Center launches summer digital book club

(April 27, 2020) LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Center launches summer digital book club

The University of Louisville's McConnell Center is launching a three-part summer series on how popular books relate to the current coronavirus pandemic. The virtual webinars will consider Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" and Wendell Berry's "Hannah Coulter."

“These books all speak to themes of our current situation," said McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg. "We invite everyone looking for a good excuse to do some important reading with us this summer, and our faculty leaders will be lively and entertaining."

Registration for each Zoom talk is required. Reading each book in advance of the talks is encouraged, but not required, to participate.

May 28, 6 pm, Zoom: 'Why We Need 'Walden' Right Now'

Led by John Kleber, PhD, professor emeritus of history from Morehead State University and editor of "The Kentucky Encyclopedia." Henry David Thoreau's "Walden, or Life in the Woods" is a reflection on living in simple surroundings, with themes of solitude, connecting with nature, individualism, social distancing and living with less.

Register online

June 30, 6 pm, Zoom: 'Why Read Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451' in 2020'

Led by Amy Sturgis, PhD, an adjunct history professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University who specializes in the intellectual history of science fiction and fantasy. Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451" considers the tensions between censorship and literacy and preserving cultural writings.

Register online

July 28, 6 pm, Zoom: 'Why You Should Start Reading Wendell Berry in 2020'

Led by the McConnell Center's Gary Gregg, PhD, director, and GlyptusAnn Grider Jones, coordinator. Wendell Berry's "Hannah Coulter" focuses on Hannah's life, spanning from the Great Depression through the postwar industrialization of agriculture, the flight of youth to urban employment and the remoteness of grandchildren.

Register online


The non-partisan McConnell Center, created at UofL in 1991, prepares Kentucky’s top undergraduate students to become future leaders; offers civic education programs for teachers, students and the public; and conducts strategic leadership development for the U.S. Army.