Global Issues Book Group
The Global Issues Book Group, reads and discusses books on the vital Political, Economic, Environmental and Social issues that challenge humankind in the 21st Century.
June 2019
Learning to Die: Wisdom in the Age of Climate Crisis
"Bringhurst and Zwicky ponder an all-but-unthinkable question: How should we live in the end times? They don't discount our attempts to stave off environmental catastrophe. But they believe, on the evidence, that it's too little too late. And they go on to ask, How should we face our coming fate? Can we learn, as members of a species run amok, how to perish with a modicum of responsibility and grace? These are artist-thinkers of commanding stature, and the specific answers they give deserve our attention. But what makes Learning to Die indispensable goes even deeper: the example it sets of unblinking moral courage. It opens a space for human beings to reckon with ultimate things."- Dennis Lee, poet and editor
Tuesday, June 11th at 6:30 PM
July 2019
Air Traffic: A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America
Gregory Pardlo's father was a brilliant and charasmatic man--a leading labor organizer who presided over a happy suburban family of four. But when he loses his job following the famous air traffic controllers' strike of 1981, he succumbs to addiction and exhausts the family's money on more and more ostentatious whims, becoming a toxic, looming presence in the household and a troubling model for his son. In his lyrical and fragmented memoir, Gregory chronicles his efforts to build a life that honors his history without allowing it to define his future. Air Traffic is richly realized, deeply felt ode to one man's remarkable father, to fatherhood, and tor the frustrating yet redemptive ties of family. It is also a scrupulous, searing examination of the overwhelming expectations of race and class and the ruinous legacy of American masculinity. "Unflinchingly honest and audaciously vulnerable, Air Traffic is a testament to what we must live through on the path to understanding what we are living for." -Tracy K. Smith
Tuesday, July 9th at 6:30 PM
August 2019
Ethics in the Real World
Peter Singer is often described as the world's most influential philosopher. His work has helped to launch the animal rights and effective altruism movements and contributed to the development of bioethics. Now, in Ethics in the Real World, Singer shows that he is also a master at dissecting important current events in a few hundred words. In this book of brief essays, he applies his controversial ways of thinking to a range of issues, from abortion to whether chimpanzees are people, and explores some of the deepest philosophical questions, such as whether anything really matters and what is the value of the pale blue dot that is our planet. The collection also includes some more personal reflections, like Singer's thoughts on one of his favorite activities--surfing-- and an unusual suggestion for starting a family conversation over a holiday feast.
Tuesday, August 13th at 6:30 PM
