OWL has both Fiction and Non-Fiction Book Discussion Groups that are open to all! Come to one or all meetings. Books are available for check out at OWL.
Non-Fiction Discussion Group
When: Second Thursday of each month from 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Where: Meeting will be held In the Library’s Jamie Gagarin Community Room.
Staff Contact: Olivia DeFiore
Selection List for 2024–25
November 14
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
In this story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a singer,
songwriter, and guitarist. She tells of growing up as an Asian-American kid at her school; of struggling
with her mother's expectations of her; of a painful adolescence. As an adult her Korean-ness began to
feel more distant until her mother’s illness forced a reckoning with her identity. Moderated by Nancy
December 12
Battle of Ink and Ice: A Sensational Story of News Barons, North Pole Explorers, and the Making of Modern Media by Darrell Hartman
The title and subtitle tell it all. The book presents a frank portrayal of Arctic explorers, brave men
who both inspired and deceived the public. It also sketches a vivid portrait of the newspapers that funded,
promoted, narrated, and often distorted their exploits. Moderated by Audrey
January 9
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
In the U.S., one in eight children go without basic necessities, some citizens live and die on the streets,
and some corporations pay poverty wages. The author, a sociologist, shows how affluent Americans
knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. This book gives us new ways of thinking about a
morally urgent problem, calling on us all to become poverty abolitionists. Moderated by Corinne
Fiction Discussion Group
When: Second Thursday of each month from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Where: Meeting will be held In the Library’s Jamie Gagarin Community Room.
Staff Contact: Olivia DeFiore
Selection List for 2024–25
November 14
The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan
One family’s tale becomes the story of a nation. A Syrian mother, a Lebanese father, and three
American children: all have lived a life of migration. They’ve always had their ancestral home in
Beirut as a constant touchstone, but a family patriarch decides to sell. That man’s decision brings
the family to Beirut in a fight to save the house. Their own secrets ignite in a city smoldering with
the legacy of war, refugees, religious tension, and political protest. Moderated by Corinne
December 12
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city – intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior
to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little
rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began. But at what cost? As civilization approaches the crossroads,
will the Overlords spell the end for humankind ... or the beginning? A classic of science fiction, this book raises
fresh questions in this dawn of the use of artificial intelligence. Moderated by Jeff
January 9
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
This is an unorthodox take on rivalry, friendship, and truth. Seven young Shakespearean actors and friends
play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingénue, extras. But good-natured rivalries
turn ugly, and real violence invades the world of make-believe. The actors find themselves facing their very
own tragedy, and their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, each other, and themselves that
they are innocent. Moderated by Olivia