AHC Book Titles for
Project Civil Discourse
AHC encourages local communities to develop Community Book Discussions that unite a humanities perspective with civil discourse techniques for public discussion of contemporary issues. Below are fiction and nonfiction book titles that address important social issues and provide opportunities to use civil discourse techniques for community discussions. These are suggested programs; you may find other programs in our catalog that are appropriate for a Project Civil Discourse program. AHC staff is available to assist with program planning.
To apply for a Community Book Discussion, please consult the Book Discussion Guidelines for eligibility and instructions. Please note on your application that this will be a Project Civil Discourse program.
Fiction
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
This classic by America's foremost playwright, The Crucible dramatizes the Salem witch-hunts and trials while commenting on modern society.
The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols
Joe Mondragon didn't want a revolution; he wanted to water a bean field, but when the community clashes with developers, instruction and humor emerge.
The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
The Arizona-based nature writer explored technological progress and preservation of the natural world in this novel that helped launch a movement.
The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
A classic study of Old West mob "justice," which serves as a parable for modern times.
No-No Boy by John Okada
A reluctant Japanese American "no-no boy" tries to find his place in a hostile, post-war America.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
In this absurdist classic, Vonnegut fashions his experiences as an American prisoner of war who witnessed the firebombing of Dresden during WWII into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority.
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
When a white fisherman is found suspiciously drowned off San Piedro Island, the community's collective memory of WWII haunts the ensuing trial of Kabuo Miyamoto.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This classic coming-of-age story in a southern town rocked by a crisis of conscience won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
The story follows the intertwining lives of two couples in southern California, one a pair of wealthy suburbanites, the other a pair of illegal immigrants from Mexico.
Nonfiction
The Devil's Highway by Luis Urrea
This grim modern Odyssey recounts the true story of a group of men who attempted to cross into the southern Arizona desert in 2001 through "the Devil's Highway," the deadliest region of the continent.
Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee
Three stories recount the wilderness adventures and clashes of an engineer, a developer, a constructor of dams, and a conservationist.
Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey To Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario
Based on the Los Angeles Times Pulitzer Prize-winning series about a 17-year-old Honduran boy's harrowing attempt to find his mother in America, this story viscerally conveys the experience of illegal immigration from Central America and its devastating impact on children.
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston
At age seven, Jeanne Wakatsuki was interned with her family at the Manzanar internment camp in California. This memoir describes their experience.
Hard Line: Life and Death on the U.S.-Mexico Border by Ken Ellingwood
The southwestern border is one of the most fascinating places in America, but it has also become one of the deadliest as illegal immigration shifted into some of the harshest territory on the continent, reshaping life on both sides of the border.
Lives on the Line: Dispatches from the U.S.-Mexico Border by Miriam Davidson and Jeffrey Scott
A compelling look at the lives and histories of the people of Nogales, a town on the U.S.-Mexico border divided by a fourteen-foot-high steel wall.
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
This classic environmental treatise on man's responsibility and role in nature includes the well-known piece, "The Land Ethic."
