It's time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
Confessions of a Pagan Nun
When? Thursday,December 4th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley
Discussion questions for the book are below.
Our next book selection (for January 8th) is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.
Late one night in the city of Sydney, Hanna Heath, a rare book conservator, gets a phone call. The Sarajevo Haggadah , which disappeared during the siege in 1992, has been found, and Hanna has been invited by the U.N. to report on its condition. Missing documents and art works are endlessly appealing, and from this inviting premise Brooks spins her story in two directions. In the present, we follow the resolutely independent Hanna through her thrilling first encounter with the beautifully illustrated codex and her discovery of the tiny signs that will help her to discover its provenance. In the other strand of the narrative we learn, moving backward through time, how the codex came to be lost and found, and made. From Publishers Weekly Review.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Confessions of a Pagan Nun
1. How much of this novel is a true story?
2. Is the novel an attack on Christianity?
3. Does the novel reflect a post-modern sensibility that all native traditions are superior to the Western/Invader culture?
4. Does the novel present a feminist’s story and perspective?
5. How are marriage and male/female relations presented in the novel?
6. How do the Pelagians and Druids differ from the Christians in the novel?
7. What is the significance of words and writing? Of education?
8. What purposes do chastity and celibacy serve in the story?
9. What is the significance of the various incidents of mutilation in the book?
10. What was the relationship like between Giannon and Gwynneve? Why did Giannon hide his identity from Gwynneve in the monastery?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
November 6th Hannah Coulter discussion
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, November 6th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
(Our next discussion will take place on Thursday, December 4th. We’ll be discussing Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley)
Wendell Berry is a distinguished and respected novelist and essayist. He has written several novels and short stories about the residents of Port William, Kentucky. His first novel was, Nathan Coulter, published in 1960. His latest is Hannah Coulter.
Check out these links to some of his essays:
Thoughts in the Presence of Fear
The Pleasures of Eating
Compromise, Hell!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
1. Hannah Coulter is a story of a woman’s life and lifetime told by a man, Wendell Berry. Does the author do a credible job of writing from a woman’s perspective and with a woman’s language?
2. Consider Hannah’s Grandmam, Mrs. Feltner and the other women of Port William. What are the women described in Hannah Coulter like? Would you call them “liberated”? Realistic?
3. Describe the concept of “the membership.” Do you have a reliable person or group you can go to for help when you need it? Do you offer your services to anyone?
4. How does Hannah describe her marriages? Does her description of marriage seem modern or old-fashioned? Realistic?
5. Hannah says in the book,"The stream and the woods don't care if you love them. The place doesn't care if you love it. But for your own sake you had better love it. For the sake of all else you love, you had better love it. " Place is very important in all of Wendell Berry’s novels. His characters are very grounded in their community. Does this lifestyle still exist anywhere in our country? Has our community lost anything by being so mobile and disconnected?
6. Hannah describes her sadness that each of her children left the farm and community. She largely blames their education for taking them away. Do you agree? Were there other forces at work?
7. Why does Nathan refuse to talk about the war? What did Hannah learn in her research about the Battle of Okinawa and the war in the Pacific?
What role does religion play in the novel?
8. Why does Burley refuse to buy a tractor? Are the old ways better or is he being foolish?
9. Is Berry overly sentimental about a disappearing way of life?
10. How accepting of illegal immigrants or drug dealers would the Port William community be?
11. Several recent bestselling non-fiction books such as Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle encourage readers to consider a more sustainable lifestyle, including sustainable farming. Is the lifestyle described in Hannah Coulter more morally defensible than suburban or urban living? Do Berry’s writings describe a lifestyle of the past or a lifestyle of the future?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
4th quarter books chosen!
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group has chosen the books we'll read and discuss together in the next 3 months. All of our meetings are on the first Thursday of the month at 7 pm in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library.
On Thursday, October 2nd, we'll discuss Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller.
Fuller writes poignantly about a girl becoming a woman and a writer against a backdrop of unrest, not just in her country (Africa) but in her home. The story of one woman's unbreakable bond with a continent and the people who inhabit it, a portrait lovingly realized and deeply felt.
On Thursday, November 6th, we'll discuss Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry.
A brilliant and inspiring novel that is filled with the truth of an inherent wisdom imprinted on the soul. Berry has captured the intrinsic nature of man and it is defined by God, family, community, and "place."
