Literature   

How do you feel about censorship? Should someone have to right to restrict what you can read? Is it ever appropriate? What justification? This SIG will meet the third Thursday of each month at 10:30 am via Zoom, to discuss great novels that have been banned for some reason. September 19: "Go Tell It on the Mountain", by James Baldwin. The books for October, November and December will be selected by the group from a master list. Handouts will be emailed a few days before each session.

How do you feel about censorship? Should someone have the right to target books that are popular with teens and restrict what they can read? Is it ever appropriate? What justification? This SIG will meet the first Wednesday of each month from 5:00 to 6:45 pm, to discuss great bestsellers directed at kids, that have been restricted or banned for some reason. September 4: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", by Stephen Chbosky. The book for October 2 will be "Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret" by Judy Blume. The books for November and December will be selected by the group from a master list. Handouts will be emailed a few days before each session.

This SIG will meet the third Thursday of each month to enjoy international masterpieces of literature, by authors neither British nor American. There are many wonderful bestsellers from around the world that most Americans have never read or even know exist, and some great classics. The sessions will start with "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Subsequent novels will be chosen by the group, perhaps something marvelous from Japan, South America, India or Africa! Handouts will be emailed to participants before each session.

Danger! Intrigue! This SIG will meet the first Wednesday of each month February through May, to consider and discuss some of the internationally best-selling mystery novels. Each was first in a series for a beloved detective, with many, many sequels. The SIG will start with February 7: The Face of a Stranger (Detective William Monk) by Anne Perry. The participants will select the books for March, April, and May. Handouts will be emailed to participants before each session.

During the 1980s, Hemingway lost favor with a college generation focused on the rights and treatment of women. Posthumously charged with misogyny, he was found guilty in the court of righteous indignation and quietly dismissed from the classroom. I go to Hemingway for his clean, straightforward writing, great story-telling skills, and his candid--not unsympathetic--take on women. Let's resurrect his good name together. Texts to be read: "The Sun Also Rises" and "A Farewell to Arms".