Booked for Lunch

Above: members of the Booked for Lunch book club discuss "Solito", the September 2023 book.

The Booked for Lunch club comes together to read literature and watch media contributing to rich discussions highlighting different perspectives while enhancing personal and professional development.

This book club was founded in 2017 and has more than 100 members from across the University of Maryland, Baltimore community.

All are welcome to join.

Join the Club

The club meets in person and online every other month. Hard copies of books are provided to School of Nursing community members (while supplies last). Audio books and ebooks can be purchased by participants. Lunch will be provided by local vendors serving West Baltimore.

Our Meetings:

The Booked for Lunch club offers a space for honest and organic conversations. An alternative to conventional trainings, the club provides a community that allows for conversations that promote awareness and build rapport while creating opportunities for collaborative thinking through the review and discussion of a variety of literature and media materials.

Upcoming Meetings:

Currently Reading:

Book Cover	Book Title and Author
	Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World Sarah DiGregorio To be reviewed in June 2025.

Our History:

• 2020: The book club received a 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine.
• 2017: The book club was founded by Mishawn Smith, MPA, in the UMSON Office of the Dean and Office of Equity, Diversity ,and Inclusion.

Past Events and Collaborations:

• June 2025: Hosted author Sarah DiGregorio for a discussion of her book, Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World.
  
• May 2024: Private screening of Squeegee Kids and panel discussion with director Matthew J. Cooper, in partnership with Coppin State University, Johns Hopkins University, and Morgan State University.
  
• May 2024: Hosted the Honorable Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, DPS (Hon.) ’23, DHL (Hon.), MAS, BSN ’80, RN, FAAN for a discussion of her book, Saving Stella.
  
• February 2024: Hosted author Maria Smilios and special guest Virginia Allen for a discussion of The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis.
• July 2021: Hosted author Victoria D. Stubbs for discussion of her book, Untangled: A Black Woman's Journey to Personal, Spiritual, and Sexual Freedom.
• April 2021: Partnered with UMB's Office of the President to lead a campuswide reading and discussion of Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Anti-Racist. 
• Feb. and June 2020: Hosted author Chris Wilson for discussions of his book, The Master Plan.
• Jan. 2020: Private viewing and discussion of the film Just Mercy, based on the book by Brian Stevenson, at The Charles Theatre with University of Maryland School of Law.
• Feb. and June 2020: Hosted author Chris Wilson for discussions of his book, The Master Plan.

Books We've Read:

Book Cover	Book Title and Author
	Living Undocumented (dir.)  Aaron Saidman, Anna Chai
	Them: Why We Hate Each Other – and How to Heal Ben Sasse
	Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Robin Wall Kimmerer
	For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez
	Aftershock (dir.) Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee
	Saving Stella: Notes from a Nurse Turned Legislator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam
	Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum Antonia Hylton
	The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis Maria Smilios
	Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism Safiya Noble
	Solito Javier Zamora