On Thursday, December 4th, we'll discuss Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley
A fictional memoir of a nun during Ireland's Dark Ages. Gwynneve's story is one of adventure, joy, and loss. She whispers to us the wisdom she isn't yet aware she has written herself. This powerful little book will be deeply
satisfying for many readers.
satisfying for many readers.
I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Thanks for reading with us!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Let's Discuss The Madonnas of Leningrad
It's time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, August 7th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Discussion questions for the book are below.
A September Special: In our upcoming September 4th meeting, we'll discuss Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos. The author, Stephanie Kallos, has e-mailed me to ask if there is anything she can do to help our discussion of her book. Please let me know if you have any questions you'd like to ask her after you read the book.
With a riotous energy that recalls the works of John Irving and Anne Tyler, Broken for You is a debut novel of infinite charm and tremendous heart that explores the risks and rewards of human connection, and the hidden strength behind things that only seem fragile. When we meet septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, she is living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company. Enter Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. But as the two begin their tentative dance of friendship, the armor begins to fall away and Margaret opens her house to Wanda. Funny, heartbreaking, and alive with a potpourri of eccentric and irresistible characters, Broken for You is a testament to the saving graces of surrogate families, and shows how far the tiniest repair jobs can go in righting the world's wrongs. Book Jacket
Get even more info with BookMovement.com: Sign up with BookMovement.com and get book reviews, reminders and more. This is a nice website that offers additional information and reviews of books. We've set up a home page for othe Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group that tracks the books we've read, books we're currently reading and offers suggestions for future reads. The site will also send you an e-mail reminder of upcoming meetings. Here is a link to our book club home page: http://www.bookmovement.com/app/club/view.php?clubID=2059
Discussion Questions
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
1. The working of memory is a key theme of this novel. As a young woman, remembering the missing paintings is a deliberate act of survival and homage for Marina. In old age, however, she can no longer control what she remembers or forgets. "More distressing than the loss of words is the way that time contracts and fractures and drops her in unexpected places." How has Dean used the vagaries of Marina's memory to structure the novel? How does the narrative itself mimic the ways in which memory functions?
2. Sometimes, Marina finds consolations within the loss of her short-term memory. "One of the effects of this deterioration seems to be that as the scope of her attention narrows, it also focuses like a magnifying glass on smaller pleasures that have escaped her notice for years." Is aging merely an accumulation of deficits or are there gifts as well?
3. The narrative is interspersed with single-page chapters describing a room or a painting in the Hermitage Museum. Who is describing these paintings and what is the significance of the paintings chosen? How is each interlude connected to the chapter that follows?
4. The historical period of The Madonnas of Leningrad begins with the outbreak of war. How is war portrayed in this novel? How is this view of World War II different from or similar to other accounts you have come across?
5. Even though she says of herself that she is not a "believer," in what ways is Marina spiritual? Discuss Marina's faith: how does her spirituality compare with conventional religious belief? How do religion and miracles figure in this novel? What are the miracles that occur in The Madonnas of Leningrad?
6. A central mystery revolves around Andre's conception. Marina describes a remarkable incident on the roof of the Hermitage when one of the statues from the roof of the Winter Palace, "a naked god," came to life, though she later discounts this as a hallucination. In her dotage, she tells her daughter-in-law that Andre's father is Zeus. Dmitri offers other explanations: she may have been raped by a soldier or it's possible that their only coupling before he went off to the front resulted in a son. What do you think actually happened? Is it a flaw or a strength of the novel that the author doesn't resolve this question?
7. At the end of Marina's life, Helen admits that "once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness right, but she has since learned that the mysteries of another person only deepen, the longer one looks." How well do we ever know our parents? Are there things you've learned about your parents' past that helped you feel you knew them better?
8. In much the same way that Marina is struggling with getting old, her daughter, Helen, is struggling with disappointments and regrets often associated with middle-age: her marriage has failed, her son is moving away, she may never get any recognition as an artist, and last but not least, she is losing a life-long battle with her weight. Are her feelings of failure the result of poor choices and a bad attitude or are such feelings an inevitable part of the human condition?
9. In a sense, the novel has two separate but parallel endings: the young Marina giving the cadets a tour of the museum, and the elderly Marina giving the carpenter a tour of an unfinished house. What is the function of this coda? How would the novel be different if it ended with the cadets' tour?
10. What adjectives would you use to describe The Madonnas of Leningrad? Given the often bleak subject matter - war, starvation, dementia -- is the novel's view of the world depressing?
