Big Brain Book Group
THEMES
Adolescence
Adoption
African Heritage
Asian American
Authors of Color
Art
Books (the story itself is about books)
Classics
Comedy
Disability
Ethnicity
Food
Gender Identity
Generational Differences
Getting to Know Each Other
Time Travel
History
Illness
Immigrant/ Immigration
Latinx
Local Authors
Love
Magic
Male Authors
Memoir
Mental Health
Native American
Novel
Oppression
Psychology
Memoir
Refugee Experience
Resistance
Sacred Feminine
Science Fiction
Small Town
Spiritual
Spirituality
Time Travel
Travel
Whiteness
Women
Women of Color
2004
Sacred Feminine/ Spiritual/ History/ Novel
SEPT. 8, 2004 – The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant (Hebrew Women in Jerusalem)
Do you think about this part of your life? Why or why not, and how does this
relate to power, history, and culture? How might we women, honor this part of
our lives or integrate it more?
Sacred Feminine/ Spiritual/ Novel
OCT. 20, 2004 – Initiation
by Elisabeth Haich (White Woman with Egyptian Past
Life)
Jot down phrases/sentences that resonate for you. How do we build, nurture, and
support our own power?
Spiritual
NOV. 3, 2004 – Zen Seeds:
Reflections of a Female Priest by Shundo Aoyama
translated by Patricia Daien Bennage (Buddhist Woman in Ashram)
No specific question, but we discussed the "seeds" that help us grow
into powerful, spiritual women who can balance, accept, detach, and create
(just to name a few ideas that came up).
History/ African Heritage/ Novel
DEC. 1, 2004 – The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd (Southern Woman/Girl in Southern African
Heritage Household)
No specific question, but we discussed what defined and who we thought might be
the “queen bee.” We also discussed the black Madonna and white privilege.
2005
JAN. 5, 2005 – Skipped
Getting to Know Each Other/ History/ Ethnicity/
Novel/ Science Fiction
FEB. 2, 2005 – Pastwatch: The Redemption of
Columbus by Orson Scott Card
(Taino in Caribbean Viewed from Post Apocalyptic Future)
Since reading this book, how do you now feel about Columbus and why? How do you
feel/What do you think about Christianity being used the way it was in the
book?
Getting to Know Each Other/ History/ Ethnicity/
Novel
MAR. 9, 2005 – Charming Billy
by Alice McDermott (Irish American in America)
No specific question, but we discussed Irish American (vs. Irish) culture, and
Irish immigrant history.
Getting to Know Each Other/ History/ Ethnicity/
Memoir
APRIL 6, 2005 – Pata’s Poetry (Mixed)
No specific question, but we often had the same poems, and even lines,
“starred” and “underlined.” There were many themes, but some we discussed
included: being multiracial, wiccan, lesbian, women, and in therapy. We also
seemed to share the same “favorite” authors, like Adrienne Rich. We realized
that, when we knew more about the authors, we understood their work better.
Getting to Know Each Other/ History/ Ethnicity/
Novel
MAY 11, 2005 – The Chosen
by Chaim Potok (Jewish and Non-Jewish Friendship)
No specific question, but we discussed the absence of female role-models and
the present male-male relationships (father-son, boy-boy), the power/impact of
silence, and being true to yourself, your choices, and your dreams.
Women/ History/ Novel
JUL./AUG., 2005 – Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingslover (White Family in Africa)
No specific question, but we discussed “the culture of racism,” meaning, what
is it about people (missionaries) that makes them feel that they can impose
their ways on others. Not every culture did this, so we compared other books
(ie: Hawaii by Michener) and history that we knew to see if there was something
about some people having a culture which contained racist ideology – and that
those happened to be the cultures which colonized countries with People of
Color.
Women/ Psychology
SEPT. 7, 2005 – In a Different Voice…
by Carol Gilligan AND/OR Reviving Ophelia
by Mary Pipher (Raising Girls into Women)
What do you see as important things young women need to know (or be educated
about) in today’s world that might be different from our parent’s generation?
