Senior Planet Book Club: Vote For Our Next Book!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our discussion both in the comments section of SeniorPlanet.org and at our meeting over Zoom about “The Mothers” by Brit Bennet.
Now it is time to select our next reading!
Each Tuesday, we’ll post a thread on SeniorPlanet.org inviting your comments on the next section of the book and then we’ll host a discussion over Zoom the final week of reading the book together.
But first! We’ve put together a shortlist engaging books suggested by our members and staff. Now it’s up to you pick which one we’ll read together next. Read on for details about each book, then take the poll at the end and tell us: What should the Senior Planet Book Club read next?
We’ll announce the result of the poll in addition to how you can access a copy of the chosen book next Tuesday!
Have any feedback on book club? Tell us what you think in the comments or email membership@seniorplanet.org!
The Books:
It’s Not All Downhill from Here by Terry McMillan
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
“The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given…” – GoodReads.com
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
“In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life.” – GoodReads.com
“In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.” – GoodReads.com
Take the poll!
Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash
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Comments
Is the US Africa now? Are only Black people in the US?
Maybe it’s time for a lawsuit?
The Library Book by Susan Orleans
Have you read “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens? Several people have recommended it to me, and I just finished it. Beautifully written, and consuming, the reader is drawn into a totally different world .
Suggestion for your future book list:
The Café on Dream Street, by Adriane Brown, a Senior Planet member
My novel, published July 30, 2020, already has nine 5-star reviews. However, I am a first time novelist, and I’m working hard to get the book out there. Here is how one reviewer described it:
The Cafe on Dream Street is a powerful tale of two families caught up in the swirl of events as the immigration crisis develops around them. The story draws you in and keeps you reading to find out what happens to the characters, both adults and teens. The author draws each character as full, real people, and they each arouse your emotions, both positive and negative. You feel for these people, whether you like them or not, a sign of a powerful book.
The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com and Indiebooks.
All excellent choices.
At to a future book list:
The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya
Thanks, Diane! Adding it to our suggestion list.