[Hac-announce] Book Group Announcements

[Dan Blinn]

Our discussion of The Swerve: How The World Became
Modern<http://www.amazon.com/Swerve-How-World-Became-Modern/dp/B0084QQWK4/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388329029&sr=1-2&keywords=the+swerve>,
which was postponed due to snow, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18
at 2:00 pm (note the time; note 3:00 pm as originally announced in Meetup).
In case of bad weather, the back-up date is Saturday, Jan. 25.

We have also scheduled our February book a philosophical novel: Ishmael: An
Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
<http://www.amazon.com/Ishmael-Adventure-Spirit-Daniel-Quinn-ebook/dp/B000SEFH6A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388329065&sr=1-1&keywords=ishmael+by+daniel+quinn>by
Daniel Quinn.  The premise of "Ishmael" is, quite frankly, too ridiculous
to describe, but the substance lies in the Socratic dialogue about
humanity's place on this Earth.  Here are some excerpts of reviews and
comments on the book:


   - "...Suspenseful, inventive and socially urgent as any fiction or
   nonfiction book you are likely to read this or any other year." - *The
   Austin Chronicle*

   - "From now on I will divide the books I have read into two categories
   -- the ones I read before
*Ishmael*<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553375407/readishmaelco-20>
and
   those read after." - Jim Britell, *Whole Earth Review*

   - "...fascinating...Quinn's smooth style and his intriguing proposals
   should hold the attention of readers interested in the daunting dilemmas
   that beset our planet." -*Publishers Weekly*

   - “A thoughtful, fearlessly low-key novel about the role of our species
   on the planet…laid out for us with an originality and a clarity that few
   would deny.” – *The New York Times Book Review*

   - "Deserves high marks as a serious -- and all too rare -- effort that
   is unflinchingly engaged with fundamental life-and-death concerns." - *The
   Atlanta Journal Constitution*

   - “Arthur Koestler, in an essay in which he wondered whether mankind
   would go the way of the dinosaur, formulated what he called the Dinosaur's
   Prayer: 'Lord, a little more time!'
*Ishmael*<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553375407/readishmaelco-20>
does
   its bit to answer that prayer and may just possibly have bought us all a
   little more time.” - *Los Angeles Times*

   - “The point remains that we are killing the earth along with ourselves
   and it is nearly too late to check our fate. This is reason enough for
   reading *Ishmael*<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553375407/readishmaelco-20>.”
   -*The Orlando Sentinel*

   - "There's no one book I'd take to a desert island, not even the Bible
   or Shakespeare. Perhaps a book on how to build a boat or raft.
*Ishmael*<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553375407/readishmaelco-20>
is
   the book I buy 10 at a time and give away to all sorts of folks." – Pete
   Seeger, famed activist and Grammy-award winning folk singer

   - “…someone sent me a copy of Daniel Quinn's book,
*Ishmael*<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553375407/readishmaelco-20>.
   I've now read it six times and I'm here to tell you that [author Paul]
   Hawken and Quinn together will not only change your life, but make you
   understand why it should change. They did both for me." – Ray C.
Anderson<http://www.friendsofishmael.org/action/industry/anderson.shtml>,
   CEO of Interface, Inc., co-chairman of President Clinton's Sustainable
   Development Council, winner of Global Green's Inaugural Millennium Award,
   Forbes Magazine and Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year, and the first
   corporate CEO ever to win the George and Cynthia Mitchell International
   Prize for Sustainable Development


Please note that this book is part of a series.  There is another book
entitled "My Ishmael", not to be confused with the February selection. Some
of us may want to read some of these other books, too, but the February
discussion will focus on the original Ishmael.

The February discussion will be on Saturday, February 15 at 2:00 pm.  In
case of bad weather, the backup date will be Saturday, February 22.
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