Paul Knopick
At our December meeting, the Just Good Readin’ Book Club chose books that will be discussed in the coming months, starting with David McCullough’s History Matters.
David McCullough, one of America’s most famous and productive historians, strongly believed in the value of history: How we can be guided by its lessons. How there is an enduring legacy of American ideals which can be wondered at and understood by studying our history.
The Just Good Readin’ Book Club, Robson Ranch’s book club, met on Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse to welcome in the new year and to discuss McCullough’s essays. McCullough, a Pulitzer prize winner, highlights the importance of character in political leaders, with Harry Truman and George Washington serving as exemplars of American values like optimism and determination. Rich with McCullough’s signature grace, curiosity, and narrative gifts, these essays offer vital lessons in viewing history through the eyes of its participants, a perspective that McCullough believed was crucial to understanding the present as well as the past.
Among McCullough’s famous books are 1776, The Wright Brothers, John Adams, and Truman.
On Feb. 2 (the first Monday of the month) the club will discuss Ernest Hemingway’s classic For Whom the Bell Tolls. It is often considered the greatest war novel ever and Hemingway’s best. Hemingway creates a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise. All are welcome to join us.
We will be exploring additional selections in the coming months, including:
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, by Neil Degrasse Tyson
The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans
A Woman of No Importance, by Sonia Purnell
Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, by Mark Kurlansky
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America, by Bill Bryson
The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro
The God of the Woods, by Liz Woods
Go as a River, by Shelley Read