Women of Color/ Novel
OCT. 10, 2005 – Brick Lane
by Monica Ali (Muslim Indian in England)
In what ways were the women in the novel oppressed? And - How did they
demonstrate their resistance to the oppression (what kinds of actions did they
take)? How does this novel compare with other stories people have read about
Indian/Pakistani immigrants (such as Interpreter of Maladies or The Namesake by
Jhumpa Lahiri).
Women of Color/ Memoir/ Books
NOV. 2, 2005 – Reading Lolita in Tehran:
A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
(Iran Woman Teaching in Iran) AND/OR Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of
Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks (White Woman in Iran)
What is morality? Who gets to define it? How does wearing “the veil”
compare/inform such things as whether or not to require school uniforms to be
worn?
Oppression/ Movie
DEC. 14, 2005 – MOVIE, NO BOOK
(DVD) We will watch and discuss “Crash”
2006
Women of Color/ Ethnicity/ History/ Novel
JAN. 4, 2006 – Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (White
Family In Africa) AND/OR Don't Let's Go to the Dogs
Tonight: An African Childhood by
Alexandra Fuller (African in Africa)
How do people cope with their fears; women’s rights and stresses; and class
privilege? How different and too what degree is the Black vs. White experience
during/after wars in Africa?
Women of Color/ Ethnicity/ History/ Novel
FEB. 1, 2005 – The Bone People:
A Novel by Keri Hulme
(Wt Amer./Maori in New Zealand)
What is it that holds these people (any people) together? What role does
cultural conflict (devastation) play?
Women of Color/ Ethnicity/ History
MAR. 1, 2006 – The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh (Indians in Indian
islands) or The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan (Muslim Indian
Dynasty in India)
“The hungry tide” concretely refers to the waters which “devour” an island
twice a day at high tide. What else could “the hungry tide” symbolize? What
hungers were in the 20th wife? Describe the power women have or are granted.
Women of Color/ Ethnicity/ History/ Novel
APRIL, 2006 On Beauty
– by Zadie Smith (African/African-American in America)
What do you think about this quote “It’s not WHAT I live for, but WHOM I live
for”? How do people perceive other people and what does that do when people
don’t know themselves, can they relate to other people?
Women of Color/ Ethnicity/ History/ African Heritage
MAY. 3, 2006 – Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter by J. Nozipo Maraire
(African in Africa)
How do parents teach and pass on family values? How are values prioritized?
Travel/ Memoir
JUNE 7, 2006 – Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's
Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
by Elizabeth Gilbert (White American Who Travels)
What do we know about these countries and experiences (being in a new place,
learning a new language, meditating, etc.) that resonates, seems similar, seems
different? I must admit, the food section reminded me of how much I enjoyed
reading Amy’s emails of England! And, I can’t wait to hear from Tricia about
her experiences of meditation – if you’re willing to share! Which sections did
we like to most or least and why? What about Gilbert’s sense of humor? Writing
style (all those metaphors)? Did it work for you or was it distracting? Other
thoughts? Do you think you could write a memoir like this? Do you feel like
your life is balanced? Can you imagine how you might be able to bring balance
into your life?
Native American/ Spirituality
JULY 26, 2006 – The Dancing Healers
by Carl A. Hammerschlag or Theft of the Spirit:
A Journey to Spiritual Healing by Carl Hammerschlag (Native
American/Jewish Doctor in NA Reserve)
How can we promote better health in ourselves? What did Hammerschlag learn
about himself? How can we integrate spiritual practices?
Native American/ Memoir/ History
AUG. 23, 2006 – The Scalpel and the Silver
Bear: The First Navajo Woman Surgeon
Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing
by Lori Alvord (Navajo/White Woman in White World)
What can we learn from Indigenous practices which would improve our own state
of mind and health?
Gender Identity/ Novel
SEPT. 6, 2006 – Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides (Greek/Sexual Identity During
1960’s in America)
How does gender (outward appearance and internal feelings) affect our inner
selves? And the way other people treat us?
