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Have A Resolution To Read More In 2020? 'Talk of Iowa' Is Launching A Book Club!

Lindsey Moon
/
IPR
The February book club pick for the "Talk of Iowa" book club was the novel "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" by Ayana Mathis.

Did you make a New Year's resolution to read more? We're here to inspire you! Talk of Iowa is launching a book club.

We hosted the first meeting at 10:00 a.m. during the live broadcast of Talk of Iowa on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Author Ayana Mathis talked about her novel "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie," and a few Iowans who read the book along with us also joined the conversation. 

Who is Ayana Mathis?

Ayana Mathis is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and a current assistant professor of english and creative writing at the workshop. Her debut novel, "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie,"was a New York Times Bestseller, a 2013 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, an NPR Best Books of 2013, and was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as the second selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0.

What's the book about?

In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd, swept up by the tides of the Great Migration, flees Georgia and heads north. Full of hope, she settles in Philadelphia to build a better life. Instead she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment, and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins are lost to an illness that a few pennies could have prevented.

Hattie gives birth to nine more children, whom she raises with grit, mettle, and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them to meet a world that will not be kind. Their lives, captured here in twelve luminous threads, tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage—and a nation's tumultuous journey.

Where can I find a copy of "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie," so I can read it? 

When's the next meeting?

The next on-air meeting for the book club is in April. The exact date is still TBD. Stay tuned for more!

How do I join the club? 

Get a copy of the next book, and start reading!  Charity Nebbe will host meetings during the live broadcast of Talk of Iowa from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. CT on select dates in 2020. Tweet @IowaPublicRadio to let us know you'll be reading along.

What’s the next book?

The next book we’re reading is “A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here And There” by Aldo Leopold.

Leopold was an ecologist, environmentalist and forester who was born in Burlington in 1887. He wrote the book in 1949 near his home outside of Baraboo, Wisconsin. The book itself is a collection of essays and is a combination of natural history, word painting and philosophy that outlines what Leopold called a “land ethic.”

The book has been translated into 14 languages and has sold over two million copies.

Where can I find "A Sand County Almanac," so I can read along?

Tags
Books & ReadingTalk of Iowa Book ClubBooks & Reading
Matthew was a producer for IPR's River to River and Talk of Iowa
Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa
Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer