OLLI

eNews: The Bookshelf

From the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois

March 2026

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Calendar 2026 – 2027

• Letter from the Director
• OLLI members bookshelf responses
• Guest Contributor
• Donor Spotlight
• OLLI Creatives Corner
• Thank You, OLLI Volunteers
• Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
• Photo Credits for this Issue
• About Us

Unless otherwise noted, all content in this issue was compiled or written by members of the eNews Committee.

Dear Friends of OLLI,

As we move into the fourth quarter of our membership year, there’s still much to look forward to: the final weeks of our spring courses (end April 17), the OLLI Boneyard Art Show and Readings (April 11), an Onstage and On Topic performance (April 16), workshops on optics (April 22) and intergenerational art (May 16), our Spring Study Groups, Tuesday Lecture Series, and Wellness Program sessions (April 28 – June 5), a trip to Chicago with guided tours at the Art Institute and South Asia Institute (May 2), trivia sessions (May 14, 21, 28), OLLI’s annual meeting and banquet (June 9), our annual Documentary Series (June 15-18), and, of course, OLLI Interest Groups that run throughout the year. We hope you will take advantage of all the benefits your OLLI membership brings.  For a full calendar of events, please visit the OLLI calendar on our homepage. And for the most up-to-date information, read the OLLI Weekly that arrives in member inboxes every Friday afternoon. (If you are not a member, you can access the OLLI Weekly on the OLLI website.)

As many of you are now aware, we received exciting news in January that an anonymous donor pledged to donate up to $100,000 in a matching gift challenge that will give $1 for every $2 donated to our new OLLI Sustaining Excellence Fund, a quasi-endowment designed to sustain OLLI at Illinois well into the future. Your regular donations to The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Fund – our current use fund – play a vital role in supporting our instructors, purchasing equipment and supplies, upgrading technology to offer courses in person and online, assisting with lease expenses and staff salaries, and covering many other expenses that are not covered by our OSHER endowment distributions, Provost Office support, and tuition and fees. The Sustaining Excellence Fund, however, is a crucial part of OLLI's long-term strategy to expand lifelong learning opportunities for the community over the coming decades and secure OLLI’s financial future against unanticipated economic shocks. That is why we ask, if it is possible, that you consider donating to the Sustaining Excellence Fund in addition to our current use fund, especially this year, since the matching gift challenge will continue through December 31, 2026. Please follow the progress of our challenge and learn more about both funds and different ways to donate to them on our donor website. Thank you to all who donate to OLLI.

It has been a wonderful year so far at OLLI. Those who have been members for years have shared the news about OLLI with many others, and we now have 911 members. The fact that the Bernard Osher Foundation opened its OLLI Institutes to any adult who wants to continue learning has also helped attract new members. Our programs still are designed for people 50 and older, but now you can let all your friends know that they are welcome in OLLI. Membership for next year (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) will open on Wednesday, May 27. Spread the word.

Kathryn Williams

Director, OLLI at Illinois

Our question for this edition asked what book last captured you and wouldn't let you set it aside. The answers represent many different genres and many included interesting details about the when, the where, and the why.

Elizabeth Abraham

James, Percival Everett

I had a difficult time putting down James by Percival Everett. Jim is the narrator in the retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story. This version seemed to go into greater depth about why they were traveling and the dangers they faced. There were new exploits, some unexpected twists, and a surprise ending. So glad James had the opportunity to tell his side of the story.

Steve Altaner

Strangers in Time, David Baldacci

I could not put down Strangers in Time (2025) by David Baldacci. Although I’ve read and enjoyed many of Baldacci’s crime thrillers, this one was remarkable to me. It’s a riveting historical fiction thriller set in wartime London in 1944. There are secrets, betrayals, heroes, and an unexpected friendship among three richly drawn characters. It’s about surviving loss, loneliness, and the slow, painful process of learning to love again. I listened to the audiobook, which had a full set of masterful narrators who really made the dialogue come alive.

Nancy Blake

Enduring Love, Ian McEwan

There have been so many books that I haven't been able to set aside at the expense of everything else in life. But I'm giving you the one that immediately came to mind after reading the question: Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. I read it in one sitting.

Jim Brusattte

A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh, Allan W. Eckert

My book is A Sorrow in Our Heart by Allan W. Eckert. It is an engaging and informative story of the fascinating life of Tecumseh. What an amazing person.

Sandy Camargo

The Magus, John Fowles

The only book that I can remember that absorbed me like that is The Magus by John Fowles. I finished reading it on the bus. I put it down, looked out the window stunned, and didn't read another book for at least three months.

