity culture rejects such environments because they provide space for people to lower their inhibitions. As someone who embraces the reduced social norms existing on the floor I have noticed even among those who go out, there remains a reluctance to move and dance. People are far too concerned with how they appear to others, avoiding anything which may get them cancelled or give their situationship the ick. And since everything is captured on phones, the risk to reputation only feels greater. Spaces such as nightclubs demand you to exist in a rawer, more messy way - which many people are no longer brave enough to do.

As a perfectionist I can understand the discomfort of allowing yourself to be messy, and some people may even be afraid of who they would be if they decided to strip the rules imposed on them by society. Nightlife directly exposes these elements.

What if clubbing were to be viewed in a more positive way? In 2026 the ONS reported that 23% of Adults in the UK feel lonely often, which may in part be due to the rise in time spent on social media platforms; by creating the illusion of connection it leads to less time spent in third spaces, which are key facilitators of community and social interaction. Libraries, parks and nightclubs have all historically acted as core third spaces. Nightlife could be used to mitigate this rise in loneliness.

When EDM and house music emerged in the 1980s, landmark venues such as The Warehouse in Chicago became more than dancefloors; they were somewhere people could gather for connection, music and self-expression, especially for marginalised groups such as black, queer and trans communities. For many house and techno represented freedom, identity, creativity and a solace from the pressures of everyday life. Additionally, research shows socially based-dance has been proven to help reduce feelings of loneliness by providing similar benefits as physical activity and social connection simultaneously (Dellatre et al., 2024).

Studies also show that such venues have the potential to improve social well-being, community-building and multicultural understanding (Nofre, 2021), as well as re-enforcing cross-cultural, cross-gender and cross-age relationships across communities.

Becoming conscious of the true reason behind my distaste for clubbing led me to realise that in fact, I loved it; the excitement of hearing my favourite songs, being able to dance with friends and speaking to strangers. Society’s obsession with purity, higher mortality and the policing of women’s behaviour needs to be dismantled. Because speaking from experience, it has helped me to live a fuller life, one where I didn’t feel shame for my choices and also began to feel significantly more secure in my identity.

Everyone wants to live a rich life - rich in experiences. But to achieve this you must face the discomfort of rejecting social norms or societal expectations, particularly if you are a woman. The freedom of realising you don’t need to choose between interests changed my life, allowing me to embrace every single part of me, both the slow reflective side and the high energy, excitable side.

Yes I love a night out, yes I love classic fiction. These things can all coexist in harmony, without affecting my ‘value’. Despite still being judged by many, we should celebrate individuality, because I could never be convinced that we were meant to fit into neat boxes or aesthetics - being human is a far more complex experience than that. There can be harmony in things which contrast, or in Latin, ‘Contraria in unum’.

Aspire to be wholly yourself, contradictions and all.