lifelong learning
UW Alumni Book Club
Personal stories, timely topics, transformative fiction… Let’s dig into some amazing books together! All curious readers are welcome at the UW Alumni Book Club. Together, we read a book about every two months. Choose just one or all five — whatever works for you.
“So often we think of reading as a solo activity, but with discussion it improves and elevates the experience.”
—Marilyn Conover Watt, ’76, ’81
Join the Discussion
The free online forum has suggested timelines and prompts for online discussion. Join us and take the conversation to the next level!
Sign Up
Log in
Now Reading:
“The Berry Pickers”
by Amanda Peters
Reading Period: May 23–July 25, 2025
Readers’ Choice! Ruthie, a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl, goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine. Her whole family is heartbroken, but Ruthie’s brother Joe is especially upset — over the years, he feels his life unraveling from the grief and injustice of her loss. Meanwhile, in a quiet town in southern Maine, a young girl named Norma wonders why she never quite feels like she fits in with her family… This heartfelt novel brings unique perspectives on family, identity and redemption.
Amanda Peters teaches in the Department of English and Theatre at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. She won the 2024 Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction for “The Berry Pickers,” which is her first novel.
“Peters excels in writing characters for whom we can’t help rooting.”
— The New York Times
Get your copy:
UW Alumni Book Club readers can save 20% on “The Berry Pickers.” Use code UWAAPETERS in-store and online.
*Some restrictions apply. Visit ubookstore.com/disclaimer for full details. Coupon code must be given to cashier to receive discount in-store. Valid through June 15, 2025.
Author Interview:
Amanda Peters on The Berry Pickers
Amanda Peters talks with the Canadian Broadcasting Company in this 16-minute interview. She reflects on how storytelling deepened her community connections, and how a road trip with her father inspired this book.
Campus Connections:
Sacred Breath
Storytelling is a powerful tool to create a sense of identity. The Department of American Indian Studies presents this long-running Indigenous writing and storytelling series, featuring speakers such as Roger Fernandes (above). Enjoy recordings of past events from their archives!
Chahta Chatter Podcast
Michelle Johnson-Jennings is part of the School of Social Work’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. Her podcast explores how culturally specific storytelling can support mental health.
Huckleberry Harvest
Polly Olsen, ’94, recorded her recipe for making huckleberry muffins for the Burke Museum in 2020. She shares her family’s traditions around the huckleberry harvest, from traditional berry baskets to the different flavors that come with specific berry picking sites.
Local History
During World War II, many Washington farms hired First Nations people from British Columbia to pick berries. Learn more about this history, which closely parallels the East Coast dynamics in “The Berry Pickers,” at the UW Libraries digital collections. Photo credit: MOHAI
Up Next:
“Birding to Change the World” by Trish O’Kane
Reading Period: Aug. 1–Oct 3, 2025
Readers’ Choice! Trish O’Kane worked for decades as an investigative journalist, boldly visiting war zones and fighting for justice. When she evacuates from Hurricane Katrina and returns to see the devastation of her beloved New Orleans neighborhood, she is shaken to her core. This upbeat memoir chronicles how birdwatching helped her find courage and community in the face of a rapidly-changing world.
2024-2025 Reading List
Reading Period:
Aug. 2–Oct. 4
Reading Period:
Oct. 11–Dec. 13
Reading Period:
Jan. 3–Mar. 7
Reading Period:
Mar. 14–May 16
Reading Period:
May 23–July 25
2024-2025 UW Alumni Book Club Archive
Reader’s Choice:
“Remarkably Bright Creatures”
by Shelby Van Pelt
New York Times Bestseller! Tova, a stubborn widow, is on the cleaning crew of her small town’s aquarium. Marcellus, a snarky octopus, is a keen observer of humanity. Set in Puget Sound, this quirky bestselling novel follows their cross-species friendship as it sends ripples across the community.
Campus Connections: “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
Campus Connections:
The Mysterious Mind of the Octopus
Oregon Public Broadcasting visited the UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories in 2022. They interviewed Dominic Sivitilli, ’15, ’23, who researches how each tentacle of an octopus can think for itself. (The video also features Lizbeth, a giant Pacific octopus who is great at solving puzzles for shrimp snacks!)
Octopus Self-Destruct System
The lifespan of an octopus is surprisingly short. Z. Yan Wang of the UW Departments of Psychology and Biology studies the nervous systems of octopuses to better understand their death processes. She discusses her research in this 17-minute interview on the Science Friday radio show, recorded in 2022.
“James”
by Percival Everett
New York Times Bestseller! Revisit Mark Twain’s classic tale from the point of view of Jim, the enslaved man who escapes down the Mississippi River with Huck Finn. This audacious reimagining shows Jim to be a masterful code-switcher, navigating perilous situations with layers of nuance and insight. Funny, philosophical and terrifying by turns, Everett shines a light on the tactical brilliance that our hero uses to move through a dangerous world.
“James” was awarded the 2024 National Book Award!
Campus Connections: “James”
Campus Connections:
Free People Read Freely
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” which inspired “James,” was banned immediately after it was published in 1885. Since 2020, there has been a surge of attempts to ban thousands of books in schools and libraries. Tracie D. Hall, ’00, talks with UW Magazine about how her time at the UW iSchool equipped her to fight back against censorship.
“Ernest Hemingway famously said that all modern American literature comes from ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.’”
—John Griffith, Associate Professor Emeritus
Department of English, University of Washington
“Bear: A Novel”
by by Julia Phillips
Reader’s Choice! Two sisters living in the San Juan Islands are impatient to make better lives for themselves. Sam sells coffee on the Washington State Ferry while Elena tends bar at the local golf club. Both tend to their ailing mother in the run-down home in which they were raised. This grinding routine is shaken up when a bear appears in their front yard. Each sister has a very different reaction to the bear. Will the arrival of this wild animal knock their plans for the future (and their tight family connections) off course?
Campus Connections: “Bear”
UW School of Environment and Forest Sciences
How can we reduce run-ins between humans and bears? Carolyn Shores, ’14, explored how satellites can map huckleberry bushes, predicting bear movements around Glacier National Park.
Black bear goes island hopping around Puget Sound
This KUOW news report from 2019 features a real-life bear that swam around the San Juan Islands, visiting birdfeeders and trash cans. Was this the incident that inspired Julia Phillips to write her novel?
“There’s Always This Year:
On Basketball and Ascension”
by Hanif Abdurraqib
This 1990’s basketball memoir thrums with a rich current of popular music, a heartfelt homage to family, a profound musing on the passage of time and a fierce loyalty to Columbus, Ohio. Ultimately a shout-out to all underdogs, this wise and poetic book explores what it really means to “make it,” whether or not you happen to be LeBron James.
Campus Connections: “There’s Always This Year”
Literary Playlist
Hanif Abdurraqib weaves many musical threads into “There’s Always This Year.” We’ve compiled a list of the songs mentioned in the book, and built a playlist on Spotify to help you get in the groove!
From Field to Classroom
UW anthropologist Holly Barker works with past UW football team members Ulumoo Ale,’22, Makell Esteen, ’24, and Faatui Tuitele, ’23, to study how skills developed on sports teams also pay off in class and career environments.
Past UW Alumni Book Club Archives
Curious what books we have read before? Use the links below to access our book club archives, which include recorded events and resource lists.
Share Your Book Ideas!
Have suggestions for upcoming book club titles?
Submit your ideas to our Book Club Suggestion Form.
Check out the books that have already been suggested.
The UW Alumni Book Club is a collaboration between UWAA, the UW Libraries, the University Book Store — and passionate readers like you.
