InspireSeattle - Book Club

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About Book Club

The InspireSeattle book club is always seeking new members interested in reading and discussing books regarding key political issues of these times. We meet every 4 to 6 weeks on a weekday evening for 2 hours to discuss our latest book. The meeting place rotates among the homes of our membership, located from West Seattle to the Greenlake neighborhood. Carpooling is encouraged and is generally available.

Each book club concludes with a discussion of which book the majority of attendees would prefer to read next. You can take a look at a list of books previously suggested by InspireSeattle members or make your own suggestion at the book club or online.

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Click here to see a list of books previously read by the InspireSeattle book club.

View a list of books suggested for future book clubs or make your own suggestion.
Visit the InspireSeattle group at GoodReads.com to participate in discussion, connect with other book clubs, or share book recommendations across the web.

Reviews of books by members of InspireSeattle:

A review by Jim Scanlan of The End of Faith by Sam Harris
A synopsis by Dave Gamrath of The Story of B by Daniel Quinn (the author of Ishmael)

What we're reading for our Monday,
May 27, 2013 gathering:

You're Not as Crazy as I Thought (but You're Still Wrong): Conversations Between a Die-Hard Liberal and a Devoted Conservative
by Phil Neisser & Jacob Hess

Americans have been divided along political lines for so long that they have nearly forgotten how to talk to one another, much less how to listen. This is not likely to improve as long as differences between them continue to be cast in overly simplistic terms, such as “ignorance” vs. “enlightened awareness” or “morality” vs. “reprobate immorality.” Such dichotomies ignore the fact that many citizens who disagree politically nonetheless share a desire to work for the larger good of society.

Phil Neisser, a self-described “left-wing atheist,” first met Jacob Hess, a social conservative, at the 2008 proceedings of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation. After discovering a shared commitment to cross-party dialogue, they embarked together on a yearlong attempt to practice what they preached. In this book they share the result by exploring the boundaries of core disagreements about morality, power, gender roles, sexuality, race, big government, big business, and big media.

Each chapter revolves around an issue explored in depth through back-and-forth, lively question and response. This nuanced, iterative process was transformative for both authors, and could likewise serve as a valuable resource for anyone—liberal or conservative—who feels disillusioned by today’s often shallow, demagogic public discourse.

Planning ahead? We will be discussing
Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think
by Viktor Mayer-Schonberger & Kenneth Cukier
at the gathering to follow the one described above.