UU Non-Fiction Readers

UU Non-Fiction Readers are intellectually curious folks who enjoy reading non-fiction, especially books that deepen our understanding of UU principles and beliefs.  We generally meet on the third Saturday of each month, at 10:30 am, in the Living Room of the Jones Community Building. We select our reads every 6 months or so from books nominated by group members, and we take turns facilitating discussions. Our meetings are lively and informal. 
Please drop in if a particular book interests you; no need to sign up in advance. Participants are responsible for obtaining their own copy of the book; only paperbacks are selected. 
​For more information, contact Peter Aitken at [email protected].

The group meets at 10:30 am on 3rd Saturdays, Living Room (unless otherwise indicated).
​
2025
  • Jan. 18: Damon Tweedy, Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine (Kathy Carrao, discussion leader)
  • Feb. 15: Tim Alberta, The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism (Dean Peterson)
  • Mar. 15: Jaclyn Moyer, On Gold Hill: A Personal History of Wheat, Farming, and Family, from Punjab to California (Doug Shier)
  • Apr. 19: Cat Bohannon, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution (Leslie Zeldin)
  • May 17: Frank Bruni, The Age of Grievance (Joy Blevins)
    • ​
Participants select books twice a year, by nominating books and then voting. To control the cost to participants, books must be available in paperback.
​
Some potential categories include:
  • biography/ autobiography/ memoir
  • economic justice
  • environmental
  • health, medical, and end-of-life matters
  • history
  • interdisciplinary (e.g., history and science)
  • religion/spirituality
  • travel
  • recommended reads from respected sources (for example, the UUA common read, UNC summer read, etc.)
Typical Meeting Structure
  • 10-15 minutes for check-in, including “why I am interested in reading non-fiction” 
  • 70 minutes for facilitated discussion
  • 5-10 minutes for administrative issues (e.g, book selection)
  What to Expect
  • The leader usually sends discussion questions by email in advance.
  • Please come with your favorite passage marked. You might have an opportunity to read this passage aloud and explain why you liked it/or what it made you think about.
  • Most discussions will end with a go-around, asking everyone for their overall rating of book just discussed. The rating scale is shown below.
    1Disliked, just couldn’t get into this book
    2Book was OK, but nothing special
    3Liked the book--it was a good read
    4Really liked the book
    5Love the book--it was fabulous
Meeting Ground Rules
  • Let’s keep social discussion for before/after meeting, and stay focused on book during our discussion time
  • Let’s share air time equitably
  • Come when you can. We want to welcome newcomers, so our membership will remain open. If we grow too large for a good discussion (more than 16 attending regularly), we will look for ways to split into two groups.

Calendars/Reading Lists for Past Years (2015 - )    [Back to ToC ^]

Note: Lists are in reverse chronological order.

​2024
  • Jan. 20: Ariva Chomsky, Central America’s Forgotten History (Ed Steffes)
  • Feb. 17: John McWhorter, Woke Racism (Peter Aitken)
  • Mar. 16: Abhigit V. Benergee and Esther Duflo, Good Economics for Hard Times (Barbara Dennis)
  • Apr. 20: Mikal Gilmore, Shot in the Heart (Jane Mellin)
  • May 18: David Zucchino, Wilmington’s Lie (Doug Shier)
  • Jun. 15: Jennifer Ackerman, The Genius of Birds (Peter Aitken)
  • Jul. 20: David Grann, The Lost City of Z (Jane Mellin)
  • Aug. 17: Jonathan Haidt. The Happiness Hypothesis (Mike Goodyear)
  • Sept. 21: Amy Sohn, The Man Who Hated Women (Ed Steffes)
  • Oct. 19: Suleika Jaouad, Between Two Kingdoms (Peter Aitken)
  • Nov. 16: Michael Lewis, The Undoing Project (Doug Shier)
  • ​​

​2023
  • January 21: Chris Thomas, Inheritors of the Earth (Mary Hulett)
  • February 18: Chris Murphy, The Violence Inside Us (Joy Blevins)
  • March 18: Maxine Bédat, Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment (Doug Shier)
  • April 15: Meik Wiking, The Little Book of Hygge (Rita Jankovich)
  • May 20: Lisa Servon, The Unbanking of America (Jeff Blass)
  • Jun. 17: Sweet, John Wood. The Sewing Girl’s Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America (facilitator Joy Blevins, with guest author John Wood Sweet)
  • Jul. 15: Yong, Ed. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us (Steve McNeary)
  • Aug. 19: Strozier, Charles. Your Friend Forever, A. Lincoln: The Enduring Friendship of Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed (Maureen Magner)
  • Sept. 16: Darity, William A. and A. Kirsten Mullen. From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century. 2nd Edition (Carolyn Holt)
  • Oct. 21: Fernandez, Belén. Inside Siglio XXI: Locked Up in Mexico’s Largest Detention Center (Mary Hulett)​
  • Nov. 18: Kraut, Alan M. Goldberger’s War: The Life and Work of a Public Health Crusader (Barbara Dennis)


