We spent a portion of our February 2022 meeting sharing thoughts on the recent invasion of Ukraine, and so this month's "links and notes" include more to explore on this timely topic, too.
Our book for this month was the Pulitzer-prize winning Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain.
February Links & Notes
Ukraine-related (focused on historical and literary topics): (Shared with hopes for peace and safety soon)
Timothy Snyder, whose very relevant book The Road to Unfreedom we recently read, is posting notes with historical context on his blog: https://snyder.substack.com/ (Click "Let me read it first" before the subscription box to view the posts.)
PEN America: “Ukraine Writers Speak Out on Their New Lives at War” (3/3/2022)
Words Without Borders: "Voices from Ukraine" (A collection of 7 videos of Ukrainian writers from their archives)
World Affairs Council: "Ukraine: A Young Country with an Old History" (audio)
World Affairs Council: "Ukraine: What About the Ukrainians?" (audio) This episode is focused on the Donbass region.
Franchise-related:
National Public Radio: "Franchise Tracks the Rise and Role of Fast Food in Black America"
A couple of the commercials described in the book: https://youtu.be/9bznF8Z76o0 (First McDonald's breakfast commercial featuring a Black family; 1979); Calvin Got a Job! (1990)
National Black McDonald's Operators Association: Our History
NPR's Code Switch: "The Golden Arch of the Universe is Long" - Focuses on print and TV advertisements.
Video: The 1993 McDonald's commercial honoring Martin Luther King Jr
(A counterpoint to the meat-based fast food perspective: "These 25 Black-Owned Restaurants Are Redefining Vegan Food")
Our March Discussion
Provided that COVID stays on its current course, we anticipate shifting later this spring to a hybrid or in-person discussion format. For March, the discussion will be online, via Zoom.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
11:00 am to approx 12:15 pm Pacific Time
About the book: "Set in the 1860s, The Leopard tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. The dramatic sweep and richness of observation, the seamless intertwining of public and private worlds, and the grasp of human frailty imbue The Leopard with its particular melancholy beauty and power, and place it among the greatest historical novels of our time." (more info)
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