Our Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community and foster personal growth by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations.
Parable of the Sower: by Octavia Butler
When global climate change and economic crises led to social chaos in the early 2020s, California became full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith… and a startling vision of human destiny.
About the Author:
Octavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.
Register in advance for the discussion on Saturday, April 27, at 10:00 AM on Zoom.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
A Jury of Her Peers: by Susan Glaspell
This powerful short story by Susan Glaspell, an early 20th-century feminist, explores the different perspectives of men and women as they examine a crime scene for motive.It provides rich grounds for discussion still today.
Register for the Zoom discussion on Saturday, June 15th, at 10:00 AM.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
FREE PDF of story here: https://nmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/1345.pdf
