"BBC" (Bill's Book Club)

Named for its founder Dr. Bill Arthur, this large and enthusiastically devoted group of literature lovers gathers monthly for an insightful analysis of a variety of good reads. Each month focuses on a different book, and all are welcome for refreshments, fellowship, and stimulating discussion.

Book Selections 2022-2023

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

THE INDIGO GIRL: A NOVEL
By: Natasha Boyd

“Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.” Source: Blackstone Publishing

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON: JOHN LEWIS AND THE POWER OF HOPE
By: Jon Meacham

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An intimate and revealing portrait of civil rights icon and longtime U.S. congressman John Lewis, linking his life to the painful quest for justice in America from the 1950s to the present--from Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of America. Source: website
Anything written by Jon Meacham is bound to be excellent. He admires John Lewis who was a leading figure in the civil rights movement. Lewis was gravely injured, jailed, insulted. Yet he continued to work for civil rights. In his memory a voting rights act has been proposed but is currently stalled in the Senate. Worth reading. Source: Ross Bayard

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
By: Tim O'Brien

“Considered one of the finest books of the Vietnam War” –National Endowment for the Arts
A collection of powerful short stories by Tim O'Brien about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War and back home in America two decades later. Winner of multiple awards including a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Source: Pat Tatham

Tuesday, December 6, 2022 (7:00 pm ONLY)

CHRISTMAS GATHERING

Please bring your favorite appetizer, finger food, dessert, and Christmas spirit to share.

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

HOW TO BE A VICTORIAN: A DAWN-TO-DUSK GUIDE TO VICTORIAN LIFE
By: Ruth Goodman

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR. A "revelatory" romp through the intimate details of Victorian life, by an historian who has cheerfully endured them all. Source: Wall Street Journal.
Don’t be put off by the number of pages. It is a fascinating story which moves quickly. All sorts of little matters which I had not thought of were recounted…such as why so much black was worn, the ritual of emptying and cleaning chamber pots, cooking, etc. etc. Easy to learn all sorts of things. The book is, of course, centered in England. Source: Ross Bayard

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

REMARKABLE CREATURES
By: Tracy Chevalier

By the author of “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” this is a fascinating historical novel full of intrigue, based on the lives of two remarkable 19th century women who changed the scientific world forever. “When Mary Anning uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests, she is suspected of sinful behavior.” Source: Dutton

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

THE POISON SQUAD: ONE CHEMIST'S SINGLE-MINDED CRUSADE FOR FOOD SAFETY AT THE TURN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
By: Deborah Blum

The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad. From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Blume, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change. Source: website
Young men hired to be food tasters to determine which foods were good or not, poison to the system or not. Wonder how anyone survived in this era. Lots of adulterations. Wonder anyone survived! Thank goodness for the “Poison Squad!” Source: Ross Bayard

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

I MUST BETRAY YOU
By: Ruta Sepetys

A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.” Source: Penguin Random House
BBC members will remember Ruta, a #1 NYTimes bestselling, award-winning author, when she spoke to both sessions of our group after we read her first book, Salt to the Sea. Ruta is an internationally acclaimed author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Source: Sarah Allen

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

THE AMERICAN HEIRESS
By: Daisy Goodwin

Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts', suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however. Debut novel by Godwin, author of Victoria. Source: Macmillan

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

SAVING FREEDOM: TRUMAN, THE COLD WAR, AND THE FIGHT FOR WESTERN CIVILIZATION
By: Joe Scarborough

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! History called on Harry Truman to unite the Western world against Soviet communism, but first he had to rally Republicans and Democrats behind America's most dramatic foreign policy shift since George Washington delivered his farewell address. How did one of the least prepared presidents to walk into the Oval Office become one of its most successful? Source: HarperCollins
A fast-moving account of how Truman stepped in and realized the dangers of Communism. Not any particularly new information, but a clear analysis of the administration and how it dealt with the issues. Source: Ross Bayard

For more information about Book Club please contact Cathy Rush.

Download Book Lists