MARCH: Humankind: A Hopeful History, by Rutger Bregman

“Humankind made me see humanity from a fresh perspective.”

 If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It’s a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. . .  Human beings, we’re taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest.

But what if it isn’t true? . . . Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens.

. . . Bregman shows us that believing in human generosity and collaboration isn’t merely optimistic—it’s realistic . . .  if we believe in the reality of humanity’s kindness and altruism, it will form the foundation for achieving true change in society, a case that Bregman makes convincingly with his signature wit, refreshing frankness, and memorable storytelling.

Come meet with us via Zoom. We meet twice a month.
Thursday Mar.11 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub1
Thursday Mar. 25 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub2

If you are a member, you will also receive the Zoom link in the week of the meeting. If you are a new member, contact Julie to get on the email list. We look forward to welcoming new members.

FEBRUARY: TEN LESSONS FOR A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD, BY fAREED zAKARIA

From Amazon:

“COVID-19 is speeding up history, but how? What is the shape of the world to come?  Lenin once said, “There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.” This is one of those times when history has sped up. CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria helps readers to understand the nature of a post-pandemic world: the political, social, technological, and economic consequences that may take years to unfold. Written in the form of ten “lessons,” covering topics from natural and biological risks to the rise of “digital life” to an emerging bipolar world order, Zakaria helps readers to begin thinking beyond the immediate effects of COVID-19. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World speaks to past, present, and future, and, while urgent and timely, is sure to become an enduring reflection on life in the early twenty-first century.

Come meet with us via Zoom. We meet twice a month.
Thursday Feb.11 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub1
Thursday Feb. 25 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub2

If you are a member, you will also receive the Zoom link in the week of the meeting. If you are a new member, contact Julie to get on the email list. We look forward to welcoming new members.

JANUARY: THE FUTURE WE CHOOSE: SURVIVING THE CLIMATE CRISIS, BY CHRISTIANA FIGUERES AND TOM RIVETT-CARNAC

From Amazon:
“Climate change: it is arguably the most urgent and consequential issue humankind has ever faced. How we address it in the next thirty years will determine the kind of world we will live in and will bequeath to our children and to theirs.

In The Future We Choose, Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac–who led negotiations for the United Nations during the historic Paris Agreement of 2015–have written a cautionary but optimistic book about the world’s changing climate and the fate of humanity.
The authors outline two possible scenarios for our planet. In one, they describe what life on Earth will be like by 2050 if we fail to meet the Paris climate targets. In the other, they lay out what it will be like to live in a carbon neutral, regenerative world. They argue for confronting the climate crisis head-on, with determination and optimism. The Future We Choose presents our options and tells us what governments, corporations, and each of us can and must do to fend off disaster.”

Come meet with us via Zoom. We meet twice a month.
Thursday Jan 14 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub1
Thursday Jan. 28 at 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub2

If you are a member, you will also receive the Zoom link in the week of the meeting. If you are a new member, contact Julie to get on the email list. We look forward to welcoming new members.

DECEMBER: STILLNESS IS THE KEY, BY RYAN HOLIDAY

From Amazon:
“In The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, bestselling author Ryan Holiday made ancient wisdom wildly popular with a new generation of leaders in sports, politics, and technology. In his new book, Stillness Is the Key, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead.

All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness–to be steady while the world spins around you. “

Come meet with us via Zoom
In December we meet one time only on Dec. 10 at 2 PM
https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub1

If you are a member, you will also receive the Zoom link in the week of the meeting. If you are a new member, contact Julie to get on the email list. We look forward to welcoming new members.

NOVEMBER: HEALING THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY: THE COURAGE TO CREATE A POLITICS WORTHY OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT, BY PARKER J. PALMER

From Amazon:
“In Healing the Heart of Democracy, Parker J. Palmer quickens our instinct to seek the common good and gives us the tools to do it. This timely, courageous and practical work—intensely personal as well as political—is not about them, “those people” in Washington D.C., or in our state capitals, on whom we blame our political problems. It’s about us, “We the People,” and what we can do in everyday settings like families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations and workplaces to resist divide-and-conquer politics and restore a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

In the same compelling, inspiring prose that has made him a bestselling author, Palmer explores five “habits of the heart” that can help us restore democracy’s foundations as we nurture them in ourselves and each other:

  • An understanding that we are all in this together
  • An appreciation of the value of “otherness”
  • An ability to hold tension in life-giving ways
  • A sense of personal voice and agency
  • A capacity to create community

Healing the Heart of Democracy is an eloquent and empowering call for “We the People” to reclaim our democracy. The online journal Democracy & Education called it “one of the most important books of the early 21st Century.” And Publishers Weekly, in a Starred Review, said “This beautifully written book deserves a wide audience that will benefit from discussing it.”

Come meet with us via Zoom. We meet twice a month.
Thursday Nov 12, 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub1
Thursday Nov 26, 2pm: https://tinyurl.com/UFPbookclub2

If you are a member, you will also receive the Zoom link in the week of the meeting. If you are a new member, contact Julie to get on the emai list. We look forward to welcoming new members.

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