Male Authors/ Spirituality
OCT. 11, 2006 – The Art of Happiness
by The Dalai Lama (Buddhist Male) OR Peace is Every Step
by Thich Nhat Hahn (Buddhist Male Monk)
Do you already successfully use some of the techniques presented? Which ones
work for you in what ways? How do you think you could bring MORE happiness,
joy, and/or peace into your life using one or more of the techniques presented?
Which ones? How do you feel about this quote from Peace is Every Step,
“Although attempting to bring about world peace through the internal
transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way. …Once these
qualities are developed within an individual, he or she is then able to create
an atmosphere of peace and harmony. This atmosphere can be expanded and
extended from the individual to his family, from the family to the community,
and eventually to the whole world.” In the books, Zen Seeds, Initiation
and Eat, Pray, Love, the women took time to retreat and meditate. In
what ways was this “time” they took similar or different than The Dalai Lama or
Nhat Hanh? Does power and/or privilege make any difference in the ways these
people achieve happiness? Does that make it seem more or less possible for us
to do it too?
Male Authors/ Classics
NOV. 21, 2006 – The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald (White American Male in 1920’s
America)
What themes about men, America, and materialism emerge? How do we deceive
ourselves? What happens when we hold on to the past (when have we done that?)?
DEC., 2006 – Skipped
2007
Women of Color/ Latinx
JAN. 9, 2007 – La frontera/Borderlands
by Gloria Anzaldúa (Latina in America)
What borders do you have in your life? How visible are they? Can other people
see them and make judgments? How do you balance them? Choose between them?
Defend them?
Illness and Disability/ Mental Health/ Adoption
FEB. 20, 2007 – The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
by Kim Edwards (Downs Syndrome Child in America)
What kind of choices have we made that we can now see changed the course of our
lives (and we might have done differently had we known)? What do you think
about the lies and what they cause?
Illness and Disability/ Mental Health/ Novel
MARCH 13, 2007 – Blindness
by Jose Saramago (Blindness/Apocalypse in “America”)
What do you think his writing style symbolizes (look at the text, the
punctuation, the indentations)? Think about what kinds of "blindness"
we might have in our own lives, as well as what "blindness"
symbolized in this book. What does it mean to see and to not see?"
Illness and Disability/ Mental Health
APRIL 19, 2007 @ 2:30 – Expecting Adam:
A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
by Martha Beck (Downs Syndrome Child in Cambridge, MA) or The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night Time*by
Mark Haddon (Autistic Child in England)
What does having a disability means to the individual as well as to the family.
Do we have any "disabilities" which other people need to accommodate
when they are with us?
Love
MAY 20, 2007 @ 5:00 – A General Theory of Love by Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, Richard Lannon (Scientific Research on Love and Memory)
What is love, and why are some people un/able to find it?
What is loneliness, and why does it hurt? What do we do about it both logically
and emotionally?
What are relationships, and how and why do they work the way they do?
What makes one’s “narrative” authentic? or Who's real and who's a fraud?
What distinguishes parental love from romantic love?
Survival requires different tactics in different environments. What measures do
the characters in the novel adopt to carry on?
Illness and Disability/ Mental Health
JUNE 25, 2007 @ 4:00 – The Echo Maker by Richard Powers (Memory Loss) and The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Jewish man in New York after Holocaust)
Time Travel/ Novel
JULY 19, 2007 @ 6:30 – The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger (A Man with a "time travel
gene" Meets his Wife to be, then She Grows Up and Meets him BEFORE he has
Actually Traveled Back to Her Time)
How is time travel "normalized"? How does the author make the time
travel "work" and be believable? What do you think about the love
relationship? How does this compare with other time travel books?
Time Travel/ Novel
AUG. 15, 2007 @ 10:30 am – A Wish in Time
by Laurel Bradley (Contemporary Woman Switches Places
with her Counterpart in the Middle Ages)
How is this book similar/different from The Time Traveler's Wife? What do you
think about the expression "no good deed goes unpunished" (or
"all too often those that do good are rewarded with pain"). What do
you think makes a person him/herself? Their body? Their mind? Their
experiences?
