July 2012 - A Town Like Alice

Discussion for the July book club selection was held with a smaller group at the Alexander House on July 30th.  We enjoyed whiskey steaks and salad bar as we discussed this classic title by Nevil Shute.  Overall, the group enjoyed the book.  Ratings for the book mostly ranged between 7 and 8.  Surprisingly, the one who had read the book before and had recommended it had the lowest rating. 

Amazon.com's quick synopsis of the book reads: 

A TOWN LIKE ALICE tells of a young woman who miraculously survived a Japanese "death march" in World War II, and of an Australian soldier, also a prisoner of war, who offered to help her--even at the cost of his life....

Members discussed the likable characters in Jean, Joe and Noel.  We talked about the similarities between Jean and some of the other ordinary people who rise above difficult situations to bring out the best for them and others. 

The only criticisms expressed about the book was the plausibility of some of the circumstances, particularly with Jean in Australia. 

In general, the group agreed that it was a nice novel featuring likeable characters, ordinary people rising to extraordinary challenges, the humanity of people even during the ugliness of war and a good old fashioned romance.

Several new books were chosen, including The Tiger's Wife for August.  Vicki is hoping to host the group later in August.  Additional details to follow.

June 2012 - Stargirl

The discussion for June book club revolved around the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.  Amazon.com describes the book:
From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.
Stargirl was written for the Young Adult reader, but was enjoyed by the "older than young" adult members of our group.  Those who were in attendance on this Tuesday night at Jacqi's "summer home" rated the book from a 6 to an 8.  Even though the book was short, we had plenty to discuss as we identified with different characters in the book and challenged ourselves with questions about how the high school versions of our selves would have reacted if Stargirl moved in to our school. 

The fun evening was topped off with a cool and delicious strawberry pretzel dessert.

Plans were made to meet again on Monday, July 30th at 6:30 pm at the Alexander House.  Our book for July is A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute.

May 2012 - Biography Month

This month we had an assignment.  Each member was to read a biography or autobiography.  If  you so choose, you could hold the group in suspense and have them guess who the subject of the book was.  The discussion was held on May 17th at the home of Jean Field.  Since this member did not attend, I can't comment on the meeting, but I'm certain it was a fun evening of sharing different and interesting biographies.  Here are a few of the books that were read and comments by the reader.

Geri read Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet,Spy by Eric Metaxas. 
Geri's comments: It’s hard to rate. I learned an enormous amount about theology and history, and I was profoundly impacted by the witness of this man. I listened to the audio version, which was 21 hours long. So, as far as the rating, some parts seemed slow (7?), but I always wanted to keep reading to know his story, which is a 10. He was one of the most famous theologians and martyrs in history. He was also an author, pastor, and musician. I admired all those things about him and also the value he put on relationships with others. He was extremely close to his family, and the book shared many letters he had sent and received to them, friends, and also his fiancé. He also maintained close friendships with several people he taught and mentored. He didn’t believe in “cheap grace,” but in grace that takes over ALL of a Christian’s life and requires a believer to sacrifice everything. As a reader, I was able to understand the difficult decisions he faced regarding ethical questions that are not exactly black and white. Eventually, he was executed (hanged) in a concentration camp for his role in attempting to rescue Jews and his involvement in attempts to assassinate Hitler. This was his final message to a friend in England: “This is the end, for me the beginning of life.” An SS doctor who witnessed his death later recalled a man “devout…brave and composed… I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.” This is the kind of book that I want to CHANGE me, but unfortunately, I sink back into my old habits too easily. I can’t say enough, though, about how much I think I desire to emulate someone like him. Thinking won’t just make it happen, though, will it?



Dena chose " No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: the home front in World War II" Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Dena's thoughts on her choice: Don't let the size of the book put you off. It was a very good read. I ranked it an 8. There were times you needed to wade through historical data (ex. how many airplanes were built in a year, etc.) but these details added to the readers understanding of the influence of the war on the American culture. The book analyzed how emotional events in both FDR and Eleanor's lives formed them into who they were, insight into their personal relationship, and while acknowledging their successes/contributions it also shed light on their faults. Eleanor could easily be described as one of the most influential women in US history who at times was as much hated as she was revered. She worked without tire for equality between races and improvement of social conditions. Her life during the presidency was lived often outside of the White House on the road promoting social change. One wonders if she may have poured her energy into these causes at the same level if her marriage had not suffered from her knowledge of FDR's affair. FDR and Eleanor seemed to be very fond of each other but the love they started their marriage with appeared to have been destroyed by his affair. They seemed to have much more of a polititical partnership.
The book also looked at the political landscape of the 40's. The delay in America entering WW II, the Japanese internment in the US, and the failure to intervene in Hitler's persecution of the Jewish people were among the issues the book sought to make sense of from FDR's standpoint. I found this review by Garret Wilson to provide a good description of the "feel" of the book: "one feels as if one is actually living in the White House along with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Missy, Fala (Roosevelt’s dog), and all the other interesting characters who come along, including Winston Churchill and various other dignitaries. From the book’s opening pages describing Roosevelt’s methods for falling asleep, it’s almost as if you’re there. You share the secret letters between lovers, to likes and dislikes between characters, the loves and hatreds of everyone around you. You’ll become intimately knowledgeable of a certain man and his family that in many ways brought about modern America and guided the formation of the modern world" .
 
The book Jean read was The Other Side of Suffering by John Ramsey.
Jean's thoughts:  It was a sad story and often hard for me to read as it not only dealt with losing Jon Benet but also losing his older daughter from his previous marriage 2 years before JB. John and Patsy's faith remained strong after JB's death but they had the media follow them everywhere making their life difficult . Then after losing all their money and holdings through this period Patsy died 10 years later and then 2 years after that they were cleared of all wrong doings. John Ramsey compared himself to Job and throughout the book he quoted numerous scripture readings. Now he does Christian volunteer work with India's poor.

Debby wasn't able to make it because of a school concert, but sent these comments about a current biography and one on her wish list:I am reading "Unbroken: A World War 2 Story of Survival". I started reading a biography of Benjamin Franklin, but it was BORING. So, a friend lent me her Kindle to read Bonhoeffer. But I started on the wrong one and got hooked. The main character is a gunner on a bomber plane in the
Pacific. I know he survives but right now he has been in a raft for 10 days without food. I am 25% finished, but I am enjoying it. To be honest, summer is when I do most of my reading. On teaching days I fall asleep as I read and progress is slow. My physical therapist husband tells me that
is why my neck is so sore. :)  A book I would like to read is "My Happy Hollywood Days" by Garry Marshall. I heard him interviewed on PBS and was intrigued.