Book Discussion - THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS by Henry Adams - Weds Jul 18th 7pm Central Market Community Rm

[Alice Aman]

Hi everyone!

For anyone who missed last month and who still wants to participate,
it's not too late!

We'll meet again on Wednesday July 18th at 7pm at Houston Central
Market (Weslayan and Westheimer) in the Community Room upstairs.

We'll continue discussion of THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS by Henry
Adams. In this second discussion, we will cover chapters 11 through
21, Opinions and questions that apply to previous months reading
(introduction and Chapters I thru XI) are welcome too.

In August on the 15th, we will finish the book by covering Chapters
XXII through XXXV (about 140 pages) along with any residual issues and
thoughts about first part of the book.

Hope to see you July 18th!

--Alice

p.s. And as always: We are free and open to the public. We ask that
you read the assigned reading if you want to participate in the
discussion but you can sit in and listen anytime, whether you have
read or not. (You always have the option to "pass" if anyone calls on
you.)


======== UPCOMING DISCUSSIONS=======

Jul 18th (continuation of) THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS by Henry Adams
(publ 1907) 420 total pages
This month's reading: Chapters XI through XXI (about 140 pages)
[Top 100 Modern Library list and Pulitzer Prize winner in 1919]
Printed privately in 1907 and published to wide acclaim shortly after
the author's death in 1918, The Education of Henry Adams is a
brilliant, idiosyncratic blend of autobiography and history that
charts the great transformation in American life during the so-called
Gilded Age.

Aug 15th (final discussion of) THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS by Henry
Adams (cont'd)
Assignment: Chapters XXII through XXXV (about 140 pages) - FINISH

Sept 19th THE BENEFIT AND THE TAX BURDEN: TAX REFORM-WHY WE NEED IT
AND WHAT IT WILL TAKE [Hardcover] by Bruce Bartlett [publ 2012] 288
pages
We will start and finish entire book for this discussion. (lots of diagrams!).
[highly recommended by Kathy, a regular attendee of the group]
Written by a senior economist in the Reagan and Bush administrations
it is surprisingly fair in pointing out where our politics has not
been helpful in the debate on federal taxes and spending. Most of the
explanations of economics and tax policies are clear and easy to
understand without a degree in finance required.

Oct 17th THE SHALLOWS: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by
Nicholas Carr (publ 2011) 228 total pgs
[2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist] While the author tries to ground his
argument in the details of modern neuroscience, his most powerful
points have nothing do with our plastic cortex. He is most successful
when he focuses on cultural criticism, as he documents the losses that
accompany the arrival of new technologies.
Oct 17th THE SHALLOWS by Nicholas Carr
Assignment: Chapters One through Six (about 114 pages)
Nov 21st THE SHALLOWS by Nicholas Carr (cont'd)
Assignment: Chapters Seven through Chapter Ten. Epilogue,
Afterword (about 114 pages) - FINISH

Dec 19th THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE: Super strings, Hidden Dimensions, and
the Quest for the Ultimate Theoryby Brian Greene (publ 2001) 464 total
pgs
[2000 Pulitzer Prize finalist] The author, a specialist in quantum
field theory, believes that the two pillars of physics - general
relativity and quantum mechanics - can be reconciled in superstring
theory and gives the nonspecialist at least an illusion of
understanding--or the sense of knowing what it is that you don't know.
And that is traditionally the first step on the road to knowledge.
Dec 19th THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE by Brian Greene
Assignment: Prefaces plus Chapter 1 thru Chapter 5 (about 140 pages)
Jan 16th THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE by Brian Greene (cont'd)
Assignment: Chapter 6 thru Chapter 10 (about 128 pages)
Feb 20th THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE by Brian Greene (cont'd)
Assignment: Chapter 11 thru Chapter 15 (124 pages) - FINISH
Note: ELECTION of new titles for future discussions at this
Feb 20th meeting

Mar 20th LORDS OF FINANCE: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat
Ahamed (publ 2009) 505 total pages
[2010 Pulitzer Prize] The book is about events leading up to and
culminating in the Great Depression as told through the personal
histories of the heads of the Central Banks of the world's four major
economies at the time: Benjamin Strong Jr. of the New York Federal
Reserve, Montagu Norman of the Bank of England, Emile Moreau of the
Banque de France, and Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbank.
Mar 20th LORDS OF FINANCE by Liaquat Ahamed
Assignment: Chapters 1 thru 9 (about 179 pages)
Apr 17th LORDS OF FINANCE by Liaquat Ahamed (cont'd)
Assignment: Chapters 10 thru 15 (about 128 pages)
May 15th LORDS OF FINANCE by Liaquat Ahamed (cont'd)
Assignment: Chapters 16 thru 23 (about 199 pages) - FINISH