California Reads
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California Reads

In a national election year, readers will be Searching for Democracy as part of an initiative to inspire conversation on the nature and needs of our democracy. In libraries, community venues and online, the public will read and discuss the five books (featured below) as part of this unprecedented initiative by Cal Humanities and its partners (the California Center for the Book, the California State Library, and more).
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Books & Literature -> Literature & Fiction
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bookclub, democracy, fiction-and-non-fiction, and literature
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http://www.calhum.org/
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* August 17 Author Q&A with Daniel Alarcón
By Cal Humanitie... · 27 posts · 85 views
last updated Aug 17, 2012 04:08pm
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Members (43)

Mary Fernandez
Mary
Brenda Haggard
Brenda
Angela
Angela
Vanessa Whang
Vanessa
Biffpow
Biffpow
Carlos T.
Carlos
Ka.esvil
Ka.esvil

Rocío Escobedo
Rocío
Sebastian Roberto
Sebastian
Daniel Alarcón
Daniel
Ivorie Franks
Ivorie
Sue
Sue
Colleen
Colleen
pati morán montaño
pati

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Bookshelf (showing 1-5 of 5)

Lost City Radio
Lost City Radio
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Farewell to Manzanar
Farewell to Manzanar
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A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster
A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Com...
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It Can't Happen Here
It Can't Happen Here
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The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution
The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitu...
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Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston are the authors of <i>Farewell to Manzanar</i>. A heartbreaking and compelling memoir about the Japanese American internment experience as seen through the eyes of young girl, this personal story bears witness to a failure of American democracy. Watch an interview with Jeanne <a href="http://www.calhum.org/experiences/interview-with-jeanne-wakatsuki-houston">here</a>. Download a discussion guide for <i>Farewell to Manzanar</i> <a href="http://calhum.org/files/uploads/grant_related/CR%20Disc%20Guide%201%20Farewell.pdf">here</a>. Daniel Alarcón is the author of <i>Lost City Radio</i>. A haunting novel by a young California writer explores the aftermath of a traumatic civil war in a fictitious South American country, and raises questions about the importance of historical knowledge, collective memory, and public access to information in a democratic society. Watch an interview with Daniel <a href="http://www.calhum.org/experiences/interview-with-daniel-alarcon">here</a>. Download a discussion guide for <i>Lost City Radio</i> <a href="http://www.calhum.org/files/uploads/program_related/Disc%20Guide%205%20Lost%20City.pdf">here</a>. Rebecca Solnit is the author of <i>A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster</i>. A masterwork of narrative nonfiction by a contemporary California writer reaches some surprising conclusions about our need for community and common purpose, which she argues are fundamental to democratic forms of social and political life. Read an interview with Rebecca and find a discussion guide for her book <a href="http://calhum.org/files/uploads/grant_related/CR%20Disc%20Guide%203%20Paradise.pdf">here</a>. Dr. Richard Beeman is the author of <i>The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution: A Fully Annotated Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Amendments, and Selections from The Federalist Papers</i>. Annotated by one of the nation’s foremost Constitutional scholars, this compact edition of our nation’s founding documents provides text and context for readers seeking to understand the framework of our democracy as well as its meaning, past and present. Read an interview with Dr. Beeman and find a discussion guide for his book <a href="http://calhum.org/files/uploads/grant_related/CR%20Disc%20Guide%202%20Penguin%20Guide.pdf">here</a>. Sinclair Lewis is the author of <i>It Can’t Happen Here</i>. This underappreciated classic by one of America’s greatest novelists, first published in 1935, imagines a chillingly undemocratic America. It details the rise of a populist politician as he creates a fascist regime, and reminds us of the fragility of our democratic institutions. Read an interview with Sally E. Parry, Executive Director of the Sinclair Lewis Society, and find a discussion guide for <i>It Can't Happen Here</i> <a href="http://www.calhum.org/files/uploads/program_related/Disc%20Guide%204%20CantHappen.pdf">here.
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