11. Dmitri is unfailingly patient with Marina's memory loss and increasingly bizarre and unpredictable behavior. Would you have the patience to help a loved one in this way? Do you agree with their son, Andrei, who wanted to put Marina in an assisted living facility?
12. The fate of several characters is left unknown, such as Marina's niece and nephew and several plot lines are left unresolved, such as her uncle's book, his life's work. It was also sometimes difficult to distinguish between actual events and hallucinations. Did those unknowns detract from the book as you finished it?
13. The Madonnas of Leningrad tells two parallel stories, about the victims of the Siege of Leningrad and the effects of Alzheimer's on the Buriakov family. Are there any heroes in these stories? Any villains?
14. Do you have a "memory palace"?
15. Are there any similarities between Marina's memories of the siege of Leningrad and the reminiscences of Jacob in last month's book, Water for Elephants?
When? Thursday, August 7th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Discussion questions for the book are below.
A September Special: In our upcoming September 4th meeting, we'll discuss Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos. The author, Stephanie Kallos, has e-mailed me to ask if there is anything she can do to help our discussion of her book. Please let me know if you have any questions you'd like to ask her after you read the book.
With a riotous energy that recalls the works of John Irving and Anne Tyler, Broken for You is a debut novel of infinite charm and tremendous heart that explores the risks and rewards of human connection, and the hidden strength behind things that only seem fragile. When we meet septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, she is living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company. Enter Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. But as the two begin their tentative dance of friendship, the armor begins to fall away and Margaret opens her house to Wanda. Funny, heartbreaking, and alive with a potpourri of eccentric and irresistible characters, Broken for You is a testament to the saving graces of surrogate families, and shows how far the tiniest repair jobs can go in righting the world's wrongs. Book Jacket
Get even more info with BookMovement.com: Sign up with BookMovement.com and get book reviews, reminders and more. This is a nice website that offers additional information and reviews of books. We've set up a home page for othe Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group that tracks the books we've read, books we're currently reading and offers suggestions for future reads. The site will also send you an e-mail reminder of upcoming meetings. Here is a link to our book club home page: http://www.bookmovement.com/app/club/view.php?clubID=2059
Discussion Questions
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
1. The working of memory is a key theme of this novel. As a young woman, remembering the missing paintings is a deliberate act of survival and homage for Marina. In old age, however, she can no longer control what she remembers or forgets. "More distressing than the loss of words is the way that time contracts and fractures and drops her in unexpected places." How has Dean used the vagaries of Marina's memory to structure the novel? How does the narrative itself mimic the ways in which memory functions?
2. Sometimes, Marina finds consolations within the loss of her short-term memory. "One of the effects of this deterioration seems to be that as the scope of her attention narrows, it also focuses like a magnifying glass on smaller pleasures that have escaped her notice for years." Is aging merely an accumulation of deficits or are there gifts as well?
3. The narrative is interspersed with single-page chapters describing a room or a painting in the Hermitage Museum. Who is describing these paintings and what is the significance of the paintings chosen? How is each interlude connected to the chapter that follows?
4. The historical period of The Madonnas of Leningrad begins with the outbreak of war. How is war portrayed in this novel? How is this view of World War II different from or similar to other accounts you have come across?
5. Even though she says of herself that she is not a "believer," in what ways is Marina spiritual? Discuss Marina's faith: how does her spirituality compare with conventional religious belief? How do religion and miracles figure in this novel? What are the miracles that occur in The Madonnas of Leningrad?
6. A central mystery revolves around Andre's conception. Marina describes a remarkable incident on the roof of the Hermitage when one of the statues from the roof of the Winter Palace, "a naked god," came to life, though she later discounts this as a hallucination. In her dotage, she tells her daughter-in-law that Andre's father is Zeus. Dmitri offers other explanations: she may have been raped by a soldier or it's possible that their only coupling before he went off to the front resulted in a son. What do you think actually happened? Is it a flaw or a strength of the novel that the author doesn't resolve this question?
7. At the end of Marina's life, Helen admits that "once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness right, but she has since learned that the mysteries of another person only deepen, the longer one looks." How well do we ever know our parents? Are there things you've learned about your parents' past that helped you feel you knew them better?
8. In much the same way that Marina is struggling with getting old, her daughter, Helen, is struggling with disappointments and regrets often associated with middle-age: her marriage has failed, her son is moving away, she may never get any recognition as an artist, and last but not least, she is losing a life-long battle with her weight. Are her feelings of failure the result of poor choices and a bad attitude or are such feelings an inevitable part of the human condition?
