Our 2020-21 Book Club, which discussed a selection of books from our 2020 Summer Reading List, has come to a close. We are currently in the process of finalizing our 2021 Summer Reading List and look forward to sharing it with you in July.
If you want to receive updates and RSVP details about our future monthly book discussions, please click this link to provide us with your contact information.
Past book discussions we have hosted:
River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey,
by Sister Helen Prejean
Date: Thursday, May 13, 2021
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1.5 hours)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent via email after you RSVP.)
RSVP Online
Both a memoir and a type of prequel to Sister Prejean’s other works (e.g. Dead Man Walking and Death of Innocents), River of Fire provides readers with an understanding of the spiritual currents that pulled Sister Prejean — unwittingly — to becoming the “Death Policy Abolitionist Nun.”
Mary’s Pence Board Member Sister Julie Fertsch, SSJ, will facilitate the discussion of River of Fire. Julie serves as the Director of the St. Joseph Worker Program in Los Angeles, California. She holds a master’s degree in Theology from St. Michael’s College and has experience in education, foreign mission work, counseling/social work, retreat work, and spiritual direction.
On Fire: A (Burning) Case for the Green New Deal, by Naomi Klein
Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1.5 hours)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent via email after you RSVP.)
RSVP Online
On Fire, Naomi Klein’s 7th book, combines selections from her reporting on climate issues and new essays to connect the climate breakdown to the world’s rampant inequalities. Klein makes a stirring case for the necessity of a new global movement to transform the systems that produced our present existential threat.
For this discussion, we welcome Whitney Terrill, Environmental Justice Program Manager at Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light (MIPL) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In partnership with faith communities, MIPL works to grow the climate movement in Minnesota by empowering individuals and communities across the state to take action that is authentic, effective, and energizing in their context.
Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts, and Fictions, by Sheila O’Connor
Date: Thursday, March 11, 2021
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1.5 hours)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent via email after you RSVP.)
RSVP Online
Based on the story her grandmother, the history revealed in Sheila O’Connor’s novel exposes how women and girls fell prey to the systemic, little-known trend of institutionalization and criminalization for “immorality” through the story of 15-year-old V. Following V’s life through her forced enrollment at a state school as a result of an unplanned teen pregnancy, we come to understand the injustices of systems supposedly designed to help and protect people.
We are excited to have O’Connor join us for our online discussion of this journey of fact and fiction that she takes us on–one that causes all of us to think about and question systemic injustice in places where we perhaps never considered their existence.
Click here to read a review of Evidence of V written by Mary’s Pence Officer Manager Christine Lian.
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement, by Angela Y. Davis
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2021
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1.5 hours)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent via email after you RSVP.)
RSVP Online SOLD OUT.
This collection of interviews and speeches by the activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis focuses on the theme of inter/trans-national solidarity. Davis locates the increasing militarization of the world’s borders and cities within the racist capitalist system that controls so much of the globe. Freedom is a Constant Struggle is crucial reading for anyone and everyone determined to fight for liberation.
We are excited to welcome Ana Mendoza Packham and Maryama Dahir of Women for Political Change (WFPC) to facilitate the discussion of Davis’ book. The Minneapolis-based Women for Political Change, a fall 2019 Mary’s Pence grantee, is a youth-led, multiracial, multicultural organization that uplifts cis women, trans women & non-binary folks and helps them to step into their power as leaders by learning about and taking action on impactful social and political issues.
Women Writing Resistance: Essays on Latin America and the Caribbean, edited byJennifer Browdy
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2021
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1.5 hours)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent via email.)
RSVP Online
The stories of this anthology of women’s voices from Latin America and the Caribbean tell of resistance to patriarchy, white supremacy, state terror and neoliberalism. They are not only stories of inspiration, but stories that are important to hear and understand in these dark and troubled times.
The discussion will be facilitated by Gilda Larios, long-time Mary’s Pence employee and ESPERA Team Lead based in Mexico City, Mexico. Gilda has worked with women-led, community-based organizations throughout Mexico and Central America for more than 25 years.
We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance, by Linda Sarsour
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1.5 hours)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent to everyone 24 hours prior to the meeting.)
RSVP: Coming soon!
Sarsour’s autobiography explores how her life as a Palestinian Muslim America and a feminist empowered her to be a globally recognized activist. Sarsour, who served as one of the co-organizers of the Women’s March, invites others to work for equality.
The discussion will be co-hosted by recent Mary’s Pence grantee Reviving Sisterhood and facilitated by Nausheena Hussain. As co-founder and executive director, Nausheena is building a movement to address leadership development, increase community engagement, and create a philanthropic legacy for change.
Click here to read a review of the book written by Mary’s Pence Executive Director Katherine Wojtan.
No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, by Rachel Louise Snyder
Date: Wednesday October 7, 2020
Time: 8pm Eastern/7pm Central (1 hour)
Location: Online (A link for the Zoom gatherings will be sent to everyone 24 hours prior to the meeting.)
Recipient of the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, No Visible Bruises details the stories Snyder uncovered during her investigation into private violence and considers the complexities, as well as the implications, for society at large. Considering issues of mental health, poverty, gender, justice and more, No Visible Bruises adds valuable information to the quest to end systemic violence.
The discussion about No Visible Bruises will be guided by Katie Eichele. Katie is responsible for strategic planning and day-to-day operations of The Aurora Center for Advocacy & Education at the University of Minnesota.
Click here to read a review of No Visible Bruises written by Mary’s Pence staff member Sarah Mechtenberg.
More information
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If you are buying any of the books from our Summer 2020 Reading List, we encourage you to consider independent, women-owned bookstores across the U.S.