GREAT BOOKS DISCUSSION SERIES

 Three years ago, several of residents added participation in “Great Books,” a nationally sponsored program, to Kendal’s Education offerings.  Joining in these discussions of texts from the world’s great literature “just seemed an obvious thing we should be doing here at Kendal,” according to those who made the decision. The first book chosen was “Call of the Wild.”  With a maximum of fifteen participants, discussion on the two fall and two spring book dates have each involved some thirty participants, each book group meeting either Wednesday or Thursday of the same week.  (In “Great Books’” earliest days here, Stanley Goldstein, Founder of the Westchester Great Books Council, was “particularly helpful.”)

Former Chair Doris Appleby, Sheila Darnborough, Edith Litt, Lois Seulowitz and Bill Smethurst have already been on tap as moderators and two more, John Sorice and Doris Eder just completed the last training session (which happened to be held here at Kendal on Hudson by the W.G.B.C.).  The two books for October and December, 2015 were:  “Civilization and Its Discontents” by Freud and “The Remains of the Day” by Kazuo Ishiguro.  According to the 2016 Chair, Lois Seulowitz, an effort is made here by our moderators to select books, among the Great Books choices, that are not overly lengthy. And she reminds future participants that they pay for each book and must have read it to speak during the discussion.  The first choice for 2016 is: “Swann in Love” by Marcel Proust.

All meetings will be held in the office of the Residents Association.

Last edited 6/28/16