Fred Christensen

The Man on a Donkey, H.F.M Prescott

Decades ago, I read The Man on a Donkey by H. F. M. Prescott and still think it's the best historical novel ever written. It takes place in England in the time of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and follows a group of characters caught up in a revolt against the King's policy of breaking with the Catholic Church and confiscating all the monasteries. That era and the personalities of her characters are vividly portrayed. Prescott was one of those historians who could treat "history as literature," and her ability to bring the past to life was unmatched.

Isabel Cole

Horse, Geraldine Brooks

Horse by Gwendolyn Brooks – a terrific story about a remarkable horse, the Civil War, and racial injustice. You keep reading because you have to know what happens next. Incredibly, her husband, Tony Horwitz, is another favorite author (Confederates in the Attic, Blue Latitudes). After reading Blue Latitudes I had to journey to Hawai’i (the big island) to see the bay where Captain Cook was killed. Sadly, Tony died way too soon.

Linda Coleman

The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong

A tough question.  While my default would be anything by Jane Austen, I’ll focus instead on one of the many amazing contemporary novels I’ve read in the last few years. Ocean Voung’s The Emperor of Gladness is a literary novel and almost what I’d call a poetic saga.  What happens when a young, confused second generation Vietnamese immigrant and an aging Lithuanian woman with dementia find one another at pivotal moments in their very complicated American lives?  Finding the answer is why this one was hard to put down. 

Pat Davis

James, Percival Everett

One of my favorite listening books was James: a Novel by Percival Everett narrated by Dominic Hoffman. The black dialect and force of the experiences of James really came alive in Dominic’s narration. If you are a Mark Twain fan, I am sure you will enjoy this book.

Martha Diehl

The Gales of November, The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, John U. Bacon

I recommend The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon.

Yes, it is the story of a Great Lakes freighter lost in a storm. It is also a book about ships' construction, shipping, the science of weather on the Lakes, the men who served on The Fitz, their families, and Gordon Lightfoot's ode. Bacon's telling is taut, and all the more poignant because the reader knows how the journey ends.

Judy Fierke

The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

I had never read The Grapes of Wrath until Ann Boswell’s class last year. I couldn’t read just the weekly amount. In fact, one night I stayed up very late until I got the Joads safely to California.

Joyce Francisco

My Friends, Fredrik Backman

A recent book that held me captive is My Friends by Fredrik Backman, who is the author of A Man Called Ove, which I also loved. My Friends is about a group of four teenagers from dysfunctional families and the love and support they received from each other when they were 14 and 15. This friendship guides the rest of their lives and influences some of them to "pay it forward." Beautiful book, beautifully written. It made me cry.

Michael Fuerst

A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Robin Goettel

We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, Norah O’Donnell with Kate Andersen Brower

I’m always looking for engaging nonfiction, so when I heard Norah O’Donnell talking about her new book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! I was certainly not disappointed. It was fascinating to learn the stories of women who made significant contributions to society and changed the course of history. O’Donnell describes each woman’s unique and inspiring story. Just a couple of examples of my favorites include:

• Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved woman whose poems of liberty, equality, and patriotism earned her the distinction of “Poet Laureate of the American Revolution.”

• Mary Tape, a Chinese immigrant who was outraged that in 1884, her daughter Mamie was denied entry in the local public school. She took the school principal and San Francisco Board of Education to court. Mary and her family were victorious, but state lawmakers found a way around the ruling, creating separate schools for children of Chinese descent. But Mary’s work laid the groundwork for civil rights in America.
  

O’Donnell goes on to share triumphant stories of 35 women who were unsung heroes — soldiers, athletes, doctors, suffragists, writers, artists, legislators — all blazing trails for the betterment of America.

Debbi Hicks

The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Marie Bostwick

I’m in the middle of a book called The Book Club for Troublesome Women. I’m so taken with the characters that I don’t even want to leave the house.

Jan Houston

Holes, Louis Sachar

Won a National Book Award and a Newbery Medal. Made into a movie in 2003, very true to the story; cast: Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, et al.

Eileen Kohen

Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell

No matter how engrossed I am in a book, I never stop everything to finish it. My schedule doesn’t allow this luxury, and I relish the opportunity to continue reading an exceptional book a little at a time. That being said, the book that caught my interest the most in the past few years was Hamnet — beautifully-written literature with an engrossing story based on historical fact. I’m pleased that the movie version has won so much praise.

Gary Koritz

Mark Twain, Ron Chernow

I'm halfway through Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. 1030 pages. Great writing.

Curt Merkelz

The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson

After listening to a biography of U.S. Grant, I learned of the ugly history.

