The UWAA, UW Libraries and University Book Store invite all interested readers to join the UW Alumni Book Club. An online forum for the curious reader, our bookshelf has a place for personal stories, timely topics and transformative fiction.
Read. Question. Discuss. Learn. Together, we read a book every two months. Choose just one or all six — whatever works for your schedule or speaks to your interest.
You’ll receive regular emails to help you get the most of your reading experience, from suggested timelines to moderated online discussions facilitated by Professional Book Club Guru.
It’s never a bad time to discover a good book. Take your reading to the next level and join the conversation and community of the UW Alumni Book Club.
Selected by UW Alumni Book Club members, our next selection is presented in partnership with UW Impact, as part of their Common Ground reading list. Sure to challenge perspectives, “The Color of Law” is sure to provide opportunities for conversations.
“In this groundbreaking history of the modern American metropolis, Richard Rothstein, a leading authority on housing policy, explodes the myth that America’s cities came to be racially divided through de facto segregation—that is, through individual prejudices, income differences, or the actions of private institutions like banks and real estate agencies. Rather, “The Color of Law” incontrovertibly makes clear that it was de jure segregation—the laws and policy decisions passed by local, state, and federal governments—that actually promoted the discriminatory patterns that continue to this day.”
UWAA members save through University Book Store’s Pack Rewards program. Buy online.
Book Club Events
All Districts Are Gerrymandered, But How Matters!
Tues. Sept. 22 | 6:30 p.m. (PDT) There are no neutral or perfect districts. But knowing all districts are gerrymandered helps us see who is favored and how that matters. UW Tacoma’s Jim Thatcher will briefly explore the history of gerrymandering in the US before turning towards discussions of alternative approaches to drawing districts.
Thurs. Oct. 1 | 4:00 p.m. (PDT) Join us for a Zoom call as UW Libraries board member and real estate broker Randa Kayyali Privett, Ph.D. discusses how de facto and de jure racism and redlining affect her work as a real estate agent in the Seattle area.
Thurs. Oct. 8 | 4:00 p.m. (PDT) Join your fellow readers for a discussion on our latest selection, “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.”
The History of Housing Segregation Today: How the Legacy of Redlining Impacts Seattle’s Housing Crisis
Mon. Oct. 12 | 7:30 p.m. (PDT)
Author Richard Rothstein comes to Town Hall Seattle, where he joins a panel of local leaders, including Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, ’02, to discuss the history of colonization and redlining manifest in Seattle’s housing crisis. Moderated by Michael Brown, M.P.A. ’95.
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy.
“Sabrina & Corina: Stories” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit. Set against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado–a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite–these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force.
“American Spy” by Lauren Wilkinson
It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club, and her career has stalled out. So when she’s offered a spot on a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, revolutionary president of Burkina Faso, she says yes, even though she secretly admires the work Thomas is doing for his country.
Inspired by true events, this novel knits together a gripping spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a passionate romance. This is a face of the Cold War you’ve never seen before, and it introduces a powerful new literary voice.
KEEP LEARNING:
Recorded Livechat: UW Students Talk About Burkina Faso
Two students share their experience with both colonialism and international interference within their country and region.
Recorded Livechat: Cold War in Africa
UW Professor Lynn Thomas gives us more context about the African front of the Cold War in a moderated online discussion.
“A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
In this mega-bestseller, Alexander Rostov lives under house arrest in the Metropol Hotel. He encounters Nina, a precocious and wide-eyed young girl, who introduces Alexander to an absorbing, adventure-filled existence, despite his captivity.
“The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee” by David Treuer
This 2019 National Book award nominee for nonfiction, recommended by Nancy Pearl, is a sweeping history—and counter-narrative—of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the present.
“Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb
Every year, nearly 30 million Americans sit on a therapist’s couch—and some of these patients are therapists. In her remarkable new book, Lori Gottlieb tells us that despite her license and rigorous training, her most significant credential is that she’s a card-carrying member of the human race.
KEEP LEARNING
What issues are today’s students facing? Glenna Chang, Ph.D., Associate Vice President, UW Student Life, moderated a discussion with Natacha Foo Klune, Ph.D., Director and Counseling Psychologist, UW Counseling Center; Meghann Gerber, Psy.D., Psychologist, Mental Health Clinic Unit Head, Associate Director for Mental Health, Hall Health Center, UW; and Megan Kennedy, M.A., LMHC, Interim Director, UW Resilience Lab.
Danny O’Rourke, Ph.D., ’09 ’15, is a licensed psychologist and director of Training and Education at Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle. He talked about being a Husky Psychologist and how his UW training informs his interactions with patients every day.
“No-No Boy” by John Okada, ’47, ’51
This historical novel tells the story of a Washington state Japanese American in the aftermath of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
KEEP LEARNING
English Professor Shawn Wong discusses his work creating the field of Asian American literature, his role in the publication of “No-No Boy” in the 1970s and his fight with Penguin Publishing when they illegally published the book this summer.
A conversation with Danielle Higa, ’07, and Caitlin Oiye Coon, ’02, descendants of incarcerated Japanese Americans who now work at Densho, an organization that works to preserve and share history of Japanese incarceration.
Professor Michelle Martin, Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Services and Chair of the Master of Library and Information Science program, talks about diversity and representation in literature and the importance of #OwnVoices writers.
“Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson
“The Color of Money” by Mehrsa Baradaran
“Evicted” by Matthew Desmond
“How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America” by Manning Marable
“How to Kill a City” by PE Moskowitz
“Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb
“No-No Boy” by John Okada, ’47, ’51
