the clubs within our club
BOOK CLUB
Our Recent Discussions
The Book Club joined the FAWCO Environment Team in March for a virtual discussion of The Book of Hope : A Survival Guide for an Endangered Planet by Jane Goodall , the worldrenowned naturalist and conservationist , and coauthor Douglas Abrams . The consensus was that it was a truly hopeful and inspiring book . In Zoom breakout groups , the participants considered what mindful steps could be taken individually to protect the environment . There were many practical suggestions for reducing our individual carbon footprints . One suggestion was made for the upcoming FAWCO conference in Luxembourg — take the train rather than fly . In spite of the considerably longer time required , AWCH President Carol H . complied and traveled responsibly by train .
In April , we met virtually to discuss Caste : The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson . This work of narrative nonfiction
looks at the nature of inequality in the United States from 1619 , when the first enslaved people arrived , up to the present day . Wilkerson believes the caste system , a hierarchy of social stratification dividing people into groups , is the basis of the inequality rather than racism , which she sees as just one manifestation of caste . She writes about the ancient caste system of India and the arbitrary caste system of Nazi Germany , which was modeled on the Jim Crow South . Our discussion group found that this wellresearched work with its many real stories is an eye- opener and a captivating read .
In May , a group of 11 came together virtually to discuss the awardwinning book The Promise by Damon Dalgut . This novel tells the story of a family and South Africa under apartheid . The family and the nation are woven together through four funerals , each in a different decade with a different president and different national spirit . The story is brilliantly constructed and written as a norm-breaking , third-person narrative with a sense of black humor , ensuring that it is not a dull historical exercise but an excellent read . ( Carol S .)
26 The Clubs within Our Club