2022
  • January 15: Timothy Snyder, The Road to Unfreedom (discussion leader: Jeff Blass)
  • February 19: Mark Bittman, Animal, Vegetable, Junk (Glenn Davis)
  • March 19: Geeta Kapur, To Drink from the Well (Mary Hulett)
  • April 16: Stephanie Kelton, The Deficit Myth (Ed Steffes)
  • May 21: Elizabeth Economy, The Third Revolution (Kari Andrade)
  • June 18: Gilbert King, Devil in the Grove (Joy Blevins)
  • July  16: Nancy Isenberg, White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America (Ed Steffes)
  • August 20: Peter Zeihan, Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World (Glenn Davis)
  • September 17: Jay Dolin, A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes (Mary Hulett)
  • October 15: Nina Jankowicz, How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict (Judy Lechner)
  • November 19: Matthew Beaumont, The Walker: On Finding and Losing Yourself in a Modern City (Glenn Davis)

​
2021
  • January 16: Isabel Wilkerson. Caste; Leader: Glenn D.
  • February 20: Matthew Desmond. Evicted; Leader: Ed S.
  • March 20:  John Medina. Brain Rules for Aging Well; Leader: Laurence K.
  • April 17: Timothy Snyder. On Tyranny; Leader: Joy B.
  • May 15: Stephen Greenblatt. The Swerve; Leader: Mary H.
  • June 19: Alan Weisman. The World Without Us; Leader: Lila B.
  • July 17: Binyamin Appelbaum. The Economists' Hour; Leader: Ed S.
  • August 21: Bart Ehrman. Heaven and Hell; Leader: Glenn D.
  • September 18: Charles C. Mann. 1491; Leader: Steve M.
  • October 16: C.S. Gwynne. Empire of the Summer Moon; Leader: Kari A.
  • November 20: Nicole Perloth. This is How They Tell Me the World Ends; Leader: Laurence K. 
 
2020
  • January 18: Leslie Chang. Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China; Leader: Steve M.
  • February 15: Francisco Cantu. The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border; Leader: Carolyn H.
  • March 21:  Nadia Murad. The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight against the Islamic State; Leader: Mary H.
  • April 18: Robin DiAngelo & Michael Eric Dyson. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism; Leader: Jan P.
  • May 16: Stephen Kinzer. Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq; Leader: Lila B.
  • June 20: Steven Waldman. Sacred Liberty: America’s Long, Bloody and Ongoing Struggle for Religious Liberty; Leader: Ed S.
  • July 18: David Reich. Who We Are and How We Got There: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past;Leader: Glenn D.
  • August 15: Dirk Philipsen. The Little Big Number: How GDP Came to Rule the World and What to Do about It;Leader: Doug S.
  • September 19: Paul Collier. The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties; Leader: Ed S.
  • October 17: Richard Rothstein. The Color of Law; Leader: Mary H.
  • November 21: Ozzie Zehner. Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism;Leader: Carolyn H.
  • December: No meeting