1860 Abe Lincoln & Hannibal Hamlin (Republican)

1864 Abe Lincoln & Andrew Johnson (National Union)

1868 U.S. Grant & Colfax (Republican)

1872 U.S. Grant & Wilson (Republican)

1876 Rutherford Hayes (Republican) & Samuel Tilden (Democrat)

Compromise of 1877

This affected the tenor of the South after the federal troops were pulled from the South who enforced Black equality. Then came Redeemer Democrats, Jim Crow Laws, and Black voter suppression. The book that tells the story of the "Great Migration" is my book selection. The Warmth of Other Suns explains the times in the South in a personal way.

Jeff Moll

Darkest Fear, Harlan Coben

I tend to binge-read an author. Right now, I am caught up reading Harlan Coben mysteries. He has written about 40 that I am aware of, and I am reading them from the library on an "as available" basis. The one that I was last captivated by was Darkest Fear.  It was published in 2000, so not new, but a good mystery with plot twists that made it hard to set aside—so I didn't. 

As a side benefit, many of his mysteries are set in a part of northern New Jersey where my wife grew up, so I am often finding mentions of places I have visited in his stories. 

Traci Nally

Karla’s Choice: A John Le Carré Novel, Nick Harkaway

Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway is a terrific addition to the Karla series of books by John Le Carré, aka David Cornwall. Nick Harkaway, aka Nicholas Cornwall, is David Cornwall’s son and has done a great job in continuing the writing style of his father. Chronologically this book occurs between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and includes all the main characters like Control, Connie Sachs, Jim Prideaux, Bill Hayden, and Peter Guillaume. But mostly a story with the main character, George Smiley, and his main nemesis, Karla, are welcome, satisfying, exciting, and fun. The action takes place in London and Berlin, mostly, and revolves around a defecting Soviet spy-assassin. It’s a classic Le Carré book, and anyone who is a Smiley or Le Carré fan, or a fan of spy novels, will like this.

John Palen

The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson

Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns, an account of the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West. I loved it so much I ordered a copy for Donald Trump through Amazon during his first term but never got a response.

Kay Riley

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary is full of heart and science. It's the story of human and alien collaboration to solve an existential threat. It's also an incredibly engaging film that was just released on March 20th, starring Ryan Gosling.

Barbara Schleicher

The Black Wolf, Louise Penny

The book I found to be riveting and could not put down was The Black Wolf by Louise Penny.

Paul Selin

The Great Bridge, David McCullough

I couldn't put down an oldie but a goodie, The Great Bridge by David McCullough.

Eddie Snyder

On Writing, Stephen King

I like how he goes about writing a book.

Bob Switzer

Buckeye, Patrick Ryan

Terry Smith

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

Allan Tuchman

The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein

This is one that I read in one sitting. It's a really special book for dog people. I hesitate to say too much, but from the back cover: "A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope—a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life—as only a dog could tell it."

Kathy Valdes

The Huntress, Kate Quinn

Every Kate Quinn book I have picked up I have found engrossing (The Rose Code, The Alice Network, The Briar Club) but The Huntress was a real page turner, a "just one more chapter before I turn out the lights" kind of book. 

Diane Wardrop

James, Percival Everett

Karl Weingartner

The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate, Robert A. Caro

The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro, Volume Three of Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson, discusses the study and pursuit of power.

Aware of wanting to welcome more people into our ranks, we asked Don Pippin, as a newer member, to be our guest Bookshelf contributor, and who better to ask than a librarian?

What happens when a librarian retires? In Don Pippin's case, the librarian contemplates how to productively occupy his time, and decides to follow up on a newspaper article he read about OLLI. With his curiosity engaged, he attended an OLLI Open House and found some answers. He observed a short story discussion class, followed by a folk-singing group. Then Don smiled. If OLLI’s mission is to provide high quality educational and engagement for people over 50, this was achieved for Don.

After quite some consideration, Don mentions that he had difficulty putting aside a mystery called The Examiner, by Janice Hallett. The protagonist is one Gela Nathaniel, head of a new Multimedia Arts program at her University. To ensure funding, she needs six students with diverse backgrounds to participate. Of course the students are nothing but trouble from day one and things go dangerously awry. The story is told in emails, text messages, and essays which provides a novel way in which the plot is revealed and helps make it hard to stop reading. Don recommends the book highly. 

The OLLI Development Committee is profiling member/donor Brenda Berg in this issue. She is a longtime member and contributor to OLLI and places a high value on the learning opportunities it provides. We appreciate her taking the time to tell about her motivation to support OLLI.

When she retired from a busy career as a speech pathologist and educational administrator and consultant, Brenda Berg knew that she would actively continue her focus on education. Luckily, OLLI was just getting underway, and she felt that program meshed perfectly with her desire to “keep learning.” Brenda has a deep understanding of what makes schools excel. She has coordinated programs at the University of Illinois in the Bureau of Educational Research and the Center for the Study of Reading, and evaluated schools for the federal government. OLLI meets her definition of excellence, and Brenda has been a long-standing member. She speaks glowingly of the high quality of OLLI’s instructors; and she points out that class discussions, enriched by the broad and deep experience of the “students,” make an even more satisfying learning experience.

