February Book Notes
This month two Book Club members share impressions of the February book, The HomePlace: A Colored Man’s Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham.
Judy Leahy Grimes writes: I liked Lanham’s economy of words and his gentle, very honest portrayal of how he lived his life. To me, some things that stood out were his experiences with guns: the first when he kills a sparrow with his new BB gun and even as a young boy realizes it was a needless act. Later in life he shot a giant buck, which provided his family with food for a year.
Also, I was struck by this small paragraph on p. 57: “I loved my parents, but I’ve long found it ironic that any black people coming through the civil rights movement, witnessing all the violence the period brought to bear, and with their parents born at the edge of slavery, would carry the whip forward as a means of control. I’ve tried to do better with my own children.” He does not diminish his love and admiration for his parents, but, admirably, he chose not to follow that path.
Mary Jane Towle writes: Lanham beautifully demonstrates his pride in his West African heritage. He says, “I am as much a scientist as I am a black man; my skin defines me no more than my heart does. …I’ve yet to have a wild creature question my identity.”
With a “birder” husb and, I can fully appreciate the author’s interest in nature and birds and that he wants to encourage more African American young people to enter such fields as botany and zoology. My husband and I have noted there are very few African American birders in Minnesota or in our wider travels.
When speaking of the flora and fauna of his beloved Edgefield, South Carolina, Lanham nevertheless admits that “Edgefield has been less welcoming of—less of a refuge for—human diversity.”
We hope everyone will consider reading this very interesting and inspiring book.
— UMRA Book Club
UMRA Book Club to discuss The Home Place at February 16 meeting
Fri, Feb 16 2018, 2pm
Book Club member Judy Helgen will lead the discussion of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham at the February 16 meeting. The Book Club meets at 2 p.m. the third Friday of every month except December. Meetings are held at the 1666 Coffman Building which is on Larpenteur Avenue near the St. Paul Campus. Newcomers are welcome. For more information contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected].
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe 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.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)!
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.