It should come as a surprise to precisely no one that OLLI members love to read (and read and read and read.) Here are just some of the books they couldn't put down in 2024. Enjoy!
Slavery By Another Name, by Douglas A. Blackmon
The book is about convict leasing--which was much more pervasive and dangerous than we usually think. Blackmon thinks it would be more accurate to call the era from the end of reconstruction to the civil rights movement "The Age of Neo-Slavery" rather than the Jim Crow era. He feels that convict leasing was a major factor in relegating our country's Black population to the bottom of the heap. — Gale Lederer
Horse, by Geraldine Brooks
Historical fiction can be a great way to learn/re-evaluate history! This story is about the greatest stallion in US history and the roles of slavery/racism and art during its lifetime and after. My appreciation for the book was enhanced by several of my OLLI courses — Rick Bell’s US history, Letha Ch’ien’s art history and Drucie Belman’s art history. THANK YOU OLLI for offering these excellent profs and courses! — Mary Ann Kiely
Headshot, by Rita Bullwinkel
A genre-defying, wonderful novel about eight teenage girl boxing champs at a tournament. Fabulous POV. Longlisted for the Booker Prize. — Christine Greene
The Golden Gate, by Amy Chua
Good, fun mystery set in the Bay Area. — Jane Glendinning
Clear, by Carys Davies
Historical fiction, fascinating characters, gorgeous writing, and a plot that will have you turning pages to the end. — Shawn Blakely
On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service, by Anthony Fauci, M.D.
This presents an excellent explanation of how institutes such as the NIH and others handle public health crises, written by the retired director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. — Tobey Shaffer
When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day, by Garrett M. Graff
An amazing account of D-Day, mostly in the words of those who lived through it. The audiobook is tremendous. — Susan Taylor
The Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, by Eduardo Galeano
Did you ever wonder why North America (above the Rio Grande at least) is so rich and Latin America so poor? Read this. –– Gale Lederer
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gwande
Incredibly helpful in understanding and appreciating the process of dying in those we love. — Hugh Winig
This Other Eden, Paul Harding
Beautifully written story about a colony of outcasts in the early 20th century. — Phyllis Isaacson
The Incorrigibles, by Meredith Jaeger
It is a fascinating account of women in San Quentin prison at the end of the 19th century seen through the lens of a young woman researching the story of one young Irish woman unjustly imprisoned there. It also ties in with the role of lace making — the subject of two OLLI outings to the Lacis Museum of lace in Berkeley. — Hugh Livingston
Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
Beautifully written, moving novella about a father who finds one of the convent's "unfortunate girls" locked inside a freezing shed. The book is set in a small village in Ireland in 1985. — Susan Adler
Land of No Regrets, by Sadi Muktadir
Set in modern day Canada, this is the story of four teenage boys at a madrasa. Poignant, humorous and moving, the book explores friendship, identity, and the true meaning of freedom. Recall the book and movie Stand By Me, but with a completely fresh viewpoint and circumstances. — Shawn Blakely
Treekeepers: The Race for a Forested Future, by Lauren E. Oakes
Oakes takes us on a journey about what people are doing around the world to save trees and the planet. It is based on fact and science. Good, comprehensive reading. —Patricia Moore
We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman
New series from the author who writes The Thursday Murder Club series comes a murder solving team, daughter and father-in-law. (Who is a great character). The humor is great as is the story. Not cutesy nor gruesome. — Lisa Schoof
Machine Dreams, by Jayne Ellen Phillips
A historical novel set in 1874 Appalachia that both gave a deep feel of that world and had a story and particularly characters that were compelling. — Bobbi Schear
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, by Zoe Schlanger
Schlanger tapped into the research of botanists to reveal a world of plant intelligence. I'll never look at my garden in the same way again. — Melissa Hayes
Huck Finn, by Mark Twain + James, by Percival Everett
Re-reading Huck Finn paired with James was a real treat! Highly recommend reading them together. — Claire Hartfield
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson
Great background on how major U.S. cities were affected by migration from the south. — Jeff White
This Is Happiness, by Niall Williams
“Story was the stuff of life, and to realize you were inside one allowed you to sometimes surrender to the plot, to bear a little easier the griefs and sufferings and to enjoy more fully the twists that came along the way.” 78-year-old Noel Crowe reflects upon his 17-year-old self, living with his grandparents during the summer electricity came to their remote County Clare village Faha. Williams writes with a sure ear that captures the cadence of Irish speech, with an observant eye that diligently records small moments and modest events, and with a heart that smiles and aches with his richly human cast of characters. — Linda Perkins
Which Side Are You On?, by Ryan Lee Wong
21-year-old Reed returns home to LA from NYC to tell his parents he's dropping out of college to engage in full-time organizing for Black Lives Matter. Outraged by a Black man being shot by an Asian police officer, he is full of righteousness. But his mom is a Korean immigrant who led a Korean-Black coalition in the 1980s. She has lived experience; her son does not. What happens during Reed's visit? — Linda Wing
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World, by Andrea Wulf
Great writing about Humboldt’s life and what was happened in his times. Surprising descriptions of his impact on Darwin, John Muir, Wordsworth, Simon Bolivar and many others. — Joann Johnson
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