9. In a sense, the novel has two separate but parallel endings: the young Marina giving the cadets a tour of the museum, and the elderly Marina giving the carpenter a tour of an unfinished house. What is the function of this coda? How would the novel be different if it ended with the cadets' tour?
10. What adjectives would you use to describe The Madonnas of Leningrad? Given the often bleak subject matter - war, starvation, dementia -- is the novel's view of the world depressing?
11. Dmitri is unfailingly patient with Marina's memory loss and increasingly bizarre and unpredictable behavior. Would you have the patience to help a loved one in this way? Do you agree with their son, Andrei, who wanted to put Marina in an assisted living facility?
12. The fate of several characters is left unknown, such as Marina's niece and nephew and several plot lines are left unresolved, such as her uncle's book, his life's work. It was also sometimes difficult to distinguish between actual events and hallucinations. Did those unknowns detract from the book as you finished it?
13. The Madonnas of Leningrad tells two parallel stories, about the victims of the Siege of Leningrad and the effects of Alzheimer's on the Buriakov family. Are there any heroes in these stories? Any villains?
14. Do you have a "memory palace"?
15. Are there any similarities between Marina's memories of the siege of Leningrad and the reminiscences of Jacob in last month's book, Water for Elephants?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Water for Elephants this Thursday
Happy Independence Day!
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, July 3rd at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our July selection, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen,
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, July 3rd at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our July selection, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen,
“An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932... Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.” From the book jacket.
Below are the discussion questions for Water for Elephants. Printed copies of the questions, author background and reviews of the book as well as refreshments will be available at the discussion group Thursday evening.
In our upcoming August 7th meeting, we will discuss The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean: “With spare, elegant language, taut emotion, and the crystal-clear ring of truth, Dean eloquently describes the works of Rembrandt, Rubens, and Raphael, but she is at her best illuminating aging Marina's precarious state of mind: “It is like disappearing for a few moments at a time, like a switch being turned off, a short while later, the switch mysteriously flips again.” Booklist
(If you’re reading ahead this summer, our September 4th discussion will center on Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos.)
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
1. To what extent do the chapters concerning the elderly Jacob enhance the chapters recounting the young Jacob's experiences with the Benzini Brothers circus? In what ways do the chapters about the young Jacob contribute to a deeper understanding of the elderly Jacob's life?
2. How does the novel's epigraph, the quote from Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg, apply to the novel? What are the roles and importance of faithfulness and loyalty in Water for Elephants? In what ways does Gruen contrast the antagonisms and cruelties of circus life with the equally impressive loyalties and instances of caring?
3. Who did you, upon reading the prologue, think murdered August? What effect did that opening scene of chaos and murder have on your reception of the story that follows?
4. In connection with Jacob's formal dinner with August and Marlena in their stateroom, Jacob remarks, "August is gracious, charming, and mischievous" (page 93). To what extent is this an adequate characterization of August? How would you expand upon Jacob's observation? How would you characterize August? Which situations in the novel reveal his true character?
5. August says of Marlena, "Not everyone can work with liberty horses. It's a God-given talent, a sixth sense, if you will" (page 94). Both August and Jacob recognize Marlena's skills, her "sixth sense," in working with the horses. In what ways does that sixth sense attract each man? How do August and Jacob differ in terms of the importance each places on Marlena's abilities?
6. After Jacob puts Silver Star down, August talks with him about the reality of the circus. "The whole thing's illusion, Jacob," he says, "and there's nothing wrong with that. It's what people want from us. It's what they expect" (page 104). How does Gruen contrast the worlds of reality and illusion in the novel? Is there anything wrong with pandering to people's need for illusion? Why do we crave the illusions that the circus represents?
7. Reflecting on the fact that his platitudes and stories don't hold his children's interest, the elderly Jacob notes, "My real stories are all out of date. So what if I can speak firsthand about the Spanish flu, the advent of the automobile, world wars, cold wars, guerrilla wars, and Sputnik --- that's all ancient history now. But what else do I have to offer?" (page 110). How might we learn to appreciate the stories and life lessons of our elders and encourage people younger than ourselves to appreciate our own?
8. Looking at himself in the mirror, the old Jacob tries "to see beyond the sagging flesh." But he claims, "It's no good. . . . I can't find myself anymore. When did I stop being me?" (page 111). How would you answer that question for Jacob or any individual, or for yourself?
