Bill Woodson, Chair
The RAM Book Club meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 2:00 pm. Meetings are held at the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, 1701 Fredericks St., San
Luis Obispo.
Directions: Take the Grand Ave. exit from Hwy 101. Proceed towards Cal Poly and turn left at the next street. Park against the fence next to the freeway and
enter through the doors to the left on the other side of the courtyard. Go straight ahead to the meeting area.
If you are interested in taking part in the Book Club Meeting or want to be added to the club’s email list, please contact Phil Keys at philk557@gmail.com.
September 26 — The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and
Murder by David Grann. Presented by Bernie Troy.
From goodreads.com :
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.
October 24 — A Man and His Ship: America’s Greatest NavalArchitect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States by Steven Ujifusa. Presented by ?.
In the tradition of David McCullough’s grand histories, the sweeping story of one man’s quest to build the fastest, finest ocean liner in history—set against the politics, culture, and enterprise of twentieth century America.
November 28 — A Reporter’s Life by Walter Cronkite. Presented by Gary Taff.
From goodreads.com :
–The Wall Street Journal “Run, don’t walk to the nearest bookstore and treat yourself to the most heartwarming, nostalgia-producing book you will have read in many a year”. –Ann Landers
“Entertaining . . . The story of a modest man who succeeded extravagantly by remaining mostly himself. . . . His memoir is a short course on the flow of events in the second half of this century- -events the world knows more about because of Walter Cronkite’s work”.
January 23, 2024 — Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the
American Right by Mathew Dallek. Presented by Eric Brun
How a notorious far right organization set the Republican Party on a long march toward extremism. At the height of the John Birch Society’s activity in the 1960s, critics dismissed its members as a paranoid fringe. After all, “Birchers” believed that a vast communist conspiracy existed in America and posed an existential threat to Christianity, capitalism, and freedom. But as historian Matthew Dallek reveals, the Birch Society’s extremism remade American conservatism. Most Birchers were white professionals who were radicalized as growing calls for racial and gender equality appeared to upend American life. Conservative leaders recognized that these affluent voters were needed to win elections, and for decades the GOP courted Birchers and their
extremist successors. The far right steadily gained power, finally toppling the Republican
establishment and electing Donald Trump. Birchers is a deeply researched and indispensable new account of the rise of extremism in the
United States.
