Pitzer College Alumni & Family Book Club

Join our virtual book club to connect with Pitzer alumni, families, faculty, emeriti faculty, staff, students, and friends as we read and discuss a wide range of books, including works by the Pitzer community. Participation is free. (And we promise no tests!)

Join the Book Club
reading

How It Works

Pitzer College has partnered with PBC Guru to create a free virtual book club for alumni and families. Through the Pitzer College Alumni & Family Book Club, we can continue to learn and grow together as a community, whether we’re in Claremont or Chiang Mai. We’ll read one book every two months, and selections on our bookshelf will run the gamut of fiction and non-fiction, including works by the Pitzer community. You just have to get a copy of the book, read it, and meet up with other Pitzer people by chatting and posting in a private online forum for a friendly, facilitated discussion.

Why Join?

  1. Embrace Lifelong Learning: At Pitzer, we are a community of learners. The Pitzer College Alumni & Family Book Club will allow us to travel together wherever the world of words can take us and share our thoughts as we go.
  2. Connect with the Pitzer community: Reconnect with classmates, meet fellow alumni and families, and swap ideas with favorite professors. We don’t have to be on campus to share common ground. By reading the same book and discussing our different perspectives, we can capture some of what makes Pitzer so Pitzer.
  3. Reading is good for you: We don’t have to tell you this—you’re a part of Pitzer, so you know reading is learning, it is imagining, it is connecting with concepts and lives outside of your own. PBC Guru also says that reading “can reduce stress, help you sleep better, AND improve your relationships.” Wow! In short, reading is a kind of magic—let’s tap into it together.

Questions?
Feel free to send an email to engagement@517b2b.com, and we’ll be happy to help.

Pitzer Reads, and Pitzer Writes

Below are more books written by members of the Pitzer College community. If you’re a published author and don’t see your name here, please email us details at engagement@517b2b.com.

 

Authors

  • Oliver, Melvin L. Black Wealth/White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality
  • Skandera-Trombley, Laura. Mark Twain's Other Woman: The Hidden Story of His Final Years
  • Thacker, Strom C. Big Business, The State, and Free Trade
Next:
  • Glover Blackwell GP’21, Angela. Uncommon Common Ground: Race and America’s Future
Next:

Faculty

  • Alwishah, Ahmed. Illuminationist Texts and Textual Studies; Aristotle and the Arabic Tradition
  • Anthes, Bill. Edgar Heap of Birds
  • Aristizábal, Juanita C. Revista de Estudios Hispanicos (Co-editor)
  • Armendinger, Brent. Street Gloss; The Ghost in Us Was Multiplying
  • Bachman, David. Grasshopper: Visual Scripting for Rhinoceros 3D; A Geometric Approach to Differential Forms
  • Bonaparte, Alicia D. Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy, and Childbirth
  • Grabiner, Judith. A Historian Looks Back: The Calculus as Algebra and Selected Writings
  • Hicks Peterson, Tessa. Student Development and Social Justice: Critical Learning, Radical Healing and Community Engagement
  • Johnson, Carina. Archeologies of Confession: Writing the German Reformation, 1517-2017; Cultural Hierarchy in Sixteenth-Century Europe: The Ottomans and Mexicans
  • Krajnak, Tarrah. South Sound
  • Lagji, Amanda. Waiting for Now: Postcolonial Fiction and Colonial Time
  • Ma, Ming-Yuen. Resolutions 3: Global Networks of Video
  • McConnell, Stuart. Glorious Contentment: the Grand Army of the Republic, 1865-1900
  • Moore, David. The Developing Genome: An Introduction to Behavioral Epigenetics
  • O’Rourke, Harmony. Hadija’s Story: Diaspora, Gender, and Belonging in the Cameroon Grassfields
  • Phillips, Susan. I and I: Transnational Art Practice in Ghana; Operation Fly Trap: LA Gangs, Drugs, and Law
  • Purvis-Roberts, Kathleen. Chemistry of the Environment
  • Sabol Spezio, Teresa. Slick Policy: Environmental and Science Policy in the Aftermath of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill
  • Sarathy, Brinda. Pineros: Latino Labor and the Changing Face of Forestry in the Pacific Northwest
  • Strauss, Claudia. Advances in Culture Theory from Psychological Anthropology and Political Sentiments; Social Movements: The Person in Politics and Culture (co-editor); Making Sense of Public Opinion: American Discourses about Immigration and Social Programs
  • VanSickle-Ward, Rachel. The Hillary Effect: Perspectives on Clinton’s Legacy (co-editor); The Devil is in the Details: Understanding the Causes of Policy Specificity and Ambiguity
  • Wachtel, Albert. Critical Insights: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
  • Wiley, Emily. Current Protocols: Essential Laboratory Techniques
  • Yep, Kathleen. Outside the Paint: When Basketball Ruled at the Chinese Playground and The Dragon’s Child: A Story of Angel Island
  • Zuckerman, Phil. What It Means to Be Moral; Handbook of Secularism; The Nonreligious: Understanding Secular People & Societies; Living the Secular Life: New Answers to Old Questions; Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion; Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment

Faculty Emeriti

  • Benton, Jill. Avenging Muse: Naomi Royde-Smith
  • Calderon, Jose Z. Lessons from an Activist Intellectual: Reaching, Research, and Organizing for Social Change
  • Fairchild, Halford H. Social Psychology and World Peace: A Primer; Black Lives Matter: Lifespan Perspectives; (Re)Solving Violence in America
  • Levering Sullivan, Jaqueline. Tell the Rain Goodbye; Lovesick; A Less Than Perfect Peace
  • Nardi, Peter. Doing Survey Research: A Guide to Quantitative Methods, Critical Thinking: Tools for Evaluating Research
  • Parker, Joe. Democracy Beyond Nation State: Practicing Equality
  • Seymour, Susan C. Cora Du Bois: Anthropologist, Diplomat, Agent
  • Volti, Rudi. Society and Technological Change; An Introduction to the Sociology of Work and Occupations
Next:
  • Alsobrooks ’94, Juliette. Your Premature Baby Comes Home
  • Ausubel ’01, Ramona. No One is Here Except All of Us; Awayland; Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty; A Guide to Being Born; The Last Animal
  • Baker ’99, Eliot. The Last Ancient
  • Bornstein ’78, Amy. Alzheimer’s Disease: Life Course Perspectives on Risk Reduction
  • Brooks ’94, Max. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War; Devolution; Minecraft: The Island; The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead; The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
  • Brown Braun ’70, Betsy. Just Tell Me What to Say; You’re Not the Boss of Me
  • Brown ’82, Donnaldson. Because I Loved You.
  • Bussbaum ’82, Michael. Nonparametric Data Analysis: Choosing the Best Statistical Technique
  • Carlin ’86, Yvonne. Fizzy Invents Zoom!: Mad Science in the Beehive
  • Childs-Johnson ’70, Elizabeth. The Oxford Handbook of Early China
  • Chu ’04, Christopher. Camilo Pessanha’s Macau Stories 
  • Chu ’04, Christopher. Macau’s Historical Witnesses
  • Corwin ’19, Joshua. Becoming Vulnerable
  • Darnielle ’95, John. Universal Harvester; Wolf in White Van
  • Dooney ’96, Phyllis. Gravity is Stronger Here
  • Dowd ’90, Michelle. Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult
  • Feniger ’76, Susan. City Cuisine; Regional Italian, Mexican and Asian Cooking; Cantina: The Best of Casual Mexican Cooking; Mexican Cooking for Dummies; Street Food
  • Fenton ’92, Steven. Where a Man Stands
  • Goldfarb Plante ’82, Lori. Graduating with Honor: Best Practices to Promote Ethics Development in College Students
  • Hall Patron ’69, Susan. Dear America
  • Harper ’95, Joel. All the Way to the Ocean; Frankie Finds the Blues
  • Hastings ’00, Eli. Clearly Now, the Rain: A Memoir of Love and Other Trips
  • Herman ’83, Daniel. Rim Country Exodus: A Story of Conquest, Renewal, and Race in the Making
  • Hutchins Sinor ’80, Barbara. The Pact: Messages from the Other Side
  • Jackson ’90, Alan. The Lemonade Cookbook
  • Kreuter Foster ’84, Lesley. Thoughts of a Working Mother: A Tribute to Mothers Everywhere
  • Louis ’93, Jenn. Pasta By Hand; The Book of Greens; Chicken Soup Manifesto
  • Lovins ’72, Hunter. A Finer Future
  • Miller ’75, Char. Where There’s Smoke; The Environmental Science, Public Policy, and Politics of Marijuana; The Nature of Hope: Grass Roots Organizing, Environmental Justice, and Political Change; Not So Golden State: Sustainability vs. the California Dream
  • Moscowitz ’75, John. Evolution of an Unorthodox Rabbi
  • Mountford ’99, Peter. A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism; The Dismal Science
  • Muftic ’85, Tanya. Two Souls Collided: A Poetic Journey
  • Nyssens ’86, Allison. Skating by Grace; The Haunting of Evelyn Hall
  • O’Brien ’71, Sheilah “Paddy”. Lean for the Nonprofit: What You Don’t know Can Cost You; Facilitating Rapid Process Improvement Workshops-the Self-Study Guide for Lean Leaders
  • Pandian ’97, Gigi. Artifact: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery; The Accidental Alchemist; Masquerading Magician
  • Pravica ’07, Sean. Stumbling Out the Stable
  • Saavedra ’01, Yvette. Pasadena Before the Roses: Race, Identity, and Land Use in Southern California, 1771-1890; Living la Mala Vida: Transgressive Femininities, Morality, and Nationalism in Mexican Los Angeles, 1810-1850
  • Sampson ’91, Jennifer. Skaters: Tintype Portraits of West Coast Skateboarders
  • Scieszka ’06, Casey. To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story
  • Simon ’82, Maurya. The Wilderness, New and selected Poems, 1980-2016; Speaking in Tongues; Ghost Orchid
  • Simon ’89, Todd. A Little Infinity
  • Smith (Goldsmith) ’70, Marianne. Bert Meyers (1928-1979): An Archival Memory
  • Sprague ’91, Zander. EPIC Begins With 1 Step Forward: How To Plan, Achieve, and Enjoy The Journey; Making Lemonade: Choosing a Positive Pathway after Losing Your Sibling
  • Stokes ’98, Jonathan. Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas
  • Tucker ’12, Acadia. Tiny Victory Gardens: Growing Good Food Without A Yard; Growing Perennial Foods: A Field Guide to Raising Resilient Herbs, Fruits, & Vegetables; Growing Good Food: A Citizen’s Guide to Climate Victory Gardening
  • Watkins ’13, Caitlin. Addressing Environmental and Food Justice toward Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline
  • Watkins ’76, Debra. Thoughts Held Hostage: A Black Teacher’s Journey of Unlocking Young Minds
  • Weinersmith ’03, Zachary. Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything
Next:
  • Girad P’22, Danielle. One Clean Shot; Dark Passage; Interference; Everything to Lose; Exhume; Excise; Expose; Expire; White Out; Far Gone; Savage Art; Ruthless Game; Chasing Darkness; Cold Silence
  • O’Brien P’23, Michael. Shift Creating Better Tomorrows: Winning at Work and In Life