women's studies at the university of north texas
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bluestockings book club

 

 

what is it?
a book club for people who want to read about women

why is it called bluestockings?
the Blue Stocking Circle was a group of educated, intellectual women and men which met and flourished in London in the latter part of the 18th century. One of the members, a Mr. Stillingfleet, was too poor to afford evening wear and wore his everyday blue stockings.  
   --from The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature

 

when is it?
 

Thursday May 15, 7 pm

Thursday June 26, 7 pm

Thursday July 17, 7 pm

Thursday September 18, 7 pm

Thursday October 16, 7 pm

Thursday November 20, 7 pm
2009

Thursday January 15, 7 pm

Thursday February 19, 7 pm

Thursday April 16, 7 pm

Thursday May 15, 7 pm

 

where is it?
Barnes & Noble Denton (in the mall)

who is invited?
anyone who wants to read and discuss books about women

how do I find out more?
call 940.565.2098 or email wmst@unt.edu

 

May 15, 2008

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
By Lisa See
          
Reminiscent of Pavilion of Women, the Pearl Buck novel we read a couple of years ago, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is set in China and is replete with foot-binding and the powerlessness of women in marriage there.  It is touted as a poignant and suspenseful historical chronicle

 

June 26, 2008            
NOTE:  Not our usual night!

An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas
,
By Diane Wilson

The reviewer from Publisher's Weekly says, "With her discovery that her 'piddlin' little county on the Gulf Coast' let the nation in toxic emissions, shrimper Wilson, mother of five, found herself embarking on a voyage of discovery and activism that would strain her marriage and stretch her horizons." Wilson ultimately became embroiled in a class David (Diane?) versus Goliath battle. According to Mollie Ivins, this book "is the rare, clear voice of a working-class woman goaded into action against the greatest massed forces in the world today: globalized corporate greed backed by government power." Ivins attributed Wilson's success to a trait Ivins said Wilson shares with many other women: "pure, cussed stubbornness." AND -- how many of you remember when Wilson herself was signing her books at Barnes & Noble one night when the Bluestockings met? (391 pgs.)

 

2008-2009 Reading Agenda (Microsoft Word)

2008-2009 Reading Agenda (PDF)

updated may 06, 2008 | contact the webwoman