Are you tired of not being able to find a good reading group?  Looking for a new book to pick up, or for a way to engage with like-minded people? Then the Schoolcraft Pageturners virtual book club is the place to be.

Pageturners is a book club where at least once a month Schoolcraft students, staff, faculty and community meet in order to engage and discuss a selected featured book. Three books are chosen each semester covering a variety of themes and topics. These books were chosen based on the “recommendations from faculty, staff and community members” according to Denise Schell, Co-Coordinator of the Pageturners Book Club. 

September: “Notes of a Native Son” 

Leading off the semester’s book selection for September is “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin. This book is a set of personal essays from Baldwin detailing his experiences in his twenties as a black man between the 1940s and 1950s. Throughout the book he gives a lot of insight into the many complexities facing black America during that time including the start of the civil rights movement.

“Notes of a Native Son” book discussion will take place Sept. 28 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. virtually on Zoom.

October: “Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction”

October’s book selection is “Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction” by Andrew Clapham. Clapham brings attention to human rights issues in a modern perspective with the many intricacies of which they carry. In this highlighting of issues Clapham also does a deep dive into philosophy, history, and legality of these issues to give a better understanding for the future of the human rights movement.

“Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction” book discussion will take place Oct. 26 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. on Zoom. Jump out of the virtual world for a moment and come to campus and join the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Mark Huston on Oct. 28 from 1:30- 2:45 p.m. in LA200.

November: “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End”

November’s book selection is “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande. The book deals with the issues within the medical field on the premise that humans should aim with medicine to increase their quality of life to the highest level. It deals with aspects primarily associated with nursing homes, surgery and hospitals for the potential end of someone’s life.

“Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” book discussion will take place Nov. 16 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. on Zoom.

One of the biggest takeaways for an attendee of Pageturners is “the opportunity to read a good book and share their experiences with it. Some students feel an affinity with one of the main characters; others may have a very strong emotional response to the themes in the story itself. Another really great feature of Pageturners is that there are no wrong take-aways; everyone’s opinions and experiences are valued equally,” according to Schell.

For those in the market for some social time with fellow Ocelot readers and bond over Zoom while dissecting multiple books, then this where to be.

For more information about Pageturners contact Co-Coordinator Denise Schell at [email protected] or Co-Coordinator Wayne Pricer at [email protected]. All discussions are free and open to the public. Discussion sessions are facilitated by Schoolcraft students.

To log into discussions, visit the Pageturners main webpage at www.schoolcraft.edu/pageturners then click the link for the virtual book discussion you wish to join or use Blackboard Collaborate using the link here:  https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/56dd8e40ea5348f3baf4b0253de6fc12

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