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
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Now Reading:
“James”
by Percival Everett
Reading Period: Oct. 11–Dec. 13, 2024
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” is shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and is also a finalist for the 2024 National Book Award!
Percival Everett is a prolific author who has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He won an Academy Award in Literature for his novel “Erasure,” which was adapted into the award-winning film “American Fiction.” Originally from South Carolina, he now teaches at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
“This is Everett’s most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful.”
— The New York Times
Get your copy:
UW Alumni Book Club readers can save 20% on “James.” Use code UWAAEVERETT in-store and at 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 December 13, 2024.
Author Talk:
Percival Everett at Seattle Arts & Lectures
Thurs. Jan. 23, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. PST
The in-person tickets to this live author event have already sold out, but streaming passes are still available to watch online.
Recorded Interview:
Percival Everett on “James”
In this five minute interview, Percival Everett discuss his process for researching and writing “James,” and reflects on how books end up being banned.
Two authors from this season’s book list — Percival Everett and Hanif Abdurraqib — will be speaking at Seattle Arts & Lectures this year! UWAA members and UW Alumni Book Club participants save 20% on subscriptions, tickets, and digital passes for all events in the Seattle Arts & Lectures 2024/25 season. UWAA members can find their discount code at the member benefit page, and book club readers will find the info on the UW Alumni Book Club online forum.
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
Up Next:
“Bear: A Novel” by Julia Philips
Reading Period: Jan. 3–Mar. 7, 2025
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; Elena tends bar at the local golf club; both tend to their ailing mother in the modest 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 animal knock their plans for the future (and their tight family connections) off course?
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.
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.
