Summer Reading List

The Book Club is currently off the air. But the discussions focused on reading continue. Check out the Summer Reading List for 2000.

Book Club Archives:
April 20, 2000
"Beowulf" Translated by Seamus Heaney
The epic Anglo-Saxon poem, "Beowulf," the bane of many a high school student, has just been translated by Irish poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney. Written by a unknown author over a thousand years ago, it tells the story of the Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, and his struggle with the monster Grendel. Join Juan Williams and Seamus Heaney for a discussion of "Beowulf" on the next Talk of the Nation Bookclub of the Air, from NPR News.
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March 23, 2000
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
How is it that European cultures came to dominate so much of the globe? Most people would say "guns." But uncovering the deeper answer to that question requires a comprehensive review of thirteen thousand years of human history -- which is exactly what scientist Jared Diamond accomplished. Jared Diamond will join host Juan Williams to discuss his Pulitzer-Prize winning book, "Guns, Germs, and Steel," on the next Talk of the Nation book club of the air, from NPR News.
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February 17, 2000
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God has been called "the greatest black novel of its time," but beyond discussions of social and literary merit, the book is a love story, fraught with emotion but direct and unsentimental. Join Melinda Penkava and guests to discuss Their Eyes Were Watching God, on the next Talk of the Nation Book Club of the Air.
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January 20, 2000
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The personal and the political collide head-on in E.M. Forster's A Passage to India. Set in India during British rule, the novel follows the relationship between Dr. Aziz, an Indian, and Cyril Fielding, an English teacher. The two men share a deep personal bond which is strained to the breaking point when Aziz is accused of trying to rape an English woman. Despite Fielding's faith in his friend and their friendship, forces on both sides of the colonial divide work to make their friendship practically impossible. Although set in the historical particulars of colonial India, the story of men trying to connect with one another despite a world fractured along lines of race, gender, and nationality is timeless. Join Melinda Penkava and guest Shashi Tharoor to discuss E.M. Forster's A Passage to India,on Talk of the Nation's January Book-Club-of-the-Air.
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December 23, 1999
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bio-technical advances in the coming millennium may provide humankind with some amazing -- and disturbing -- options... Reproduction without pregnancy... a society that seeks perfection through genetic engineering and drugs. The technology may be just falling into place today, but the complicated moral questions posed by the technology were anticipated nearly 70 years ago in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Join Katherine Lanpher on Thursday, December 23rd to discuss Brave New World, on Talk of the Nation's Book-Club-of-the-Air, from NPR News.
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November 18, 1999
This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
This Earth of Mankind, by Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, tells the story of Minke, a Javanese student muddling through life in the waning days of Dutch colonization of Indonesia. Straddling two cultures, Minke's search for racial and cultural identity reflects the struggle for freedom and justice taking place in Indonesia today. Join Melinda Penkava and her book buddy to discuss This Earth of Mankind, November's Book-Club-of-the-Air.
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October 21, 1999
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
The Robber Bride is a twist on the Grimm fairy tale The Robber Bridegroom. Roz, Charis and Tony are college friends who unite to deal with the trauma that Zenia, a vixen villain, inflicts by stealing what each woman loves most. At first Zenia is a charming character looking for companionship. Later she escapes without a trace, taking with her the men, money and self-respect of each woman only to reappear later to wreak more havoc. The funny and intense novel encompasses three decades in which Zenia wages a personal war against the happiness of the three women. But they emerge stronger individually and collectively than they would have been without her influence.
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September 23, 1999
Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
Djuna Barnes’ Nightwood is an evocative, haunting novel that seldom fails to evoke visceral reactions from readers. First published in 1936, it was celebrated by such greats as T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and James Joyce, yet today it is seldom read outside of feminist literature classes. Nightwood tells the story of Robin Vote, a beautiful woman of ambiguous morality, and the men and women whose passion for her turns to self-destruction.
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August 19, 1999
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Piracy on the high seas, and search for buried treasure have made Treasure Island perennially appealing to children. Vivid character portrayals and the craftsmanship of Stevenson’s prose make the book a rewarding read for adults as well.
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July 22, 1999
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
The book revolves around John Grimes, a sensitive youth growing up in New York's Harlem while struggling to come to terms with his confusion over his sexuality and religious upbringing. Central to the story is the destructive relationship between Grimes and his step-father, a fundamentalist preacher whose insecurities over his own religious commitment result in the abuse and neglect of his family. Baldwin's work consistently challenges readers to confront and resolve the differences that polarize American society.
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June 17, 1999
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
The story of a young Native American, shell-shocked after fighting in the South Pacific during World War II, who returns home to find he is utterly alienated by life on his Laguna Pueblo Reservation. Listen to the show.
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Copyright © 1999 National Public Radio