Join the HCSF Reading Group to discuss The Periodic Table By Primo Levi
In-Person Meeting
Sunday, August 9, 2026
4:30-6:00 pm Pacific
In-Person, San Francisco
Address emailed to registrants the week of the meeting
HCSF Members: Free, but RSVP required
Non-Members: $10 Not a member? Register here for membership!
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Registration ends Friday, July 10
The Periodic Table
Primo Levi
1975 233 pages
This memoir by Italian-Jewish chemist and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi is structured as 21 short stories, each named after a chemical element. The book blends autobiography, science, and history, using chemistry as a lens to explore Levi's life before, during, and after Auschwitz, from his childhood in Italy to his experiences as a partisan and prisoner, and his postwar life as a chemist. It's celebrated for its clear prose, deep humanity, and its exploration of the connection between matter, meaning, and the human condition. In 2006, the Royal Institution of Great Britain named it one of the best science books ever. Widely considered a masterpiece of the memoir genre.
Questions about our meetings or how we choose our books?
Contact Kirsten Miclau
HCSF Reading Group Organizer
readinggroup@harvardclubsf.org