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San Diego Liberal Bookworms

San Diego, CA, US

803 members · Public group

Organized by sarah

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What we’re about

This group is for dedicated readers and knowledge seekers who want to learn more about the world we live in. Knowledge is, after all, power, and having facts and figures to back up arguments is never a bad thing. Ideally this group will meet once a month to discuss a book of the month. We can read both fiction and non-fiction, and the literature we read need not be political. The overall aim of the group will be to enrich ourselves with knowledge and get together to share this knowledge.

Upcoming events (2)

Sat, 23 Aug 2025, 2:00 pm PDTWrecking Ball Administration, Please Post Articles in Comments (no book)
Meraki Cafe, San Diego, CA
Apologies for no book for August. Please post articles in comments to help us discuss the latest in conservative, extreme right-wing, and kleptocratic governance under Trump and his enablers. Topics to consider:

Immigration policy and actions

The coming impacts of the "Big Beautiful Bill"

Rule by executive order and corrupt dealmaking

Outrageous lawsuits settled to placate and accommodate Trump

Potential paths to defeat MAGA/Republican national dominance

Reading some common articles will help prevent a totally unmoored freakout session. I'll start with a couple...please post and read others. Thanks!

60 years after Medicaid was signed into law, Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ is chiseling it back
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/60-years-after-medicaid-was-signed-into-law-trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-is-chiseling-it-back
10 Egregious Things You May Not Know About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/10-egregious-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/

The Premature Guide to Post-Trump Reform
Wonky explanation of a future restoration of American Normalcy.
https://prospect.org/politics/2025-07-31-premature-guide-to-post-trump-reform/
13 attendees+8
Sat, 20 Sept 2025, 2:00 pm PDTWhat's the matter, two decades on
Meraki Cafe, San Diego, CA
What's the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
Thomas Frank, 2004
306 Pages
City Library, 6/7 copies available; County Library, 1 copy available, audiobook available

Recent commenters on Amazon etc. note this book is still totally relevant. It should be a fun read! Thanks Debbie for the suggestion. Publisher's summary below:

Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "in a different league from most political books" (The New York Observer), What's the Matter with Kansas? unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank answers the riddle by examining his home state, Kansas-a place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation's most eager participants in the culture wars. Charting what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"-the popular revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment-Frank reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans.

A brilliant analysis-and funny to boot-What's the Matter with Kansas? is a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.
6 attendees+1

Past events (144)

Sat, 26 July 2025, 2:00 pm PDTNot Banned History Yet: The Tulsa Race Massacre
This event has passed
6 attendees+1

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