Copies of the books are available at the reference desk. Everyone is welcome!

World Literature Discussions

Moderated by Professor Bill Schiavo

**For a full list of Bill Schiavo’s past book discussions, please click here!**

Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
Thursday, November 14 at 2:00 PM
Exploring themes of nostalgia for the English aristocracy, this novel, one of the “100 Best English Novels of the 20th Century,” follows the life and romances of Charles Ryder from his first year at Oxford University in 1922, through the early 1940s, including his friendship with a wealthy English Catholic family who live in Brideshead mansion.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Thursday, December 5 at 2:00 PM
An allegorical novel published in 1945, Animal Farm tells the story of a group of animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where animals are equal. Ultimately their rebellion is betrayed, and the question becomes how do the oppressed manage to keep from becoming like their oppressors? Orwell addresses combining power with ideals in this social satire that was ahead of its time.

Contemporary Evening Book Discussions

Moderated by Professor Michael Boecherer of SCCC

The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin
Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 PM
In 1969 New York City’s Lower East Side, word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day that they will die, so the Gold children – adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness – sneak out to hear their fortunes. Their prophecies define the next five decades of their lives as the novel probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, and this world and the next. A sweeping novel of remarkable depth.

Girl in Translation, by Jean Kwok
Thursday, November 21 at 7:30 PM
Twelve-year-old Kimberly and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn, where a relative owns a garment factory and offers them both a “good job.” Drawing on the author’s personal experience, this debut novel tells the anguish of the contemporary immigration story, including illegal factory work, child labor, and economic exploitation, with education and perseverance ultimately leading to success. An unforgettable tale of hardship, triumph, and love.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre
Thursday, December 12 at 7:30 PM
This 1963 award winning novel depicts Alec, a burntout British agent sent to Germany as a fake defector to disperse false information about an East German intelligence officer. The author, a former spy for British Intelligence, depicts the realities of espionage – betrayals, lies, shaken ideals – rather than the glamour and adventure depicted by the James Bond novels of the time, and also shows that Western espionage methods were not morally consistent with our democracy and values.