Switzerite: Social Justice Book Group

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Social Justice Book Group

So, after living in this town since 2014, we finally found a church. It's the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and it is fabulous! I started going there because someone told me that's where all the Waldorf people go. :-)

Actually, I haven't yet had anyone walk up and tell me that they are an anthroposophist, but every one is very friendly and I do love that there are Buddhists and Pagans and people from all kinds of religions there, actively forming a tolerant and kind socially responsible fellowship.

I also love that the middle school youth group attends services from a wide variety of world religions, traveling all around town and visiting a new church every few weeks. I think this is very impressive, not to mention the best way to build a mutually respectful society. Tonight my children went to a Pagan ritual for Yule and they came home so excited to tell me about it! Of all my children my oldest daughter especially seems to love the Pagan celebrations.

My two younger teens are also in the social justice book group, which I think is another great project! They get a list of suggested books every few months and the children read whatever book they choose which is on the list and then have a lively discussion. They also watch a film for each topic.

When we got the list of books for their first topic we already owned two (the list was several pages long) and so that was easy enough. Becca read One Crazy Summer and Leah read Under the Same Sky.

For the second topic we owned one book and I chose to buy another one from the list so they could read different titles. Then they both decided to read both of the books anyway. The titles were Number the Stars and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

This topic's list came home tonight and I don't own any of the books on the list, so I am posting it here because 1) we sometimes lose the list and 2) I need to decide which of these books I'd like to own for my personal library. The topic is Feminism & Body Image.