Welcome to the Alumni Book Club

Horned Frogs who read are Horned Frogs who lead! Each semester, the TCU Alumni Association will select a new title for online discussion, in-person events, guest interviews and more.

Join the conversations to grow our minds and engage with alumni, parents and students. Membership is free. Click here to join.

What’s our current read?

“Toni Morrison cut a new path through the American literary landscape by placing black girls at the center of the story.” Hilton Als, The New Yorker

Marking the 50th anniversary of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s publication of The Bluest Eye, we look forward to reading her best-selling first novel heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author’s girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, Morrison tells the story of an eleven-year-old black girl in America who prays for her eyes to turn blue. Only then will she be beautiful, and people will notice her so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

Toni Morrison’s characteristic subtly and grace leads us to examine our obsession with beauty and conformity and society’s pressure to fit in with untrue ideas. As we read her book together this spring, we will unpack questions about race, class, and gender.

About the author:

Toni Morrison is the author of eleven novels, from The Bluest Eye (1970) to God Help the Child (2015).

She received the National Book Critics Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1993 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. She died in 2019.

 

Save the date for our LIVE Book Club Discussion:

TCU Professors Dr. Stacie McCormick and Dr. Sarah Robbins will join the discussion as we post weekly prompts and share resources. Together they formed TCU’s The Bluest Eye 50 project to honor Morrison’s first novel and the incomparable body of writing and cultural influence represented by her career across time. To learn more about Professors McCormick and Robbins and their project, visit The Bluest Eye 50.

Join us virtually on Thursday, April 29, from noon – 1:15 p.m. for our book club discussion and wrap-up, where we will announce the book for the summer. To register: click here!

What should I read next? Check out these top reads for 2021:

The Amazon Book Review - Books that are trending

Time Magazine - The 42 most anticipated books this fall

The New Yorker - Books section from The New Yorker

The New York Times - Books of the Times

Kirkus Reviews - Book Lists

 

What Research Says about Reading:

14 Reasons Why Reading is Good for Your Health - article here 

Seven Proven Reasons Why Reading is Good for You - article here

Ten Ways Reading Makes you an Excellent Employee - article here

Read a Book! It's Good for Your Career - article here

Most CEOs Read a Book a Week - article here

 

How do I join the book club? To get started click here. You will receive a confirmation email with the link to join Good Reads. Once you have set up your free account at Good Reads, you can start reading along with us!

For more Frequently Asked Questions click here.

If you would like to suggest a book, you can do so via this form.