The Humanist Association of Connecticut

Our book for December is Accidental Gods: On Men Unwittingly Turned Divine by Anna Della Subin.

From Amazon:
A provocative history of men who were worshipped as gods that illuminates the connection between power and religion and the role of divinity in a secular age

In a revelatory history spanning five centuries, a cast of surprising deities helps to shed light on the thorny questions of how our modern concept of “religion” was invented; why religion and politics are perpetually entangled in our supposedly secular age; and how the power to call someone divine has been used and abused by both oppressors and the oppressed.

“Subin doesn't cover Q-Anon or January 6, but reading her account of the global and historical power of the irrational, I became more and more convinced I might be reading the year's most relevant book about American politics.” – Tom Scocca, Air Mail

It's that time again for our traditional solstice POTLUCK DINNER with live music provided by Mickey Koth and John Kalinowski!
Please bring a dish to share.
There will be a short Annual Meeting, primarily for the election of the Board.
We'll have a Solstice Quiz, and Frank Avitable will do the annual reading of Lois Woodrow’s “Ode to the Tilt”.
You will have an opportunity to pay your Membership dues, both for 2023, if you have not yet paid, and for 2024; please bring a check or cash. Nina Stein, our Treasurer, will be ready to collect!
Let’s get together and CELEBRATE!

Our book for January is Poverty, by America by sociologist Matthew Desmond.

From Amazon:
The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty…Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem.

“Desmond’s book makes an urgent and unignorable appeal to our national conscience, one that has been quietly eroded over decades of increasing personal consumption and untiring corporate greed.” – Claire Messud, Harper’s