“The leader of a school sets the tone,” she says, “and OLLI has had wonderful leaders from the beginning. They have developed a warm, accepting program that is accessible and a great education bargain.” Brenda has been an ongoing supporter and finds her contribution to OLLI an excellent use of funds from her RMD (Required Minimum Distribution).

Brenda has a degree in elementary education from Northwestern University, Masters degrees from UIUC in both education and speech pathology, and a PhD in speech pathology. She is the proud mother of three successful children and six grandchildren; great grandson Calin Joel is the apple of her eye. Brenda’s love of learning has inspired decades of active travel to all corners of the world; and on the home front, her energies have led to volunteering at numerous community organizations such as The Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and the Krannert Art Museum.” However, “at this stage of life,” she says, “I’m happy to donate rather than work.”

Some time ago, we introduced a new column to the OLLI Bookshelf entitled OLLI Writer’s Corner. We’ve expanded this column to include all creative arts, such as writing, music, and painting. If you have suggestions for future issues, please contact Eileen Kohen (emkohen@gmail.com).  

In this edition, we are featuring the OLLI Folksinging Interest Group.

Almost two years ago, I started a singing and strumming group with my husband Charlie. Neither of us play guitar well, so we hoped some instrumentalists would join to back us up. Not only did that happen, but enthusiastic singers came as well.

We take turns choosing a song, and usually someone remembers the melody well enough to lead it! While we still use two Rise Up Singing books to introduce songs about work, play, protest, bad liquor, sailing, etc., members bring new songs to every meeting.

The genres we pick include bluegrass, musicals, spirituals, rounds, and original compositions. Lately, the mood of the group has reflected current events: we’ve bellowed out war and peace songs and then made ourselves cheerful again by singing love songs and "Puff the Magic Dragon." I look forward to every other Wednesday at OLLI from 3:30 to 5pm in the Blue Room; this group has brought me nothing but joy.

Come join us!

Sarah Wisseman

Our sincere thanks to the members who lead and co-lead special interest groups throughout the year. You support a great addition to what OLLI offers our members!

April 10: Fall course proposals due

April 11: OLLI Boneyard Arts Festival (12:00 – 4:00 PM)

April 16: Onstage and On Topic performance

April 17: Spring courses end

April 22: IGB Mobile Science Bus at OLLI: Optics

April 24: Fall course proposal final deadline

April 27: Spring study group session begins (6 weeks)

May 2: OLLI trip to Chicago Institutes

May 13: Coffee & Committee Fair

May 18: Summer study group proposals due

May 25: OLLI office closed for Memorial Day

May 27: Annual and Fall Memberships available (starting at 9:00 a.m.)

June 9: Annual Meeting & Banquet

June 16: Membership Renewal Fair

June 15-18: Annual OLLI Documentary Series

Wikipedia, Amazon books, Robert O’Daniell (Folk Singers), Melody Green (Don Pippen), Bonnie Heinze (Brenda Berg).

OLLI at Illinois is a member-driven community of adult learners that is supported by the Bernard Osher Foundation, the University of Illinois Office of the Provost, and the generous donations of OLLI members and friends. We are part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Network, which includes 120+ Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs) and 130,000+ members nationwide.

OLLI at Illinois was launched in the fall of 2007, and since then, it has offered hundreds of programs to engaged residents of Central Illinois, fifty and older, representing a wide range of educational opportunities developed by OLLI’s volunteer Advisory Council and committees. In addition to courses in the fall and spring semesters, OLLI offers a dynamic schedule of programs and activities that have included lectures, study groups, member-led interest groups, educational travel opportunities, and collaborations with the Illinois campus and communities in and around Champaign-Urbana.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois

217-244-9141 – web: olli.illinois.edu – email: olli@illinois.edu

OLLI Staff:



• Kathryn Williams, Director
• Beth Kirchgesner, Educational Engagement Director
• Karina Martinez, Office Support Specialist

OLLI at Illinois eNews Committee:

• Eileen Kohen, Chair
• Jeff Moll, Technical Specialist
• Elizabeth Abraham
• Robin Goettel
• Paula Kaufman
• Barbara Meyer
• Frank Modica

• Jean Paley
• Cecile Steinberg
• Casey Sutherland
• Kathy Valdes
• Jerry Soesbe, Council Liaison
• Kathryn Williams, OLLI Director
• Beth Kirchgesner, OLLI Liaison

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