In Marvin Gaye’s 1971 song “What’s Going On”, only one line is out of date in 2022; for many Americans, it feels like the mid-19th century all over again.
This is a respectful discussion group of recent non-fiction about complex issues challenging our society, our nation, our planet, in which all fact-based viewpoints are welcome. We’ll look at causes of modern American disenfranchisement, fear and rage; the overlapping impacts from media, economics and politics; and how an ordinary citizen can respond. There are far more valuable books than we can read together; participants will help determine the final reading list and ultimate structure from several options.
Inflation, insurrection, voter suppression, misinformation. Police brutality, white nationalism, mass shootings, mass incarceration. CRT, and white-washing history. The wealth gap, money and religion in politics, environmental decimation, the climate crisis… Part of the stress we collectively feel comes from a sense that there is little we, as individuals, can do.
“Knowledge itself is power,” per Sir Francis Bacon. More to the point, comprehension creates choices, and choice is a powerful thing. Yet raising “controversial” issues has been considered impolite or inflammatory – it could also get you surveilled, injured, criminalized or killed. For decades, debate, and discourse have gone the way of ethics and personal responsibility. We are losing the ability to care about, and learn from, those who seem different from us, to question why we think what we do. This group is for those who are concerned and curious, who are willing to truly listen to each other, especially when we disagree.
The What’s Going On? reading group meets in the Athenæum’s Bound on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7pm, September 2022 to May 2023.
Some reading selections will be chosen by the group together; group members may also read more than one book on the same topic. A working plan:
Wed, September 21: What We Thought We Knew
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow
This will prime our minds with new takes on established ideas. “Graeber and Wengrow have effectively overturned everything I ever thought about the history of the world.” “A fascinating argument about why humans today are “stuck” in rigid, hierarchical states that would have appalled our ancestors.”
Suggested chapters: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 & 10 to bring the page count near 300.
Wed, October 19: Media
United States of Distraction: Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (and What We Can Do About It) by Mickey Huff and Nolan Higdon. “A provocative critique of how manipulation of media gives rise to disinformation, intolerance, and divisiveness, and what can be done to change direction.”
Supplemental reading suggestions:
The Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right by Anne Nelson. Nelson “traces how the collapse of American local journalism laid the foundation for the Council for National Policy’s information war”; she “reveals a political trend that threatens both our form of government and our species”.
Veils of Distortion by John Zada. “In Veils of Distortion, John Zada draws on two decades of journalism experience to explain how and why the news has become broken. Zada leads us through the newsroom to reveal these distorting ‘veils.’ He offers suggestions on how to mitigate the effects of this coarse infotainment, which, if left unchecked will continue to dumb down and polarize our society, helping it to further unravel. “
Wed, November 16: Politics
The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It by Robert Reich. “An urgent analysis of how the rigged systems of American politics and power operate, how they came to be, and how average citizens can enact change.”
Supplemental reading suggestions:
The Great Suppression: Voting Rights, Corporate Cash, and the Conservative Assault on Democracy by Zachary Roth. “A deeply reported look inside the conservative movement working to undermine American democracy.” “An urgent wake-up call about the threat to our most cherished values, and a rousing argument for why we need democracy now more than ever.”
Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury by Evan Osmos. “After a decade abroad, the National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Evan Osmos returns to three places he has lived in the United States—Greenwich, CT; Clarksburg, WV; and Chicago, IL—to illuminate the origins of America’s political fury.”
Wed, December 21st: Economics
Can American Capitalism Survive? Why Greed is Not Good, Opportunity is Not Equal, and Fairness Won’t Make Us Poor by Steven Pearlstein. “If anyone can save capitalism from the capitalists, it’s Steven Pearlstein. This lucid, brilliant book refuses to abandon capitalism to those who believe morality and justice irrelevant to an economic system.”
Supplemental reading suggestions:
Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World by Tom Burgis. “In this real-life thriller packed with jaw-dropping revelations, award-winning investigative journalist Tom Burgis reveals a terrifying global web of kleptocracy and corruption.”
Post-Growth: Life After Capitalism by Tim Jackson. “Jackson’s passionate and provocative book dares us to imagine a world beyond capitalism – a place where relationship and meaning take precedence over profits and power.”
The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable by Rosa L. DeLauro. “The outspoken Connecticut congresswoman provides a powerful case for protecting and expanding America’s safety net.” “From fatal industrial fires to devastating childhood poverty, DeLauro witnessed it all—and emerged convinced that social programs are worth going to the mat for, again and again.”
Wed, January 18: Climate Change
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming edited by Paul Hawken. “For the first time ever, an international coalition of leading researchers, scientists and policymakers has come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change.”
Supplemental reading suggestions:
On Fire: The Case for the Green New Deal by Naomi Klein. Klein “explains how the bold ideas and action within the Green New Deal could avert climate catastrophe and be a blueprint for a just and thriving society.”
The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet by Micheal E, Mann. “A renowned climate scientist shows how fossil fuel companies have waged a thirty-year campaign to deflect blame and responsibility and delay action on climate change, and offers a battle plan for how we can save the planet.”
THURS, February 23rd (rescheduled from 2/15): Criminal Justice
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. “Alexander put the entire criminal justice system on trial, exposing racial discrimination from lawmaking to policing to the denial of voting rights to ex-prisoners. This bestseller struck the spark that would eventually light the fire of Black Lives Matter.”
Supplemental reading suggestion:
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. “A clarion call to end mass incarceration in America — from one of the most inspiring lawyers of our time.”
Wed, March 15th: Racism
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee. “This is the story of how public goods in this country—from parks and pools to functioning schools—have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.”
Supplemental reading suggestions:
How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi. “Kendi’s concept of anti-racism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America—but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.”
How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson. “Debunking the myth that the civil war released the nation from the grip of oligarchy…it reveals how and why the Old South not only survived in the West, but thrived.”
Dying of Whiteness: How Politics and Racial Resentment Is Killing America’s Heartland by Jonathan M. Metzl. “A physician reveals how right-wing backlash policies have mortal consequences—even for the white voters they promise to help.”
Wed, April 19th: Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory: An Introduction by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic. “One of the most acclaimed critical race theory books…accessible and informative…updated to include relevant events from the last decade, such as Barack Obama’s presidency and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Wed, May 17: Making a Difference *Meeting OFFSITE at the First Unitarian Church*
You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to Making Change Happen by Eric Liu. “Is this the America you want? If not, here’s how to claim the power to change your country.”
Samanthe Sheffer finds challenges to her perceptions stimulating and expansive. She is excited by new discoveries that alter well-established ideas, and believes in the health of—and need for—discussing “controversial” topics; learning about viewpoints and experiences different from her own. Primarily a New Englander, for decades she was a director and public speaker/educator for large social and environmental non-profits in NYC and Seattle, tasked with “thinking outside the box”. Since the pandemic began, she has been making up for her myth-education by seriously studying true American history with an amazing group of anti-racist allies. Her favorite question is, “Why?” followed by, “What can an ordinary person do?’
This group has reached capacity. To be added to a waitlist, please email readinggroups@provath.org with WHAT’S GOING ON as the subject line.
The Athenæum is deeply grateful to our wonderful volunteer leaders. Please note library reading groups are not classes or courses, but rather a way for individuals to discuss readings together, guided by both expert and amateur enthusiasts. Participants should expect discussion-based, not lecture-style meetings.
