Reading Groups

In Search of the American Dream: Part Two with Lauren Yanks

4 Sessions Tuesdays, 6:30 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT March 18 to June 3, 2025

Online via Zoom

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The ‘With Books’ option includes the titles required for this group at an additional 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
3/18, 4/8, 5/6, 6/3
Online via Zoom

In Search of the American Dream, Part Two continues to explore the American Dream from different immigrant perspectives as we seek to create a unique society that captures and envisions a world moving forward.

“The American Dream” is deeply embedded in our country’s imagination as well as our individual makeup. In this group, we will read and discuss four books that explore what the American Dream represents and how the search for it is manifested from differing perspectives, traditions, and environments. Representing a varied examination of the American Dream throughout the 20th century, these books provide a varied landscape for this elusive idea.

Readers will analyze and discuss the characters, conflicts, language, and themes in the books while asking if the American Dream has ever really existed, whether it continues to exist, and if so, how it embodies the characters and our own lives today?

What to read in advance of the first meeting: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

What to expect from this reading group: The class will be somewhat structured with discussion guided by me but following the particular interests and questions of the participants. I encourage all participants to freely share their thoughts on the text if they wish.

Reading List:

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

Capacity: 20

Please note: All virtual classes are recorded. Please click here for information about our recording policy.

Led by

Lauren Yanks

Lauren Yanks

Lauren Yanks has a Master of Fine Arts in Writing and Literature from NYU and a Master of Divinity from Yale University. She has been a literature and writing professor for over 20 years and has published hundreds of articles and journals on a wide variety of topics.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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