Citizens Read

Award-winning journalist Steven Brill takes an uncompromising look at the adults who are fighting over Americas failure to educate its children and points the way to reversing that failure.

More information coming soon. Read The New York Times review here.

In The Global Achievement Gap, education expert Tony Wagner discusses the disparity between what American schools teach their students and the real-world skills that serve students as they enter adult life and the workforce. Wagner interviews employers to learn what they're seeking, and offers examples of schools that are teaching to the needs of the future. Join Citizens Read for a discussion of this book and insights into better ways to educate the “net” generation.

Before World War II, Portland was a den of corruption. Bootlegging, gambling and prostitution abounded, and law enforcement and union leaders were all on the take. Following the war, the situation only got worse. A startling investigation by Oregonian journalists exposed organized crime and rampant corruption in the city, sparked a reform movement and created the foundation for what is today one of the nation’s most progressive cities.

February's Citizens Read is being held in conjunction with the Multnomah County Library's 2012 Everybody Read program.

Citizens Read: Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can do About it by Star Parker.

A stark counterpoint to the October Citizens Read selection, author Star Parker argues that America's quasi-socialist social system keeps the poor enslaved in poverty. Parker, a speaker at a Republican leadership conference on cspan and a former congressional candidate, shares her own journey out of poverty and - incorporating free-market policies - offers five actionable steps that can help others make the same trip.

Citizens Read discusses the tenth anniversary edition of Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Times and presidents have changed since this book was first published - but have things essentially stayed the same? Is minimum wage really sufficient to let citizens achieve the American dream? However you answer, Nickle and Dimed raises issues worth discussing.

Portland's Goose Hollow explores the intersection of the natural and urban world, when Northwest Portland was creek and lake, and Old Town was largely a bog. The plentiful photos bring the past to life in this truly local read by Tracy J. Prince with former Portland Mayor Bud Clark. Take a journey into history - join the authors and City Club for a fun and interactive discussion and slide show of Portland's Goose Hollow.

Doors open 5:00 PM, program begins 6:30 PM.

Tito is in his early twenties. Born in Cuba, he speaks fluent Russian, lives in one room in a NoLita warehouse, and does delicate jobs involving information transfer.

Hollis Henry is an investigative journalist, on assignment from a magazine called Node. Node doesn't exist yet, which is fine; she's used to that. But it seems to be actively blocking the kind of buzz that magazines normally cultivate before they start up. Really actively blocking it. It's odd, even a little scary, if Hollis lets herself think about it much. Which she doesn't; she can't afford to.

Democracy in America
By Alexis de Tocqueville

Citizens Read returns with a three-book series exploring the theme of creating a civil society. Participants are encouraged to read the book prior to attending in order to enrich group discussion. These events are free and open to all, but RSVPs are required due to limited space. Please RSVP to amy@pdxcityclub.org or 503-228-7231 x110.

Participants are encouraged to read the sections recommended below of this classic treatise, Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, on the birth of American democracy and come ready with a question about that chapter for the group to discuss.

Citizens Read returns with a three-book series exploring the theme of creating a civil society. Participants are encouraged to read the book prior to attending in order to enrich group discussion. These events are free and open to all, but RSVPs are required due to limited space. Please RSVP to amy@pdxcityclub.org or 503-228-7231 x110.