​2019
  • Jan 19 - The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing  World.  Leader: Jeannie Z. 
  • Feb 16 - Mir Tamim Ansary.  Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. Leader: Steve M.
  • Mar 16 - Barbara Ehrenreich.  Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer. Leader: Ivy B.
  • Apr 20 - Yuval Noah Harari.  Sapiens: A Brief History of Human Kind. Leaders: Carolyn H and Joe S.
  • May 18 - Steven Brill. Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America’s Fifty-Year Fall—and Those Fighting to Reverse It. Leader: Ed S.
  • Jun 15 - Madeleine Albright.  Fascism: A Warning. Leader: Jeff B.
  • Jul 20 - Jon Meacham. The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels. Leader: Lila B.
  • Aug 17 - John Barry. The Great Influenza:The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History. Leader: Steve M.
  • Sep 21 - Susan Quinn. Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady. Leader: Carolyn H.
  • Oct 19 - Colin Mayer. Prosperity: Better Business Makes the Greater Good. Leader: Ed S.
  • Nov 16 - Elaine Pagels. Why Religion? A Personal Story. Leader: Mike G.
  • Dec - No meeting
2018
  • Jan 20 - Haidt, Jonathan. The Righteous Mind:  Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion.  2012.   Leader: Mike G. 
  • Feb 17 - Tolan, Sandy.  The Lemon Tree.  2007. Leader: Mary H.
  • Mar 17 - Coates, Ta-Nehisi.  We Were Eight Years in Power.  2017. Leader: Mary  L.
  • Apr 21 - Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne.  An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States.  2014. Leader: Carolyn
  • May 19 - Woodard, Colin.  American Nations:  A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.  2012. Leader: Laurence
  • Jun 16 - Hochschild, Arlie.  Strangers in Their Own Land:  Anger and Mourning on the American Right, A Journey to the Heart of our Political Divide.  Leader: Ed
  • Jul 21 - Roach, Mary. Gulp. Leader: Mary H.
  • Aug  18 - Almond, Steve. Bad Stories. Leader: Jeannie Z.
  • * Sept 22 (rescheduled from Sept 15) - Al-Sharif, Manal. Daring to Drive. Leader: Carolyn H.
    Oct 20 - Godwin, Peter. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun. Leader: Betsy K.
  • Nov 17 - Friedman, Thomas L. Thank You for Being Late. Leader: Ed S.
  • Dec - TBD



2017
  • Jan 21 - Konner, Melvin.  Women After All:  Sex, Evolution, and the End of Male Supremacy.  Leader: Ed  
  • Feb 18 - Wangari, Maathai.  Unbowed:  A Memoir.  Leader: Jeanne
  • Mar 18 - Barber, William.  The Third Reconstruction.  Leader: Mary
  • Apr 15 - Klein, Naomi.  This Changes Everything:  Capitalism vs. The Climate.  Leader: Ivy
  • May 20 - Ford, Martin.  The Rise of the Robots:  Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future.  Leader: Ed
  • Jun 17 - McCullough, David.  The Wright Brothers.  Leader: Steve
  • Jul 15 - Wilkinson, Richard, and Kate Pickett.  The Spirit Level:  Why Greater Equality Makes Society Stronger.  Leader: Lila
  • Aug 19 - Muir, Frederic, Editor.  Turning Point:  Essays on a New Unitarian Universalism.  Leader: Carolyn
  • Sept 16 - Marshall, Tim.  Prisoners of Geography:  Ten Maps that Explain Everything about the World.  Leader: Steve
  • Oct 21 - Mayer, Jane.  Dark Money:  The Hidden History of the Billionaires behind the Rise of the Radical Right. Leader: Carolyn.
  • Nov 18 - Partanen, Anu.  The Nordic Theory of Everything:  In Search of a Better Life. Leader: Jeanne.
  • Dec - No meeting
  • ​
​2016
  • Jan 16 - Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Leader: Carolyn
  • Feb 20 - Diamond, Jared. The World Until Yesterday. Leader: Steve
  • Mar 19 - Cose, Ellis. Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation and Revenge. Leader: Ivy
  • Apr 16 - Milanovic, Branko. The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of Global Inequality. Leader: Marya
  • May 21 - Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy. Leader: Lila
  • Jun 18 - McCullough, David. The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914. Leader: Laurence
  • Jul 16 - Cain, Susan. Quiet. Leader: Judy
  • Aug 20 - Boyer, Paul and Stephen Nissenbaum. Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft. Leader: Lila
  • Sep 17 - Tribe, Lawrence and Joshua Matz. Uncertain Justice: The Roberts Court and the Constitution. Leader: Kathryn
  • Oct 15 - Nawaz, Maajid. Radical: My Journey Out of Islamist Extremism. Leader: Carolyn
  • Nov 19 - White, Courtney. Grass, Soil, Hope: A Journey Through Carbon Country. Leader: Jeanne
  • Dec - No meeting
​
2015
  • Jan 17 - Harris, Mark. Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial.
  • Feb 21 - Powers, William. Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream.
  • Mar 21 - Sommers, Tamler. A Very Bad Wizard: Morality Behind the Curtain.
  • Apr 18 - Morris, Jan. Conundrum.
  • May 16 - Kolbert, Elizabeth. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.
  • June 20 - Demick, Barbara. Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea.
  • July 18 - Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
  • Aug 15 - Gawande, Atul. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters at the End of Life.
  • Sept 19 - Reston, James. Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors.
  • Oct 31 - Marshall, Megan. Margaret Fuller: A New American Life. Leader: Carolyn H.
  • Nov 21 - Kurlansky, Mark. Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World. Leader: Steve M.
  • Dec 19 - Prothero, Stephen. God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World. Leader: Marya I.