Local Authors (Massachusetts, Boston, Concord, MA)/ History
SEPT. 24, 2007 @ 6:30 – Walden
by Henry David Thoreau (Concord, MA)
Please consider thinking about how the act of observing nature may transform IT
and YOU. Also, think about what makes him a "man of his time" and
whether you would have been able to do what he did (meaning, live out on your
own, as well as be able to do it as a woman in that time period, etc.).
Local Authors (Massachusetts, Boston, Concord, MA)/ History
OCT. , 2007 @ 6:30 – All Souls:
A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald (South
Boston, MA)What causes a community to kill its own? Who are the “good guys”?
What was it really like to be part of that time period when Boston bussing, the
Irish community, and poverty overlapped?
Local Authors (Massachusetts, Boston, Concord, MA)/ History
NOV., 2007 @ 6:30 – American Bloomsbury:
Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne,
and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work
by Susan Cheever (Concord, MA)Think of the “players”
and ask yourself: What did we know about him/her before? What did we learn? Was
anything a surprise? Validation of what we already knew? Other reactions?
Local Authors (Massachusetts, Boston, Concord, MA)/ History
DEC. 27, 2007 @ 11:30 am – Founding Mothers:
The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts (American
Revolution Women)
We know that there were women during the Revolutionary War, but what exactly
were they doing? What did we know, what did we learn?
2008
Women/ History/ Illness/ Latinx
JAN 31, 2008 @ 6:30 – Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel García Marquez (South America)
Think about the themes of aging, disease, and love which are all portrayed in
the book: Do you agree with Urbino and Ofelia Daza that “old people have no
business being in love – or making love?” What metaphors/places involve
disease? What do you think of “divided love”?
FEB., 2008 – Skipped
Sacred Feminine/ History
MARCH 27, 2008 @ 6:30 – The Secret Magdelene
by Ki Longfellow (Jewish and Christian)
What do we know about the historical people in this book? We’ve probably read a
lot of books between us, so what can we confirm or not? Which inconsistencies
are most intriguing? What does this story tell us about faith (humanity and
divinity), God (inner or outer?) and how beliefs manifest across religious
practices?
Comedy/ Time Travel/ Books/ Novel
APRIL 22, 2008 @ 4:00 for dessert and tea/coffee – The Eyre Affair
by Jasper Fforde (Time Travel Through Books)
If only we could jump to the good parts and skip over the bad, check out
this site for an interesting essay.
We used the discussion questions from this site.
Comedy/ History/ Novel
MAY 20, 2008 @ 6:30 – Any book by
Christopher Moore: You Suck, A Dirty Job, Fluke,
the Stupidest Angel, Lamb, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Island of the
Sequined Love Nun, Coyote Blues, Bloodsucking Fiends, Practical Demonkeeping
(Science Fiction Under Water)
Women/ Local Authors/ Male Authors/ Novel
JUNE 3, 2008 in Concord – The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Classic, Women's Rights)
We'll look at themes. A passage from the introduction to The Scarlet Letter:
"Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted
and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil.
My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be
within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth."
Adolescence/ Novel
JULY, 2008 – Any book by Jodi Piccoult (Popular Author, Contemporary Themes)
What's our favorite and why? What do we think about her interpretation of the "hot topics" she chooses to delve into in her books?
Women/ Novel
AUG., 2008 – The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (Classic, Objectivism)Are the characters real? What do the characters show about integrity? Who are the “good guys” and “bad guys”? Which characters did you like? What is “Objectivism”?
Comedy/ Books/ Novel
SEPT., 2008 @ 7:00 – The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde
How does the author deepen the "world" he has created? What did we think of each of the books? SUPERLATIVES
Adolescence/ Mental Health/ Women/ Oppression/ Novel
OCT. 30, 2008 @ 7:15 – Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher (Suicide)
Why was Hannah unable to deal with the things that happened to her? Why was
she unable to get help/allow people to help her? What support did she or did
she not have? What does her experience teach us about children, schools, and
educators?
