Afternoon Book Discussions: July through December 2017

Join us for our afternoon book discussions, held on the third Wednesday each month, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Here is what is scheduled for the second half of 2017.

            On July 19^th, we will discuss The Handmaid’s Tale, written by Margaret Atwood. This chilling look at the near future presents the story of Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, once the United States. Now it is an oppressive world where women are no longer allowed to read and are valued only as long as they are viable for reproduction. There will be an additional discussion of this book on Tuesday, July 18^th at 7:00 p.m. Registration begins June 21^st.

            On August 16^th, we will discuss The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coehlo. This classic work is a fable about undauntingly following one’s dream, listening to one’s heart, and reading life’s omens, featuring dialogue between a boy and an unnamed being. Registration begins July 19^th.

            On September 20^th, we will discuss The Buried Giant, written by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is a novel that imagines a war-ravaged Britain where Axl and Beatrice, an elderly Briton couple set out on a journey to find the son they have not seen in years. They are joined in their travels by a Saxon warrior, his orphaned charge, and a knight. Registration begins August 16^th.

            On October 18^th, we will discuss Hidden Figures: the American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, written by Margot Lee Shetterly. Here is an account of the previously unheralded but pivotal contributions of NASA’s African-American women mathematicians to America’s space program, even while they were segregated from their white counterparts by Jim Crow laws. Registration begins September 20^th.

            On November 15^th, we will discuss Girl on the Train, written by Paula Hawkins. The thriller portrays Rachel, a woman who tries to escape the pain of her own losses by obsessively watching a breakfasting couple every day while on her train ride. Then she witnesses a shocking event that inextricably entangles her in the lives of strangers. Registration begins October 18^th.

            On December 20^th, we will discuss Swans of Fifth Avenue: a Novel, written by Melanie Benjamin. This is a fictionalized version of the friendship between writer Truman Capote and New York City socialite Babe Paley, and its resulting emotional destruction. Registration begins November 15^th.

            Please join us for one or all of these discussions.

           

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