Book Club I

Book Club I to meet December 17

The UMRA Book Club I will identify books and discussion leaders for our 2022 monthly meetings when we meet via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 17.

Book notes | Marcel’s Letters

Event Date: September 17, 2021, at 2:00 PM

Marcel’s Letters, by Minnesota author and graphic designer Carolyn Porter, is a fascinating journey from a small river town to war-torn Europe.

Book notes | House on Endless Waters

Event Date: August 20, 2021, at 2:00 PM

When Yoel Blum travels from his home in Israel to Amsterdam, where he was born, he begins a journey of finding out the many things his mother kept from him, which leads to a new understanding of who he is.

Book notes | Just Mercy

Event Date: July 16, 2021, at 2:00 PM

Although at times emotionally difficult, Just Mercy is an important book about the problems of our legal system and the amazing work of the Equal Justice Initiative.

Book notes | The Big Burn

Event Date: June 18, 2021, at 2:00 PM

The Big Burn is an educational, breathtaking story about the largest wildfire in U.S. history, the men whose heroic actions worked to save people and land, and President Teddy Roosevelt’s embattled efforts to “save America.”

Book notes | Caste

Event Date: May 21, 2021, at 2:00 PM

Author Isabel Wilkerson weaves her experiences and those of others with fact and history to help the reader grasp the extensive impact the caste system has had, and continues to have, in India and the United States.

Book notes | The Color of Water

Event Date: April 16, 2021, at 2:00 PM

The Color of Water is James McBride’s tribute to his remarkable mother. He skillfully alternates chapters relating his life story growing up in New York City projects with chapters conveying his mother’s life, told in her voice.

Book notes | The Year of Magical Thinking

Event Date: March 19, 2021, at 2:00 PM

In what is considered a classic book about mourning, author Joan Didion describes her experiences with grief after the death of her husband, including several instances of magical thinking.

Book notes | The Night Watchman

Event Date: February 19, 2021, at 2:00 PM

The16th novel by Minnesota author Louise Erdrich, discussed by UMRA Book Club I at its February meeting, is a stellar depiction of reservation life and the consequences of relocation in the mid 1950s.

Book notes | One Hundred Years of Solitude

Event Date: January 15, 2021, at 2:00 PM

The UMRA Book Club discussed One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez at its January meeting. It was a difficult read for some.

Book Club to meet February 21

Stephanie Daily will lead a discussion of Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (initially scheduled for discussion in January) when the UMRA Book Club meets at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 17, at 1666 Coffman in Falcon Heights.

Overwhelming and wonderful

Event Date: November 20, 2020, at 2:00 PM

Interwoven with exquisite descriptions of the countryside, Christy Lefteri’s novel about the Syrian Civil War draws readers into the bombed city of Aleppo and the agonizing decisions families facing war must make.

Sentimental but timely

Event Date: October 16, 2020, at 2:00 PM

In this sentimental but timely story, the lives of three characters in a small Missouri town merge as they help each other overcome personal loss and hardships.

Book Notes | The Art of Racing in the Rain

Event Date: September 18, 2020, at 2:00 PM

Like the classic Black Beauty, in which a horse is the narrator, The Art of Racing in the Rain is narrated by a dog named Enzo. The title of the book is a metaphor for the scary times we face in our lives.

Book notes | A unique and fascinating look into North Korea

Event Date: August 21, 2020, at 2:00 PM

An enthralling memoir, “The Girl with Seven Names” describes author Hyeonseo Lee’s story as she defies all odds to live a life of freedom outside North Korea.