Adolescence/ Mental Health/ Women/ Oppression/ Novel
NOV. 25, 2008 @ 6:30 – Queen Bees and Wannabes
by Rosalind Wiseman (School Cliques)
This book is the basis for the Movie Mean Girls. For the second month in
a row we were joined by our daughters; two teenage girls. It was interesting to
hear their interpretation of our “parenting style.” One said her mom was a
little bit of each and the other said, “nope, nope, nope” as she scrolled
through the list. I like to think I’m the “Loving Hard-Ass Parent” but who
knows? We speculated a little on the other parents of daughters who we might
know (the teenage girls had lots of opinions on this).
DEC., 2008 – Skipped
2009
Psychology/ Oppression/ Male Authors/ History/ Whiteness
JAN. – Outliers, Blink, or The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (Psychology Behind Assumptions, Decision Making, and Invisible Advantage)
Immigration/ Generational Differences/ Ethnicity
FEB. – The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Dominican)
If you knew what was missing in your life, and could travel back in time, what would you go back and do differently?
Immigration/ Generational Differences/ Ethnicity
MARCH – Waiting by Ha Jin (Chinese American)
We asked ourselves, “Who was waiting in this novel?”
Immigration/ Generational Differences/ Ethnicity/
Novel
APRIL – Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Asian Indian)
What themes do we see in this novel?
Psychology/ Mental Health
MAY – Skipped, but I have a summary for another book A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink (Neurology, Social-Emotional Well-Being)
Women/ History/ Science Fiction/ Novel
JUNE – Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel (Early Humans/Hominids)
What can we learn about relationships and evolutionary history?
Women/ Mental Health/ Novel
JULY – The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (Salem, MA, Mental Illness)
What do we learn about lace reading, abuse, mental illness, and enabling others.
Travel/ Spiritual
AUGUST – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Travel, Spiritual Journey)
Women/ History
SEPTEMBER – The Seven Daughters of Eve by Brian Sykes (Early Humans)
Think about what the author says about DNA evidence and how it makes/breaks other theories (like those related to farming becoming more popular than hunting/gathering)
OCTOBER – Skipped
NOVEMBER – Skipped
Women/ History/ Spiritual
DECEMBER – Mother of the Believers by Kamran Pasha (Birth of Islam)
What rites of passage (traditions) have we experienced or witnessed?
2010
Women/ Psychology/ Generational Differences/ History/ Novel
JAN. – The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (Mormon Religion)
Women/ Psychology/
Generational Differences/ History/ Novel
FEB. – The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Servant in Antebellum South)
Women/ Psychology/
Generational Differences
MARCH – Raising a Left Brained Child in a Right Brained World by Katherine Beals (Neurology, Social-Emotional Well-Being)
Women/ Psychology/
Generational Differences/ Novel
APRIL – Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (Small Town New England)
Women/ Psychology/
Generational Differences/ Novel
MAY – Ahab’s Wife, or The Star Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund (Women, Whaling)
Women/ Psychology/
Generational Differences/ Novel
JUNE – The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (Age and Youth, Intelligence)
How does it feel to be invisible? What is beauty?
Memoir/ Women
JULY – Getting the Pretty Back by Molly Ringwald (Actress Reflecting on What She Has Learned About Becoming an Adult)
Various topics about getting older and having kids.
AUGUST – Skipped
Women/ Psychology
SEPTEMBER – Denial: A Memoir of Terror by Jessica Stern (Rape, PTSD- Trauma)
What trauma have we experienced with family, students, friends, and/or ourselves (if we a comfortable bringing the stories to the table)? How has it affected our psyche? And what has been our coping/treatment methods?
Immigrant/ Refugee Experience
OCTOBER – Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness by Tracy Kidder and What is the What by Dave Eggers
What would you do if you were a refugee? Could you survive? Or, on the flip side: Would you be able to an ally to a refugee?
