Fourth Friday Book Club meeting in March
Fri, Mar 28, 2025, 2pm
Coming up for the March 28 meeting via Zoom of UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club is The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Chicago World’s Fair by Erik Larson.
Published in 2003 and a finalist for the National Book Award, the non-fiction book presents a complex combination of scenarios. The Chicago World's Fair contained a huge collection of neoclassical buildings that came to be known as the White City. The devil is H. H. Holmes, a conman and murderer said to be responsible for at least 200 victims. Part of the horror is that much of what he did occurred in plain view. It is a compelling read.
World’s Fair trivia: The leadership of the 1893 fair also wanted a landmark to outdo the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower. The solution: the massive and original Ferris Wheel, with 36 cars that could hold more than 2,160 people at one time, designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.
Join the meeting of the Fourth Friday Book Club at 2 p.m. CT on March 28.
Email Dorothy Marden at [email protected] or Maggie Catambay at [email protected] if you’re not already a member. Newcomers are welcome.
Upcoming Events
The theme for December is historical family photos. Join us for photography and fun.
There are a few fun events coming up at the Campus Club that are open to everyone. See these events on the Campus Club Facebook and Instagram.
Meeting to plan books for next year.
There has been a lot in the news recently about the University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota Physicians, and Fairview Health Services. Please join us at breakfast on January 8 for a respectful and engaging discussion of their relationship.
The theme for January is great MN views.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota, including my grandfather whose unusual relationship to several churches and religion in general was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.