The Humanist Book Club meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m., Mesa Main Library, Main Branch, 64 East 1st Street (East of Country Club Way at the intersection of N. Centennial Way -- N.W. corner)

From Publishers Weekly:

Erudite, engaging and highly original, journalist Pollan's fascinating account of four everyday plants and their coevolution with human society challenges traditional views about humans and nature. Using the histories of apples, tulips, potatoes and cannabis to illustrate the complex, reciprocal relationship between humans and the natural world, he shows how these species have successfully exploited human desires to flourish. "It makes just as much sense to think of agriculture as something the grasses did to people as a way to conquer the trees," Pollan writes as he seamlessly weaves little-known facts, historical events and even a few amusing personal anecdotes to tell each species' story. For instance, he describes how the apple's sweetness and the appeal of hard cider enticed settlers to plant orchards throughout the American colonies, vastly expanding the plant's range. He evokes the tulip craze of 17th-century Amsterdam, where the flower's beauty led to a frenzy of speculative trading, and explores the intoxicating appeal of marijuana by talking to scientists, perusing literature and even visiting a modern marijuana garden in Amsterdam. Finally, he considers how the potato plant demonstrates man's age-old desire to control nature, leading to modern agribusiness's experiments with biotechnology. Pollan's clear, elegant style enlivens even his most scientific material, and his wide-ranging references and charming manner do much to support his basic contention that man and nature are and will always be "in this boat together."

Joan Zecherle is a Faith Community Liaison for Hospice of the Valley, connecting communities to resources on end-of-life issues. She has a B.A. in Human Health Studies and a minor in Religious Studies from Arizona State University, and is continuing her education toward certification in health care chaplaincy.

Pot Luck (bring a dish!) and tour of our property! Address: 627 West 8th Street, Mesa (between Country Club and Alma School)

Join us for a pot luck barbecue and tour of our building! If you haven't been by our building lately, this will be a good chance to see what's happening there. If you've never seen it, come on by and check it out! We'll be barbecuing all afternoon and showing off the building! Bring a dish to share.

Directions: Take the 101 Freeway to the 202 East (northern part). Exit Alma School; go south on Alma School to 8th Street, turn left (east) past Westwood High School. At the corner of Date Street, turn right into our driveway just before the traffic signal. Overflow parking on CHERRY STREET, first street to the west of the property. Westwood High School is another possibility (private property -- park at your own risk).

Dr. Jane Maienschein is Regents Professor at the ASU School of Life Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is also Director of the Center for Biology and Society. She has received numerous faculty and teaching awards, including the 2000 Parents Association Professor of the Year Chair and a Regents' Professorship in 2002, and President's Professorship in 2007. She currently serves as President of the History of Science Society and on the national board for the Association for Women in Science.

Dr. Maienschein specializes in the history and philosophy of biology and the way that biology, bioethics, and biopolicy play out in society. Focusing on research in embryology, genetics, and cell biology, Dr. Maienschein combines detailed analysis of the epistemological standards, theories, laboratory practices and experimental approaches with study of the people, institutions, and changing social, political, and legal context in which science thrives.

The Humanist Book Club meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m., Mesa Main Library, Main Branch, 64 East 1st Street (East of Country Club Way at the intersection of N. Centennial Way -- N.W. corner)

Various reviews from Amazon.com:

"Peter Singer may be the most controversial philosopher alive; he is certainly among the most influential." New Yorker; "Philosopher Peter Singer holds a mirror to the policies of the wealthiest nation-state - the United States - and the reflection is not flattering. In this morally compelling work, Singer calls for a new ethic that will serve the interest of all who live on the planet." Sydney Horton, Audubon; "Peter Singer writes, as always, lucidly and with relentless logic. Getting states to behave ethically is a heroic aspiration, but this book will give even the most obdurate realist much to think about." Gareth Evans, President, International Crisis Group, former Australian Foreign Minister; "Timely and thoughtful... A refreshing intellectual integrity in Singer's efforts to assess the facts on the ground." Andres Martinez, New York Times Book Review; "This thought provoking book should stimulate debate about how to ameliorate the problems caused by globalisation." Wildlife Activist"

Thomas J. Davis is professor of history at Arizona State University, Tempe, where he teaches U.S. Constitutional and legal history. An attorney as well as an historian, he holds a JD from the University at Buffalo, an MA in journalism from Ball State University, and an MA and Ph.D. in history from Columbia University.

Dr. Davis's research interests focus on U.S. Constitutional issues of personal rights, the employment relationship, and legal issues of racial construction and identity. His most recent publications include Race Relations in America (2006) and Race Relations in the United States, 1940-1960 (2008).

An update on the building renovation progress was a main topic of discussion, along with whatever other mattersw were on members' minds.

New meeting dates and location: Fourth Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m., Mesa Main Library, Main Branch, 64 East 1st Street (East of Country Club Way at the intersection of N. Centennial Way -- N.W. corner)

President Obama's second book will give us more insight into our new president as he disusses politics, values and his vision for America.