Discipline with Randa Abdel-Fattah
Thu 08 Oct 2026
7:00pm at Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights, 14-15 John Street, Bath, BA1 2JL
All tickets include 15% off any books purchased on the night, a glass of wine or soft drink, author talk, Q&A and signing.
Other ways to book:
Email tickets@mrbsemporium.com, call 01225 331155 or pop into the shop at 14-15 John Street, Bath. BA1 2JL.
We’re thrilled to be welcoming Randa Abdel-Fattah to Mr B’s to celebrate the release of her novel, Discipline.
Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, and shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award, the ALS Gold Award, and the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Discipline is an urgent and compelling novel about the Gaza war, exposing with sharp acuity the complicity and moral decay within media and academia.
Banned from Adelaide Writers’ Week, Randa’s novel about censorship has begun to mirror her own life. We can’t wait to hear her talk about her timely novel, in conversation with bibliophile, broadcaster and presenter, Simon Savidge.
Can’t make it to the event? Order a signed & dedicated copy here.
About the book:
Silence is complicity… but what does it take to speak up?
Hannah is a journalist running on empty. Balancing the chaos of new motherhood, her job and her faith, she increasingly feels the judgement of a newsroom that doesn’t value her voice. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall.
As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensifies, a teenage student is arrested for protesting
a university’s ties to an Israeli arms manufacturer. Both Hannah and Ashraf are pulled into the unfolding drama – but in very different ways. While Hannah fights to tell the true story, risking her place in the newsroom, Ashraf chooses caution, prioritising his reputation as the stakes rise around him.
As their paths begin to converge, both must confront what they are willing to stand for – and what their silence might cost them.
“For those who seek to sincerely understand the endless obstacles one must face in the body of an Arab, a Palestinian, a Muslim; Discipline is the place to begin.”
– Michael Mohammed Ahmad
“With visceral detail, Randa Abdel-Fattah captures the pangs of survivor guilt and rage … and the cost of speaking out against the status quo.”
– The Guardian
“Discipline is a novel that reminds us that each story is a shared story, demanding our attention. Discipline is an invitation to be in this world together. To do otherwise is to live a life of denial. I am indebted to Randa’s generosity.”
– Tony Birch
“Razor sharp, uncompromising and bitingly funny – a brilliant combination.”
– Omar Robert Hamilton
Randa Abdel-Fattah is an ARC Future Fellow at Macquarie University. Her research areas cover Islamophobia, race, Palestine, the war on terror, youth identities and social movement activism. Dr Abdel-Fattah is also a former lawyer and the award-winning author of twelve books for children and young adults, which have been translated into over thirteen languages. She has won and been shortlisted and longlisted for awards including the Australian Book Industry Award, the Australian Book of the Year Award, the Stella Prize, and the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Discipline is her debut adult novel.
Simon Savidge is a bibliophile, broadcaster and presenter. He has judged the Costa Book Awards, Portico Prize and Desmond Elliott Prize. He has appeared on the Booker Prize Live on BBC, recommended books on BBC 5 Live and BBC Radio 2, co-hosted Turn Up For The Books on BBC Sounds. He has co-presented three seasons of Sky Arts Book Club and hosted Sky Arts Live from Hay in 2023. His YouTube channel Savidge Reads has over 2.5 million views. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.