Immigrant/ Refugee Experience
NOVEMBER – Tis by Frank McCourt (Irish-American)
Oppression/ African Heritage
DECEMBER – The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore (African Heritage)
2011
Science Fiction/ Novel
JAN. – Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Think about what it means to have and/or be leader and to have/be "controlled" - as well ls how much of Orson Scott Card's "science fiction" turned out to be a "science fact" - remember this book was first published in 1984. The Internet became widely used in 1992 and portable laptop computers in 2000.
Time Travel/ Novel
FEB. –The Traveler by John Twelve Hawk
Science Fiction/ Novel
MARCH – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Small Town/ Male Authors/ Novel
APRIL – Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Women/ Magic/ Novel
MAY – Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein
Women/ Magic/ Novel
JUNE – The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
Women/ Magic/ Novel
JULY – Anything by Alice Hoffman
Oppression/ Asian American
AUGUST – Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Local Authors
SEPTEMBER – Ice Cream Stand by 21 Authors
History/ Oppression
OCTOBER – 1493 by Charles Mann (Native American)
History/ Oppression/ Novel
NOVEMBER – Sarah's Key by Taitiana DeRosnay (Jewish)
History/ Oppression
DECEMBER – Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
2012
Local Authors
JAN. – The Tin Ticket by Deborah J. Swiss (Australia)
Local Authors/ Novel
FEB. – Spanish Soap Operas by Erin McCormick
Oppression/ History
MARCH. – The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (African Heritage)
Oppression/ History
APRIL – State of Wonder by Anne Patchet
MAY – Skipped
JUNE – Skipped
Small Town/ Novel
JULY – Empire Falls by John Irving
History/ Women
AUGUST – The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
History/ Food
SEPTEMBER – A History of the World in Two
Books
A History of the World in 100 Objects
by Neil MacGregor
A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage
OCTOBER – Skipped
Women/ History/ Novel
NOVEMBER – Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Oppression/ Novel
DECEMBER – The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
2013
JANUARY – Skipped
Comedy/ History/ Male Authors/ Art/ Novel
FEBRUARY – Sacré
Bleu by Christopher Moore
MARCH – Skipped
Women/ Comedy/ Memoir
APRIL – How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
Women/ Comedy/ Memoir
MAY – Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
Women of Color/ Comedy/ Memoir/ Ethnicity
JUNE – My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor (Latinx)
Male Authors
JULY – In One Person by John Irving
AUGUST - DECEMBER – Skipped
2014
Women/ History/ Classic
JANUARY – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Women/ History
FEBRUARY – So Far From Story Street by Jeanne Lavallee
Women/ Science Fiction
MARCH – Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Niel Gaiman
Women/ Oppression
APRIL – At Fault by Kate Chopin
Women/ Oppression
MAY – Dirty Love by Andre Dubus
History/ Food
JUNE – Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Women/ Science Fiction/ Magic
JULY – The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
Women/ Oppression/ Novel
AUGUST – The Professor's House by Willa Cather
Women/ Oppression/ Resistance/ Novel
SEPTEMBER – The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
History/ Art/ Novel
OCTOBER – The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro
Science Fiction/ Magic/ Books/ Novel
NOVEMBER – Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
DECEMBER – Skipped
2015
Women/ Memoir/ History
JANUARY – Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Comedy/ History/ Novel
FEBRUARY – Lamb by Christopher Moore
Comedy/ History/Science Fiction
MARCH – Ready, Player, One by Ernest Cline
History/Science Fiction
APRIL – Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Women/ Memoir/ Oppression
MAY – The Mother's Recompense by Edith Wharton
History/ Art
JUNE – Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman and John Shiffman
JULY – Skipped
AUGUST – Skipped
Women/ History
SEPTEMBER – The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella
OCTOBER – Skipped
Women/ History
NOVEMBER – Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz
DECEMBER – Skipped
2016
Women/ History/ Oppression
JANUARY – Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross
FEBRUARY – Skipped
Women/ Oppression
MARCH – Blue Eyes in a Black Wonderland by Erin McCormack
History/ Oppression/ African Heritage
APRIL – Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
MAY – Skipped
Women/ History/ Oppression/ Native American
JUNE – My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
JULY – Skipped
Women/ History/ Oppression
AUGUST – Waking Up White by Debby Irving
Women/ Comedy
SEPTEMBER – Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