9. In what ways and to what degree do Uncle Al's maneuvers and practices regarding the defunct Fox Brothers circus reflect traditional American business practices? How would you compare his behavior with that of major businessmen and financiers of today? What alternative actions would you prefer?
10. As he lies on his bedroll, after his night with Barbara and Nell, Jacob cannot empty his mind of troubling visions and he reflects that "the more distressing the memory, the more persistent its presence" (page 143). How might the elderly Jacob's memories corroborate or contradict this observation? What have been your experiences and observations in this regard?
11. In his Carnival of the Animals, Ogden Nash wrote, "Elephants are useful friends." In what ways is Rosie a "useful" friend? What is Rosie's role in the events that follow her acquisition by Uncle Al?
12. After Jacob successfully coaches August in Polish commands for Rosie, he observes, "It's only when I catch Rosie actually purring under August's loving ministrations that my conviction starts to crumble. And what I'm left looking at in its place is a terrible thing" (page 229). What is Jacob left "looking at," how does it pertain to August's personality and Jacob's relationship with August, and what makes it a "terrible thing"?
13. How did you react to the redlighting of Walter and Camel, and eight others, off the trestle? How might we see Uncle Al's cutthroat behavior as "an indictment of a lifetime spent feigning emotions to make a buck" (in the words of one reviewer)?
14. After the collapse of the Benzini Brothers circus and Uncle Al's having "done a runner" (page 314), Jacob realizes, "Not only am I unemployed and homeless, but I also have a pregnant woman, bereaved dog, elephant, and eleven horses to take care of" (page 317). What expectations did you entertain for Jacob and Marlena's --- and their menagerie's --- future after they leave the Benzini Brothers circus? How do the elderly Jacob's memories of Marlena and their life together confirm or alter those expectations?
15. At the end of the novel, Jacob exclaims, "So what if I'm ninety-three? . . . why the hell shouldn't I run away with the circus?" (page 331). What would you project to be the elderly Jacob's experiences after he runs away with the circus the second time? How does his decision reflect what we have learned about his early years?
16. Sara Gruen has said that the "backbone" of her novel "parallels the biblical story of Jacob," in the book of Genesis. On the first night after his leaving Cornell, for example, Jacob --- as did his biblical namesake --- lies "back on the bank, resting my head on a flat stone" (page 23). In what other ways does Water for Elephants parallel the story of the biblical Jacob? How do the names of many of the characters reflect names of characters in the biblical account? Apart from the appearance of “Jacob’s ladder,” the best-known part of the biblical story occurs when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob, his younger brother, for food. [In the time of Esau and Jacob, on the death of the father, the oldest son received twice as much property as any other child, known as the “birthright.] Does Water for Elephants have a counterpart to Esau?
17. In the words of one reviewer, Water for Elephants "explores . . . the pathetic grandeur of the Depression-era circus." In what ways and to what extent do the words "pathetic grandeur" describe the world that Gruen creates in her novel?
18. What would you do if faced with the woman you loved carrying your child, a bull elephant, twelve horses, and no job? Do you have people in your life who could get you on the right path again?
19. Historical novels are often overpraised, because good research can mask or distract you from flaws in the plot, characterization or structure of a book. Do you think Water for Elephants deserved all the praise quoted in the front matter of the paperback edition? Or do you believe some critics might have been willing to overlook its flaws because of interesting material that Sara Gruen turned up in her research? Were you willing to overlook any flaws you found in the novel? Why?
20. Susan Cheever, the novelist and memoirist, says in the same front matter that Water for Elephants is “a book about what animals can teach people about love.” Do you agree? If so, why? If not, what is this novel really “about”? If you agree with Susan Cheever that this is “a book about what animals can teach people about love,” what do the animals teach us? What do we learn from this book that you couldn’t get from movies and television shows like Babe or Lassie, which involved intelligent and loyal animals?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
June meeting - Cadillac Desert
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, June 5th at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our June book, Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner.
I’m so glad that we’ll be joined by Mr. Jamie Reilly with Stetson Engineers who will provide insight and explanations of the current and historical western water situation (with maps, too!)
If you’re interested in the subject here are a few websites with additional information and photographs of the history of water in California:
The National Humanities Center has a great site with lots of links to articles about water in the Western United States.
NAU article about western water usage:
How much water does it take to raise one pound of beef?
