Loyal Blues Book Club with Evviva

Evviva Weintraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries
Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries hosts our virtual book club exclusively for Loyal Blues.
You’ll have the opportunity to connect with alumni and friends, all while having an expert educator guide you through several books annually.
Our Fall Book
I hope you can join us as we delve into Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Overstory. This profound and beautifully crafted narrative weaves together the lives of nine individuals, each uniquely connected by their deep-rooted relationships with trees. Through their intertwined stories, Powers explores the urgent themes of environmental activism and the intricate, often overlooked connections between humanity and nature.
I look forward to discussing this remarkable book with you, exploring the enduring symbolism of trees and their profound impact on history, geography, and literature as well as exploring the powerful messages of conservation and the interdependence of all living things.
How it works
There is no cost to participate. Simply purchase a copy of the book and sign up below to receive emails. This title is available as an audiobook, though a variety of vendors as an eBook, and also through the Public Library through Overdrive. If you have trouble finding a copy, just let us know.
Sign up for the Loyal Blues Book Club now
Fall Reading Cycle
Once you've signed up, you will receive weekly emails to guide you through the reading period, which will run from September 17 until October 22. You can also join our Facebook Forum to discuss the book and post questions.
Virtual Events
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 | 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Writing the Forest: A Literary Journey through Trees and Time
Trees provide us with much more than wood, clean air, or shade on a hot summer day. Throughout history and across cultures, trees have been imbued with meaning—helping humans to make sense of the world. They stand as symbols for ideas. They provide metaphors for qualities. They even shape our everyday language in ways that are easy to overlook: a family tree, a table leaf, the roots of a problem, a branch of a bank. In this talk, Dr. Kacey Stewart will share his research on how eighteenth-century American naturalists wrote about trees to engage in dialogues about politics, religion, and philosophy. He will offer his findings on how their writerly choices continue to shape the way we see the natural world today and compare their perspectives with other modes of describing trees found outside the western scientific tradition.
About Kacey Stewart, PhD:
Kacey Stewart is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo whose research and teaching focuses on environmental narratives.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | 6:00-7:00 p.m.
We hope you can join us to discuss the book at our virtual book club chat with Vice Provost for University Libraries, Evviva Weinraub Lajoie.
Zoom links will be provided before each event.
Discussion Questions & Resources
- Questions:
  1. How do the early experiences of the characters with trees shape their identities and life choices? Consider the significance of these connections in the broader context of the novel.
  2. Richard Powers uses a rich, descriptive writing style that interweaves history into the narrative. Why do you think he choose to begin with the Chestnut tree? How does his use of language affect your perception of the characters’ relationship with trees and nature?
  3. The theme of interconnectedness is introduced early in the novel. How do the initial chapters set the stage for exploring the intersections of human lives and the natural world?
  Links:
  History of the American Chestnut Tree from the American Chestnut Foundation.
  The Demise and Potential Revival of the American Chestnut, by Kate Morgan, Sierra Magazine, February 25, 2021.
  The Heroes of This Novel Are Centuries Old and 300 Feet Tall, by Barbara Kingsolver, The New York Times, April 9, 2018.
  The Novel That Asks, ‘What Went Wrong With Mankind?', by Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic, June 2018.
- Questions:
  1. How did you perceive the change in tone and pacing when moving from Roots to Trunk?
  2. Consider the characters of Patricia Westerford and Olivia Vandergriff. Do you think their introduction at the end of this part of the book is purposeful? How do their backgrounds and initial motivations shape their relationship with nature?
  3. On page 215 Nick says he feels like he’s “landed in a druid tree cult” and goes on to name some of the many different cultures that have venerated trees. How do you feel spiritually has been presented in the book thus far, particularly the connection between spirituality and nature?
  Links:
  Richard Powers on What We Do to the Earth and What It Does to Us, by Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, September 9, 2024.
  ‘Mother Trees’ Are Intelligent: They Learn and Remember, by Richard Schiffman, Scientific American, May 4, 2021.