The community book group sponsored by the Oconee Democrats has announced its slate of books for 2010.

The list includes classics such as "Catch 22" and "Frankenstein" alongside newer books such as "Hot, Flat and Crowded," the best-selling book by Thomas Friedman about the global energy and climate crises.

Another choice celebrates the splendors of and threats to the natural world. Aldo Leopold's beloved classic "Sand County Almanac" will inspire readers to look more closely at the wonders of nature in the winter-into- spring months -- and beyond.

The role of ordinary people to affect change is a theme across several books. The group will read Howard Zinn's classic "A People's History of the United States" over two months. The book is an influential history of the courageous men and women who have worked to free slaves, improve the lives of factory workers, and achieve women's suffrage -- rallying in myriad ways to address injustices around the nation and world.

Another choice is "There is No Me Without You," a stirring and award-winning book by Atlanta writer Melissa Fay Green about a middle-class woman in Ethiopia who provides foster care for some of the burgeoning number of children orphaned by the catastrophe of the AIDS epidemic. (UNICEF expects the number of children orphaned by AIDS in Ethiopia alone to reach 2.2 million this year.)

An international focus pops up in several choices; these include the critically acclaimed "Engaging the Muslim World" by Juan Cole and "The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism" by retired Army colonel and self-described conservative Andrew Bacevich. Publishers Weekly described the latter book this way: "Crisp prose, sweeping historical analysis and searing observations on the roots of American decadence elevate this book from mere scolding to an urgent call for rational thinking and measured action, for citizens to wise up and put their house in order."

The schedule is provided below.

The group meets at 6 PM the last Wednesday of every month at Five Points Deli on Epps Bridge Parkway. Many attendees order dinner (in part, to help support the wonderful, locally owned deli in Oconee County); others get coffee. The conversation about the book gets underway around 6:15 and ends about 7:45. Books Galore in Watkinsville stocks copies of the books and provides a 25% discount. Newcomers from any county and of any political affiliation are welcome.
For more information, contact Pat Priest (ppriest AT charter.net).

Happy New Year -- with great books and great discussions!

Pat Priest
Proud member, Oconee Democrats

January 27
Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution -- and How It Can Renew America
Thomas Friedman

February 24
A Sand County Almanac
Aldo Leopold

March 31
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Tracy Kidder

April 28
Catch 22
Joseph Heller

May 26 and June 30 (read in two parts)
A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present
Howard Zinn

July 28
There is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children
Melissa Fay Greene.

August 25
Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory
David W. Blight

September 29
The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism
Andrew Bacevich

October 27
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley

November (Exact date to be determined)
Engaging the Muslim World
Juan Cole