Fourth Friday Book Club to meet February 28
Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 2pm
The Fourth Friday Book Club will meet via Zoom on February 28 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CST to discuss The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
You might regard it as a literary leap-and-a-jump to go from Middlemarch by George Elliot (our selection for January) to Huckleberry Finn. The former was published in eight parts in 1871–72, the latter in 1884 (in Canada and the U.K.) and 1885 (in the U.S.)
Huckleberry Finn by Samuel Clemens, under the pen name of Mark Twin, chronicles the adventures of two white boys and Jim, an escaped Black slave. The book was criticized pretty much upon publication, described at the time as racist, coarse, trashy, irreligious, mindless, and so on.
Some two decades later, no less than the New York Public Library Children's Room joined the lengthening list of communities, schools, and libraries where the book was banished.
What are we to make of the criticisms? Satire? Irony? Exposure of the hypocrisy of slavery and of the society in which Mark Twain grew up?
Even the casual reader will conclude that the white characters are portrayed much more negatively: Huck's irresponsible and alcoholic father; the hollow and pious Miss Watson.
Generally regarded as Mark Twain's best work and one of the great American novels, perhaps there’s no better time than now to read Huckleberry Finn.
The Fourth Friday Book Club is open to all UMRA members. Please email to let us know of your interest.
—Dorothy Marden, Fourth Friday Book Club
Upcoming Events
The UMRA Photo Club will next meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony branch library in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards in St. Anthony, just north of the Twin Cities. For those interested in lunch, meet at the nearby Great Dragon Buffet at 11:30 a.m.
Please join the UMRA Family History Interest Group meeting on Wednesday, March 11, via Zoom, when Michelle Casey will present “DNA Testing and Analysis Using 23andMe, Ancestry, and MyHeritage.”
Public health is extremely important—and right now it is very confusing. Join us to ask questions and share your thoughts and concerns about the current state of our public health system.
UMRA’S March workshop will explore how to transform your memories, including those that have faded with time, into lively true stories. It will also show you how to reflect on them, how to express how you felt, and how to connect your stories to the values and beliefs you want to pass on.
Join fellow UMRA members for “Third Wednesdays in the West Wing" lunch at the Campus Club in Minneapolis. This is a pilot program for spring 2026.
UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss The Bohemian Flats by Mary Relindes Ellis when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 20. Jim Lewis will lead the discussion.
University of Minnesota General Counsel Douglas Peterson will be the featured speaker for UMRA’s March 24 luncheon forum. He will speak about how the University is addressing its latest challenges and opportunities involving law.
'Seabiscuit' by Laura Hillenbrand
Join fellow UMRA members for a morning hike in Theodore Wirth Park to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, Monday, April 6.
Chris Gade, VP for University marketing communications, will join UMRA members on Tuesday, April 7, for the first in a new series of informal “Campus Conversations” to be held at the Campus Club in Minneapolis.
This month's theme is mountains, valleys and canyons.
"Third Wednesdays in the West Wing" is a pilot program for spring 2026.
UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean when it meets via Zoom on Friday, April 17. Diane Madson-Kay will lead the discussion.
Bev leads a hike along Old Cedar Avenue.
Under Terry Straub's leadership, Hennepin County/UMN Extension has created the most ambitious master gardener program in Minnesota. His visit with us will feature the topic of lifelong gardening and how gardens can evolve with us and our life cycles.
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Ever wonder what goes on behind the shiny walls of the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus?
Family history with Craig Moody. A tale with many dead ends.
Pete leads this hike at the Arboretum.
Third Wednesdays in the West Wing" is a pilot program for spring 2026.