Philanthropy book club

                                                            Photo by rawkkim on unsplash

There is so much uncertainty in my life right now. I've spent a lifetime reading fiction for joy and mental health, and reading nonfiction for work and an income (OK, I read some nonfiction for fun) and I've always read alone. My sister and I, in the early days of online life, launched a book review that we used to print and distribute at the cash registers of independent book stores in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Baltimore and San Francisco. In just the last year, however, as my illness has made me more and more isolated, I've joined one book club, started another, and am now suggesting a third. 

If you'd like to join a zoom-based reading group focused on books about #philanthropy and #civil society than please let me know by commenting here, DM'ing me on Bluesky or Mastodon, emailing me, or filling out this form. Let me know your name, one book you'd want to read, email, and what time zone you're in. We already have participants from India and California, so we'll be choosing globally accessible times as best we can. I'm hopeful we'll get readers and book suggestions from around the world. (Books need to be written in English language or translations into English, nonfiction and fiction welcome)

My suggested book is Dana Frank's new history of the Great Depression, What Can We Learn From the Great Depression? Stories of Ordinary People and Collective Action in Hard Times, which focuses on the role of community leaders, mutual aid, and other forms of solidarity. I don't know Professor Frank personally, but she's right down the road in my old stomping grounds of Santa Cruz and I may be able to invite her to join when we get to that book. 

At least one of my Stanford colleagues, Aaron Horvath, says he'll join me in this. Aaron is one of the co-leaders of a new project on Private Wealth and the Public Good, and a longtime participant in and teacher of the Stanford PACS seminar. I'm no longer able to teach the Stanford seminar on Digital Civil Society so I'm hopeful this might scratch my "go to seminar" itch. All that being said, participants will be asked to lead the conversation on the book they suggest so no goofing off allowed. There will be no quizzes.

Will try to get this going in February.