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Pardeep Toor's debut, Hands, with conversation partner Barry Pearce!
Past event
Featured Book
Hands
What happens if hard work doesn't pay off and dreams don't come true? Do bad times last forever? Hands, the remarkable debut from Pardeep Toor, follows Hans, a downtrodden and aimless immigrant pursuing the so-called American Dream by any means necessary. A racist incident forces Hans to quit school and drive a taxi. An unhinged fare and unjustified arrest makes Hans question whether he belongs in this foreign land. And a toxic relationship confirms his cultural isolation within his own community. Illuminating a degenerate immigrant experience littered with hope and failure, Hands interrogates the contradiction between the lofty ideals of assimilating in America and the brutal comedy of the journey.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
Join us in-store to celebrate the release of Pardeep Toor's debut, Hands, with conversation partner Barry Pearce!
Featured Author
Pardeep Toor
Pardeep grew up in Brampton, Ontario, and currently lives in Colorado. He's a writer and librarian and also teaches creative writing at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. His writing has appeared in the Best Debut Short Stories 2021: The PEN America Dau Prize, Southern Humanities Review, Catapult, Electric Literature, and Longreads. His short story collection, HANDS (Cornerstone Press) was published in April 2026.
In Conversation With
Barry Pearce
Barry Pearce won the Nelson Algren Award for fiction in 2019. His stories have been published in Colorado Review, Cimarron Review, Cagibi, the Chicago Tribune, and elsewhere. He lives in Chicago.
About the Venue
The Book Cellar
What could be a better combination than books, wine by the glass, and cozy couches? Browse for the books you love to read at The Book Cellar in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood, an independent bookstore featuring books by first-time authors, local authors, and more. The Book Cellar welcomes book clubs and discussion groups.
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