BOOK CLUB II

Fourth Friday Book Club September meeting

Fri, Sep 23 2022, 2pm

Location
Event to be held via Zoom.
 

Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, first published in Russia in 1862, is the Fourth Friday Book Club selection for its meeting at 2 p.m. on September 23 via Zoom.

The novel describes Russia's emerging class divisions and the political divides within the nobility in the 1860s. In its day, Fathers and Sons was a highly controversial novel, giving nihilism a public forum. Itis couched in a very particular historic moment; the year is 1859. In anticipation of the Tsarist emancipation of the serfs in 1861, many of the landowners freed their serfs, looking to the west for political and humanist guidance.

Fathers and Sons is a classic of Russian realism, with lyrical descriptions of beloved pastoral landscapes and the passions and relationships of its characters. Love is a central theme, expressed in a variety of relationships—romantic, familial, and platonic. Although it does not in any way portend the current war in Ukraine, Father and Sons is one of the most acclaimed Russian novels of the 19th century.

Please contact Dorothy Marden at [email protected] or Margaret Catambay at [email protected] for information about how to join the meeting. New members are welcome!



Upcoming Events

Event Date: April 19, 2024, at 2pm

Joni Mitchell will lead the discussion of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne when the UMRA book club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 19.


Event Date: April 23, 2024, at 11am

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted substantial debate recently because it can be used in many contexts, including educational settings to do things such as answer exam questions and write papers. But what is generative AI? And how can we know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing? Law School Professor Daniel Schwarcz will enlighten us during UMRA’s Luncheon Forum on April 23.


Event Date: April 24, 2024, at 10am

UMRA’s spring Armchair Traveler Program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, will take us to South Korea with Marilyn DeLong and to Germany with Lynn C. Anderson. Please mark your calendars and save the date. 


Event Date: April 26, 2024, at 2pm

Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.


Event Date: May 6, 2024, at 9:30am

We are fortunate to have Peter Moe, UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director, to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6! Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center. 


Event Date: May 6, 2024, at 12:45pm

This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session.  See that article for details.


Event Date: May 14, 2024, at 11am

If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.


Event Date: May 15, 2024, at 10am

You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year. 


Event Date: May 17, 2024, at 2pm

Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17. 


Event Date: May 20, 2024, at 9:30am

The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater.  Car pooling will be available.


Event Date: May 21, 2024, at 10:30am

Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.


Event Date: May 24, 2024, at 2pm

UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.


Event Date: June 3, 2024, at 9:30am

We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.


Event Date: June 14, 2024, at 7:10pm

Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.


Event Date: June 17, 2024, at 9:30am

Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.


Event Date: June 17, 2024, at 11am

Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!


Event Date: June 24, 2024, at 8am

Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.