Humans have an inherent need to reach out to others and we never stop pushing our limits to create connections through time and space, and with the larger world around us.
Roxanne Swentzell
Sculptor Roxanne Swentzell was born with a speech impediment that made it hard to communicate with the world around her - until the first time she worked in clay. She is now a renowned sculptor with works displayed around the world. Her art connects her heritage from a long line of Native pot makers, with her contemporary views of family and culture.
Her connection to the land goes back for thousands of years, and she’s reaffirmed that as a founder of the Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute in New Mexico. She and her grown children Rose and Porter constantly endeavor to push their limits by listening to the past and leaving important messages for the future.
Science in Everyday Life
FEATURED BOOK: THUNDERSTRUCK
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson creates compelling characters and murderous twists, while tracing Guglielmo Marconi’s struggle to generate enough electricity for a reliable trans-Atlantic transmission. Painstaking research and technological history combine in this suspenseful story about pushing the limits of inter-continental connection.
Larson intertwines this narrative with the true-life search for one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers. Amazingly, Marconi’s newly-launched successful technology allowed people on both sides of the pond to listen-in as Scotland Yard tracked and captured the villain.
Author Interview
RECOMMENDED BOOKS AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Consider these titles for your Connection theme book selection. Full descriptions of each book and suggested discussion questions can be found in the download file at the bottom of the page.
Mink River, by Brian Doyle. (Fiction)
This is the lyrical, loving story of the quirky and delightful town of Neawanaka on the Oregon coast. Eccentricities abound and you will never want to part with the characters, once you let them into your life.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. (Fiction- young adult)
In this Nobel prize winning novel, a plane crash strands a group of boys on an uncharted island. Left to themselves far from modern civilization, the well-educated boys regress to a primitive state.
Never Let Me Go, by Ishiguro Kazuo. (Fiction)
A dystopian version of 1990’s England, in which the narrator recalls her time spent with two friends when they were together at school. Through a suspenseful and beautifully atmospheric story, the true nature of their state-sanctioned roles and fates is revealed.
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. (Fiction)
The story begins with an American notary in 1850, and then jumps and jumps -again and again- across centuries and into the lives of several characters, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history. The seemingly disparate characters connect, their fates intertwine, and their souls drift across time.
We Sinners, by Hanna Pylväinen. (Fiction)
The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church in modern-day Michigan. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges. We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.
Barbarian Nurseries, by Hector Tobar. (Fiction)
In this lively tale depicting the many strata of Los Angeles, a couple’s Mexican maid ends up caring for their children. She takes them to central Los Angeles in the hopes of finding the father’s estranged Mexican father – and a colossal misadventure ensues.
This is the lyrical, loving story of the quirky and delightful town of Neawanaka on the Oregon coast. Eccentricities abound and you will never want to part with the characters, once you let them into your life.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. (Fiction- young adult)
In this Nobel prize winning novel, a plane crash strands a group of boys on an uncharted island. Left to themselves far from modern civilization, the well-educated boys regress to a primitive state.
Never Let Me Go, by Ishiguro Kazuo. (Fiction)
A dystopian version of 1990’s England, in which the narrator recalls her time spent with two friends when they were together at school. Through a suspenseful and beautifully atmospheric story, the true nature of their state-sanctioned roles and fates is revealed.
Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. (Fiction)
The story begins with an American notary in 1850, and then jumps and jumps -again and again- across centuries and into the lives of several characters, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history. The seemingly disparate characters connect, their fates intertwine, and their souls drift across time.
We Sinners, by Hanna Pylväinen. (Fiction)
The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church in modern-day Michigan. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges. We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.
Barbarian Nurseries, by Hector Tobar. (Fiction)
In this lively tale depicting the many strata of Los Angeles, a couple’s Mexican maid ends up caring for their children. She takes them to central Los Angeles in the hopes of finding the father’s estranged Mexican father – and a colossal misadventure ensues.