Nook Farm Book Club

Everyone knows, with literati like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain in the neighborhood, Nook Farm must have loved talking about books. 

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is partnering with The Mark Twain House & Museum for a book club that will put you in the know on all things Twain, Stowe, and the topics that had Nook Farm buzzing during the Victorian Era and that still captivate us today – politics, social issues, humor, adventure, romance, literature, and more!  

Mark your calendar for these Thursdays.  Come at 5 PM for a social half hour.  The book-talking begins at 5:30 PM and goes until 6:30 PM. Every book club is run by a facilitator. Reading the book is not required, but we bet you'll learn why you want to read our selections!

Thursday, January 19 (Snow date:  Thursday, January 26)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe at the Stowe Center (Snow Date: January 26)

(Bonus event co-sponsored by the Wadsworth Museum of Art and Amistad Center for Art & Culture)

Facilitated by Stowe Center executive director Katherine Kane.

 Thursday, February 2

1861: The Civil War Awakening  by Adam Goodheart at the Stowe Center (Snow Date: February 16)

As the United States marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Nook Farm Book Club turns to a gripping and evocative account of the beginnings of the Civil War.  Goodheart's accounts of the intense and dramatic events occuring across the country leaves no doubt that the nation was in crisis.  By introducing a little-known cast of Civil War heroes who took action - often at great personal risk - Goodheart paints a picture of a new generation coming of age at a time of crisis and decision.

 Nook Farm Book Talks are made possible in part by the Connecticut Humanities Council.

 Thursday, March 1

Griftopia by Matt Taibbi at the Twain Museum Center

The financial crisis that exploded in 2008 isn't past but prologue. The grifter class-made up of the largest players in the

financial industry and the politicians who do their bidding-has been growing in power, and the crisis was only one terrifying

manifestation of how they've hijacked America's political and economic life.

Matt Taibbi has combined deep sources, trailblazing reportage, and provocative analysis to create the most lucid, emotionally

galvanizing account yet written of this ongoing American crisis. He offers fresh reporting on the backroom deals of the bailout;

tells the story of Goldman Sachs, the "vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity"; and uncovers the hidden commodities

bubble that transferred billions of dollars to Wall Street while creating food shortages around the world.

This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the labyrinthine inner workings of this country, and the profound

consequences for us all.

  Thursday, April 5