Loyal Blues Book Club with Evviva

Evviva Weintraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries
Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries hosts our virtual book club exclusively for Loyal Blues.
You’ll have the opportunity to connect with alumni and friends, all while having an expert educator guide you through several books annually.

Our Spring Book
I am delighted for you to join us this spring for Gail Honeyman’s first novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Winner of the 2017 Costa Debut Novel Award, this is a poignant story of resilience and the power of human connection. As Eleanor’s life intertwines with others in unexpected ways, she is able to confront her traumatic past and find her place in the world.
I look forward to discussing this book with you and exploring this novel’s important themes of mental health and loneliness.
How it works
There is no cost to participate. Simply purchase a copy of the book and sign up below to receive emails. This title is available as an audiobook, though a variety of vendors as an eBook, and also through the Public Library through Overdrive. If you have trouble finding a copy, just let us know.
Sign up for the Loyal Blues Book Club now
Spring Reading Cycle
Once you've signed up, you will receive weekly emails to guide you through the reading period, which will run from February 6 until March 5. You can also join our Facebook Forum to discuss the book and post questions.
Virtual Events
Friday, June 21, 2024 | 5:30-7:00 p.m.
We hope you can join us for a talk from UB Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, Susan Green, LCSW
We will have our virtual discussion of the book after Professor Green's talk.
About Professor Susan Green:
Susan A. Green, LCSW, is a clinical professor at the UB School of Social Work. She is certified as an EMDR therapist and in Advanced Critical Incident Stress Management and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Green teaches or has taught courses in social work interventions with children, adults, families, groups and communities; trauma theory and treatment; risk and resilience; and diversity.
Green is committed to the integration of theory with practice as she combines full-time teaching and training with clinical practice. She has been working with various groups and individuals for more than 20 years as both a special educator and social worker.
We will share a Zoom link for the lecture and discussion soon.
Discussion Questions & Resources
- Questions:
  1. What are your impressions of Eleanor based on these initial chapters, and how do you think her past has shaped her present behavior and interactions with others?
  2. This novel delves into the themes of loneliness and the human need for connection. On page 5, Eleanor says, “there are days when I feel so lightly connected to the earth that the threads that tether me to the planet are so gossamer thin, spun sugar. A strong gust of wind could dislodge me completely, and I’d lift off and blow away, like one of those seeds in a dandelion clock.” And later, on page 51 when admitting she speaks to her plant “When the silence and the aloneness press down and around me, crushing me, carving through me like ice, I need to speak aloud sometimes, if only for proof of life.” Consider how the simply speaking to another person, or even the mundane interactions of everyday life can be grounding. Why are these things so important?
  3. Eleanor’s infatuation with Johnnie Lomond, a local musician, is a significant aspect of her emotional journey. What do you think this crush reveals about her need for connection and understanding of relationships?
  Links:
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcement on epidemic of loneliness, May 3, 2023.
  We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That., by Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, New York Times, April 30, 2023.
  Loneliness epidemic demands immediate attention − and the fix isn’t that hard, UB psychologist says, by Bert Gambini, UB News Center, May 5, 2023.