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Open Minds Book Club
The Open Minds Book Club invites thoughtful participation from GVSU students, faculty and staff, Hauenstein Center members, and community members. Jakob Bigard, program manager of the Common Ground Initiative, and Brian Bowdle, associate professor of psychology, will host discussions once a semester on books that seek to understand and serve the needs of our democratic society.
What are we reading this semester?
Upcoming Books
Thursday, January 27, 2022, 4-6 PM
No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
In-person in the University Club in the Atrium of the Richard M. DeVos Center
Following an unnamed narrator turned social media sensation, Patricia Lockwood’s debut novel, No One is Talking About This, stitches together our two contemporary planes of existence–the physical world and the glowing screens of our digital lives. Lockwood humorously navigates these existences into a singular voice through her narrator’s experiences in “the portal” and subsequent whiplash return to the real world. NPR notes, “Lockwood’s media maven laments how a shared sense of irony and mockery turned on itself, and what was meant to be a source of connection and individuality became instead a disturbing source of disconnection, derision, and worse.” Help us kick off the new semester with our first fiction pick for the Open Minds Book Club!
Event Information
The Open Minds Book Club invites thoughtful participation from GVSU students, faculty and staff, Hauenstein Center members, and community members. Jakob Bigard, program manager of the Common Ground Initiative, and Brian Bowdle, associate professor of psychology, will host discussions once a semester on books that seek to understand and serve the needs of our democratic society on Thursday, January 27, 2022, 4-6 PM.
Please order or request your copy of No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood by Monday, January 10, to allow time for shipping and to enjoy the reading before the discussion. Members of the Hauenstein Center and Grand Valley State University students will receive a free copy with registration.
Past Titles
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 — Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them by Ethan Zuckerman
Thursday, June 24, 2021 — Self Portrait in Black and White by Thomas Chatterton Williams
Friday, March 12, 2021 — Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech by Keith E. Whittington
Goals of the Open Minds Book Club
Initiating the kinds of conversations necessary for fostering an informed citizenry and wise leadership
Bridging cultural, ideological, and generational divides through civil discourse
Growing a shared sense of belonging in our West Michigan community