ELLIS BOOK GROUP BOOK LIST
The Ellis Book Group meets the third Wednesday of each month from September through June (excluding December). We meet in the Library on the fourth floor of 505 Tremont Street from 7 - 8pm. If you would like to join us, contact Betsy Boveroux (bboveroux@verizon.net) so I can put your name on the list at the receptionist’s desk.
September 21st Plain Truth by Jodi Picouit 432p
A child is murdered in Amish Country. A Philadelphia lawyer reluctantly takes the case and moves in with the family to better understand those who live “plain.” A psychological drama as well as a courtroom trial. (At 89 Appleton, Anita Reiner.) Lynn Foster will lead.
October 19th Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates 176p
A bold and personal literary exploration of America’s racial history. A letter from a father to his adolescent son. “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find a way to live within all of it.”
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance 272p
A deeply affecting view of social class whose health and economic problems are making headlines. J D Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional and class decline feels like when you were born within it hung around your neck. Helen Jones will lead.
November 16th A Polish Officer: A Novel by Alan Furst 320p
A WWII tale of espionage and bravery of the Polish underground. A harrowing journey to smuggle the national gold reserves out of Poland is one of several missions for the ZWZ. deMilja, who considers himself merely “unafraid to die, and lucky so far” is an engaging protagonist. Kaysie Ives will lead.
No meeting in December
January 18th Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard Thaler 432p
An arresting, frequently hilarious account of the struggle to bring an academic discipline back down to earth - and change the way we think about economics, ourselves, and our world. When economics meets psychology, the implications for individuals, managers, and policy makers are both profound and entertaining. Betsy Boveroux will lead.
February 15th Streetfight by Jenette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow 318p
This book is an urban epic as audacious as the changes Sadik-Khan, as NYC’s Transportation Commissioner, made to the map of NYC. She is a super hero for cities and an inspiration that streets built to human scale aren’t impossible, but merely awaiting our attention. Streetfight deconstructs, reassembles and reinvents the street. Cathy Marotta will lead.
March 15th The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng 352p
Malaya 1951: The scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp and an exiled former gardener of the Emperor of Japan together take a journey through remorse to a kind of peace. A strong quiet novel of eloquent mystery also includes action packed, end of empire story telling. Anita Reiner will lead.
April 19th Bring some poems to share with the group.
May 17th Citizen of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson 496p
The roles that Averell Harriman, Edward R. Morrow, and John Gilbert Winant played as Churchill was desperately seeking an alliance with the US in the early days of WWII. Suzanne Whitney will lead.
June 21st The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild, by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence 384p
Asked to accept a herd of “rogue” elephants on his nature preserve, the author accepts with trepidation, but eventually becomes part of the herd. He comes to realize they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty and freedom. Heartwarming, exciting, funny and sometimes sad... Karen Christiansen will lead.
The Ellis Book Group meets the third Wednesday of each month from September through June (excluding December). We meet in the Library on the fourth floor of 505 Tremont Street from 7 - 8pm. If you would like to join us, contact Betsy Boveroux (bboveroux@verizon.net) so I can put your name on the list at the receptionist’s desk.
September 21st Plain Truth by Jodi Picouit 432p
A child is murdered in Amish Country. A Philadelphia lawyer reluctantly takes the case and moves in with the family to better understand those who live “plain.” A psychological drama as well as a courtroom trial. (At 89 Appleton, Anita Reiner.) Lynn Foster will lead.
October 19th Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates 176p
A bold and personal literary exploration of America’s racial history. A letter from a father to his adolescent son. “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find a way to live within all of it.”
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance 272p
A deeply affecting view of social class whose health and economic problems are making headlines. J D Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional and class decline feels like when you were born within it hung around your neck. Helen Jones will lead.
November 16th A Polish Officer: A Novel by Alan Furst 320p
A WWII tale of espionage and bravery of the Polish underground. A harrowing journey to smuggle the national gold reserves out of Poland is one of several missions for the ZWZ. deMilja, who considers himself merely “unafraid to die, and lucky so far” is an engaging protagonist. Kaysie Ives will lead.
No meeting in December
January 18th Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard Thaler 432p
An arresting, frequently hilarious account of the struggle to bring an academic discipline back down to earth - and change the way we think about economics, ourselves, and our world. When economics meets psychology, the implications for individuals, managers, and policy makers are both profound and entertaining. Betsy Boveroux will lead.
February 15th Streetfight by Jenette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow 318p
This book is an urban epic as audacious as the changes Sadik-Khan, as NYC’s Transportation Commissioner, made to the map of NYC. She is a super hero for cities and an inspiration that streets built to human scale aren’t impossible, but merely awaiting our attention. Streetfight deconstructs, reassembles and reinvents the street. Cathy Marotta will lead.
March 15th The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng 352p
Malaya 1951: The scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp and an exiled former gardener of the Emperor of Japan together take a journey through remorse to a kind of peace. A strong quiet novel of eloquent mystery also includes action packed, end of empire story telling. Anita Reiner will lead.
April 19th Bring some poems to share with the group.
May 17th Citizen of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson 496p
The roles that Averell Harriman, Edward R. Morrow, and John Gilbert Winant played as Churchill was desperately seeking an alliance with the US in the early days of WWII. Suzanne Whitney will lead.
June 21st The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild, by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence 384p
Asked to accept a herd of “rogue” elephants on his nature preserve, the author accepts with trepidation, but eventually becomes part of the herd. He comes to realize they had a great deal to teach him about life, loyalty and freedom. Heartwarming, exciting, funny and sometimes sad... Karen Christiansen will lead.