The Water Education Foundation in Sacramento,
Fix the water shortage problem in 5 minutes:
In our upcoming July 3rd meeting, we’re actually leaving the topic of water (despite the title) as we read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, a book that has been on bestseller lists for over a year.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Whisky is for drinkin’; water is for fightin’ over.
- - Mark Twain
Water is H2O, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one, but there is also a third thing, that makes water and nobody knows what that is.
- - D.H. LAWRENCE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
1. Marc Reisner writes, “Westerners call what they have established out here a civilization, but it would be more accurate to call it a beachhead. And if history is any guide, the odds that we can sustain it would have to be regarded as low” (pp. 1-3). Would you agree that the communities that have settled in the Western states are unsustainable?
2. Today there is a growing concern about the effect of dams on fisheries. In Marin, there is a strong group known as SPAWN which works to preserve our creeks so salmon can spawn there. Do you think efforts like this are worthwhile? Will SPAWN or other groups be successful in their efforts to help salmon return to Marin?
3. Was the migration westward inevitable? Could any obstacles possibly have stopped desert areas like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix from become populous cities?
4. Cadillac Desert offers a compelling description of the costs of the current water model used in the West. Can a culture change its mind about the trade-offs it makes? Are we Americans in the midst of such a shift regarding our water usage?
5. Cadillac Desert describes a time in American history when the cultural climate assumed engineering prowess to be an unmitigated good. Today environmentalists are more concerned with sustainability rather than productivity. Is there any room in today’s culture for big engineering water projects?
6. One of the tenets of modern agribusiness in the United States is cheap water. Water is affordable in all parts of the U.S. Now that gas costs well over $4/gallon driving habits are being changed and citizens are using mass transit and driving less. Would you support more expensive water to encourage conservation? Do you support subsidies for the agribusinesses that are the primary beneficiaries of current water policy? Do you know how much you pay for water now?
7. Do you agree with Marc Reisner’s conclusions about the disastrous effects of water policy in the West over the last century? What would a reasonable plan for Western land and water development look like if you could dictate such a policy?
8. What does sesquipedalian tergiversation (see p. 71) mean?
9. Cadillac Desert abounds with stories of unintended consequences as a result of the many water projects across the western United States such as the selenium crisis in central California or the fact that WWII was won with the power generated by western water projects. Can you think of any other unintended consequences?
10. There is a cost for the efforts to undo a century of water projects in the U.S. – in terms of both dollars and lost business. Are the costs too high? Will the efforts ever succeed in returning the environment back to what it was?
11. Has America stretched its use of water in the West to the breaking point? Will the current water projects be able to sustain the current uses? Do you think American citizens or agribusiness would be willing to change their water usage to more accurately match the water available?
12. Would you support the construction of a desalination plant in Marin County?
13. Cadillac Desert describes several larger than life personalities such as Otis, Mulholland and Dominy. Are there any big personalities overseeing and/or affecting our utilities and way of life today?
14. Reisner uses several throw-away but obviously biased phrases throughout the book such as “he followed the honorable Republican tradition of using the office as a vending machine for timber and minerals…” (p 271), “The Bureau’s response to the rising tide of conservation, however, was to let them eat cake.” (p 242) and, “ ‘New Age’ politicians who strive to disassociate themselves from the old Left or the old Right seem to fall into the same old habits where the pork barrel is concerned.” (p 310) Does this bias detract from the overall message of Cadillac Desert?
I’m so glad that we’ll be joined by Mr. Jamie Reilly with Stetson Engineers who will provide insight and explanations of the current and historical western water situation (with maps, too!)
If you’re interested in the subject here are a few websites with additional information and photographs of the history of water in California:
The National Humanities Center has a great site with lots of links to articles about water in the Western United States.
NAU article about western water usage:
How much water does it take to raise one pound of beef?
The Water Education Foundation in Sacramento,
Fix the water shortage problem in 5 minutes:
In our upcoming July 3rd meeting, we’re actually leaving the topic of water (despite the title) as we read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, a book that has been on bestseller lists for over a year.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Whisky is for drinkin’; water is for fightin’ over.
- - Mark Twain
Water is H2O, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one, but there is also a third thing, that makes water and nobody knows what that is.
- - D.H. LAWRENCE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
1. Marc Reisner writes, “Westerners call what they have established out here a civilization, but it would be more accurate to call it a beachhead. And if history is any guide, the odds that we can sustain it would have to be regarded as low” (pp. 1-3). Would you agree that the communities that have settled in the Western states are unsustainable?
