The Bucks County Community College Book Discussion Group announced that its Thursday, April 9 meeting has been canceled amid the suspension of on-campus events to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
However, the public is invited when the group reconvenes in May for its free, informal monthly meetings. The gatherings take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month during the academic year at the college’s Newtown campus.
Michael Hennessey, the literature professor who organizes the meetings, said group members come from a variety of backgrounds, but share a love of reading, and new readers are always welcome.
“The group has many deep thinkers interested in sustained inquiry about the state of humanity, and in learning about other cultures and how different people think,” said Hennessey, who has led the group discussions for more than two decades. “We welcome newcomers because we are interested in new perspectives. You can come and just listen if you want, just to get a taste of the conversation.”
For the Thursday, May 14 meeting, the group takes on The Topeka School, by Ben Lerner, named a Top 10 Book of the Year by the New York Times, Time, GQ, Vulture and the Washington Post. Adam Gordon is a senior at Topeka High School, class of ‘97. His mother Jane is a famous feminist author; his father Jonathan is an expert at getting “lost boys” to open up. Adam is one of the cool kids, and one of the seniors who brings the loner Darren Eberheart – who is, unbeknownst to Adam, his father’s patient – into the social scene, to disastrous effect.
The Book Discussion Group concludes the semester on Thursday, June 11, by delving into Winter is Coming: Why Vladmir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped, by Garry Kasparov. In this urgent book, Kasparov shows that the collapse of the Soviet Union was not an endpoint, only a change of seasons, as the Cold War melted into a new spring. But now, after years of complacency and poor judgement, winter is once again upon us.
At the June 11 meeting, attendees will also suggest, discuss, debate and choose titles for the September to December fall meeting schedule.
Founded in 1988, the Bucks County Community College Book Discussion Group meets from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, from September to June, in room 114 of the Rollins Center.
The campus is located at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown For school closing information, call 215-968-8000 or visit bucks.edu. For more information, contact Hennessey at 215-968-8164 or [email protected].
