LIFELONG LEARNING BOOKCLUB
Lunch and Book Discussion
The Lifelong Learning Book Club is a wonderful way to share ideas with people who love books.ﾠ We'd love to have you join us!ﾠ It's very informal and friendly- plus lunch is included.ﾠ
Several copies of all our book selections are available from the WITCC library.ﾠ If you are a member of the Sioux City Public Library system, you can check them out from WITCC or through your own library via inter-library loan.
Be sure to check the room location as it changes frequently.
THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN
by Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.
On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zo￫, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zo￫ at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.
Monday, September 19;ﾠﾠ 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Location:ﾠ Advanced Sciences Building, Room L110
Fee: ﾠ$8 (includes lunch)
Max:ﾠ 25
Lifelong Learning membership not required
Course #12/FY-CPDV-2208-01
MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND
by Helen Simonson
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In the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside lives Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, the Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses, the major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and regarding her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?
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Monday, October 17;ﾠﾠ 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Location:ﾠ Advanced Sciences Building, Room L304
Fee:ﾠ $8 (includes lunch)
Max:ﾠ 25
Lifelong Learning membership not required
Course #12/FY-CPDV-2208-02
THE LIFELONG LEARNING BOOK CLUB
THE PARIS WIFE
by Paula McLain
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A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couplein a lively and volatile group - the fabled Lost Generation - that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage: a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they've fought so hard for.
A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.
Monday, November 14;ﾠﾠ 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Location:ﾠ Advanced Sciences Building, Room L304
Fee:ﾠ $8 (includes lunch)
Max:ﾠ 25
Lifelong Learning membership not required
Course #12/FY-CPDV-2208-03
THE LIFELONG LEARNING BOOK CLUB
UNBROKEN
by Laura Hillenbrand
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On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. ﾠThen, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. ﾠIt was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.ﾠ So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini. ﾠIn boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. ﾠAs a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. ﾠBut when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. ﾠDriven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. ﾠHis fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. ﾠTelling an unforgettable story of a man's journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.
Monday, December 12;ﾠﾠ 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Location:ﾠ Advanced Sciences Building, Room L110
Fee:ﾠ $8 (includes lunch)
Max:ﾠ 25
Lifelong Learning membership not required
Course #12/FY-CPDV-2208-04
