Great Novels Book Club

Instructor: Jericho Williams

Join this class and discuss three celebrated and uniquely different approaches to writing about the experience of
war. 

First, we’ll read Willa Cather’s One of Ours, winner of the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction — a sweeping story
of a Nebraska farmer who departs overseas for war in pursuit of a greater sense of purpose. In A Farewell to
Arms, our second text, Ernest Hemingway takes a different literary approach heavily grounded in realism and
his personal wartime experiences. Finally, we’ll close with Daniel Kraus’s Angel Down, winner of this year’s 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Kraus’s take is by far the most experimental. A story of magical realism told in a single sentence, this novel involves five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel they believe could hold the key to ending
the war.

The backdrop of this course will be literary history, or the evolution of how artists approached a topic like war.
The mode is a discussion-based book club form with background information and guided questions. All are
welcome, including local community members, visitors, creative writers, history buffs, and readers.
Email any questions to Jericho Williams ([email protected]).

The class will meet one evening a week (Wednesdays) for four weeks following this discussion schedule below.

Week 1: Wednesday, July 8, 6:30-8:30 pm 

- Willa Cather, One of Ours (1922), Books 1-2

Week 2: Wednesday, July 15, 6:30-8:30 pm

- Willa Cather, One of Ours (1922), Books 3-5

Week 3: Wednesday, July 22, 6:30-8:30 pm

- Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms (1929)

Week 4: Wednesday, July 29, 6:30-8:30 pm

- Daniel Kraus, Angel Down (2025)

Students must locate, purchase and read ahead in copies of all the following books:

Books:
Willa Cather, One of Ours
ISBN #: 9780679737445

Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
ISBN #: 978-0-393-87108-1

Daniel Kraus, Angel Down
ISBN #: 9781668068519