OCTOBER – Skipped
Women/ History/ Oppression
NOVEMBER – Jarrettsville by Cornelia Nixon
DECEMBER – Skipped
2017
Small Town/ Novel
JANUARY – Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
FEBRUARY – Skipped
Women/ History/ Memoir/ Comedy
MARCH – Carrie Fisher
APRIL – Skipped
Women/ History/ Memoir/ Gender Identity
MAY – Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
Women/ History/ African Heritage/ Oppression
JUNE – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Women/ History/ Oppression/ Ethnicity/ Asian American/ Adoption/ Immigration
JULY – The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
History/ Art
AUGUST – The Muralist by B. A. Shapiro
History/ Oppression/ African Heritage
SEPTEMBER – Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
History/ Oppression/ Native American/ Ethnicity
OCTOBER – You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
NOVEMBER – Skipped
History/ Oppression/ Asian American
DECEMBER – Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
2018
Comedy/ Oppression/ Women/ Mental Health
JANUARY – Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
Comedy
FEBRUARY – Whaletalk by Chris Crutcher
MARCH – Skipped
Authors of Color
APRIL – All the Women in My Family Sing: Women Write the World: Essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom by Deborah Santana
Authors of Color/ African Heritage/ Memoir
MAY – Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (South African Childhood)
Authors of Color/ Asian American
JUNE – Human Acts by Han Kang (Asian American, South Korea)
Authors of Color/ Latinx/ History/ Ethnicity
JULY – Puerto Rico Strong (Latinx graphic novel)
Authors of Color/ Comedy/ African Heritage/ Whiteness
AUGUST – You Can’t Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson (African Heritage) – no notes yet
Authors of Color/ Native American/ History/ Mental Health/ Memoir
SEPTEMBER – Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot (Native American)
Authors of Color/ Comedy/ African Heritage/ Memoir/ Whiteness
OCTOBER – I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World of Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (African Heritage)
Authors of Color/ Memoir/ History
NOVEMBER – Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (African Heritage)
DECEMBER – Skipped
2019
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ African
Heritage/ Memoir
JANUARY – The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton (African Heritage, Prison)
History/ Oppression/ Novel
FEBRUARY – Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Immigration/ Refugee/ History/ Oppression/ Novel
MARCH – Refugee by Alan Gratz
Authors of Color/ Oppression/ African Heritage/ Novel
APRIL – On the Come Up by Angie Thomas (African Heritage)
Native American/ Local Author/ Novel/ History
MAY – In Regalia by Erin McCormack
JUNE – Skipped
History/ Oppression/ Whiteness
JULY – White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Authors of Color/ Oppression/ Adoption/ Immigration/ Asian American/ Novel
SEPTEMBER – The Leavers by Lisa Ko
OCTOBER – Skipped
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ Asian American/ Memoir
NOVEMBER – Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
DECEMBER – Skipped
2020
Authors of Color/ Oppression/ Novel/ Native American/ Science Fiction
JANUARY – The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Authors of Color/ History/ Novel/ Native American
FEBRUARY – The Fire Keeper (book 1) J. C Cervantes
MARCH – Skipped (COVID-19)
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ Asian American
APRIL – The Love Wife by Gish Jen (Virtual)
History/ Oppression/ Memoir/ Jewish
MAY – Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman – either book or Netflix series (Virtual)
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ Native American/ Ethnicity
JUNE – Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ African American
JULY – Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L. Carter
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ Asian American
AUGUST – On Gold Mountain Book by Lisa See
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression/ African American
SEPTEMBER – Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram Kendi
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression
OCTOBER – My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression
NOVEMBER – Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Yvonne Davis
DECEMBER – Skipped
2021
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression
JANUARY – Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
FEBRUARY – Skipped
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression
MARCH – Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression
APRIL – Osage Rose by Tom Holm
Authors of Color/ History/ Oppression
MAY – White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad
No comments:
Post a Comment