2. Today there is a growing concern about the effect of dams on fisheries. In Marin, there is a strong group known as SPAWN which works to preserve our creeks so salmon can spawn there. Do you think efforts like this are worthwhile? Will SPAWN or other groups be successful in their efforts to help salmon return to Marin?
3. Was the migration westward inevitable? Could any obstacles possibly have stopped desert areas like Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix from become populous cities?
4. Cadillac Desert offers a compelling description of the costs of the current water model used in the West. Can a culture change its mind about the trade-offs it makes? Are we Americans in the midst of such a shift regarding our water usage?
5. Cadillac Desert describes a time in American history when the cultural climate assumed engineering prowess to be an unmitigated good. Today environmentalists are more concerned with sustainability rather than productivity. Is there any room in today’s culture for big engineering water projects?
6. One of the tenets of modern agribusiness in the United States is cheap water. Water is affordable in all parts of the U.S. Now that gas costs well over $4/gallon driving habits are being changed and citizens are using mass transit and driving less. Would you support more expensive water to encourage conservation? Do you support subsidies for the agribusinesses that are the primary beneficiaries of current water policy? Do you know how much you pay for water now?
7. Do you agree with Marc Reisner’s conclusions about the disastrous effects of water policy in the West over the last century? What would a reasonable plan for Western land and water development look like if you could dictate such a policy?
8. What does sesquipedalian tergiversation (see p. 71) mean?
9. Cadillac Desert abounds with stories of unintended consequences as a result of the many water projects across the western United States such as the selenium crisis in central California or the fact that WWII was won with the power generated by western water projects. Can you think of any other unintended consequences?
10. There is a cost for the efforts to undo a century of water projects in the U.S. – in terms of both dollars and lost business. Are the costs too high? Will the efforts ever succeed in returning the environment back to what it was?
11. Has America stretched its use of water in the West to the breaking point? Will the current water projects be able to sustain the current uses? Do you think American citizens or agribusiness would be willing to change their water usage to more accurately match the water available?
12. Would you support the construction of a desalination plant in Marin County?
13. Cadillac Desert describes several larger than life personalities such as Otis, Mulholland and Dominy. Are there any big personalities overseeing and/or affecting our utilities and way of life today?
14. Reisner uses several throw-away but obviously biased phrases throughout the book such as “he followed the honorable Republican tradition of using the office as a vending machine for timber and minerals…” (p 271), “The Bureau’s response to the rising tide of conservation, however, was to let them eat cake.” (p 242) and, “ ‘New Age’ politicians who strive to disassociate themselves from the old Left or the old Right seem to fall into the same old habits where the pork barrel is concerned.” (p 310) Does this bias detract from the overall message of Cadillac Desert?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Meeting May 1st!
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, May 1st at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our May book: Shooting the Boh by Tracy Johnston - a book about a woman “of a certain age” taking a risky rafting trip down a section of river in Borneo that even the natives feared.
“This story of a journalist joining an expedition down the Boh River starts out as standard adventure travel fare, but the difference rapidly becomes apparent: this journalist is over 40, her luggage is lost on the flight over and cannot be recovered in time, and the expedition has been planned by a company that takes irresponsibility to a new level. Only when they are already on the river do the participants realize how difficult and dangerous their time together will be.”
Below are the discussion questions for the book. Printed copies of the questions, author background and reviews of the book as well as refreshments will be available at the discussion group Thursday evening.
Next month, at our June 5th meeting, we’ll discuss Cadillac Desert: the American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner. Winner of the National Book Critics Award, this timely history of the struggle to discover and control water in the American West is a tale of rivers diverted and damned, political corruption and intrigue, billion-dollar battles over water rights, and economic and ecological disaster
Since summer is almost upon us, you might like to start planning for our summer reading. Coming up we have the following titles to look forward to reading:
Thursday, July 3rd - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Thursday, August 7th - The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Thursday, September 4th - Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Shooting the Boh by Tracy Johnston
1. After reading Shooting the Boh, would you ever take an adventure trip with Sobek Travel? Here is a link to their website: http://www.mtsobek.com/ Would you take a trip with the author, Tracy Johnston?
2. On page 10, the author writes, “One of the reasons I had come to Indonesia was to get a story. In that regard, personal suffering could only help.” Did the participants on the trip suffer excessively? Did any of the participants suffer more than others? How did their suffering compare to the group in our previous book, River of Doubt?
3. Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest “because it was there.” Tracy Johnston writes, “I have always been excited by uncertaintly, hated the notion that something predictable lay ahead.” Are these valid reasons for seeking adventure and risking your life and the lives of others?
4. The river guides failed to pack a radio, failed to anticipate the terrible foot rot and brought some food, “deng deng”, that the travelers loathed. Was the travel company, Sobek, irresponsible in leading the trip given that the previous attempt by expert rafters was abandoned as too dangerous and that they could not find any native Dabaks to guide them down the river for the same reason?
5. Do you get a sense of who the other passengers on the trip are through Johnston’s descriptions?
6. Johnston seems a bit obsessed about the looks of the other passengers and how her looks rate in comparison. Is this a result of her coming to terms with her age and new limitations? Was the trip a test for the author to prove something?
7. In a Caltech paper entitled, “Organizational Economics: A Behavioral Approach”, the paper’s author compares the adventure detailed in Shooting the Boh to an organizational meltdown where the weakest link in the group determines the overall strength of the group. He also points out that an inevitable weakness with a temporary organization such as the rafting group is the lack of knowledge of what the motivations or goals of the other travelers are. Are these valid descriptions? Could these weaknesses be overcome in another group? What did the members of Tracy Johnston’s group, including the author herself, each add to the experience?
8. Rivers are often used in literature as metaphors for life. Given Johnston’s descriptions of her voyage down the Boh River, how do you think she has approached her old age?
9. Sobek’s founder, Richard Bangs, heard about the Boh River when talking to someone who was trying to build up the local economy through tourism. Would this be considered ecologically sound today?
10. Adventurers like to test their mettle by risking their lives to see how far they can go. Is it possible to truly learn your limits and see inside yourself without climbing a high peak or otherwise physically and mentally exerting yourself? Have you experienced any physical or mental challenges that proved you could cope better than you might have expected?
11. The author is very descriptive of the rain forest in Borneo. Which (if any) of the dangers described (snakes, lizards, bees, mosquitoes, micro-organisms, the rain forest itself) would have kept you from taking this trip?
“This story of a journalist joining an expedition down the Boh River starts out as standard adventure travel fare, but the difference rapidly becomes apparent: this journalist is over 40, her luggage is lost on the flight over and cannot be recovered in time, and the expedition has been planned by a company that takes irresponsibility to a new level. Only when they are already on the river do the participants realize how difficult and dangerous their time together will be.”
Below are the discussion questions for the book. Printed copies of the questions, author background and reviews of the book as well as refreshments will be available at the discussion group Thursday evening.
Next month, at our June 5th meeting, we’ll discuss Cadillac Desert: the American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner. Winner of the National Book Critics Award, this timely history of the struggle to discover and control water in the American West is a tale of rivers diverted and damned, political corruption and intrigue, billion-dollar battles over water rights, and economic and ecological disaster
Since summer is almost upon us, you might like to start planning for our summer reading. Coming up we have the following titles to look forward to reading:
Thursday, July 3rd - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Thursday, August 7th - The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Thursday, September 4th - Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Shooting the Boh by Tracy Johnston
1. After reading Shooting the Boh, would you ever take an adventure trip with Sobek Travel? Here is a link to their website: http://www.mtsobek.com/ Would you take a trip with the author, Tracy Johnston?
2. On page 10, the author writes, “One of the reasons I had come to Indonesia was to get a story. In that regard, personal suffering could only help.” Did the participants on the trip suffer excessively? Did any of the participants suffer more than others? How did their suffering compare to the group in our previous book, River of Doubt?
3. Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest “because it was there.” Tracy Johnston writes, “I have always been excited by uncertaintly, hated the notion that something predictable lay ahead.” Are these valid reasons for seeking adventure and risking your life and the lives of others?
4. The river guides failed to pack a radio, failed to anticipate the terrible foot rot and brought some food, “deng deng”, that the travelers loathed. Was the travel company, Sobek, irresponsible in leading the trip given that the previous attempt by expert rafters was abandoned as too dangerous and that they could not find any native Dabaks to guide them down the river for the same reason?
5. Do you get a sense of who the other passengers on the trip are through Johnston’s descriptions?
6. Johnston seems a bit obsessed about the looks of the other passengers and how her looks rate in comparison. Is this a result of her coming to terms with her age and new limitations? Was the trip a test for the author to prove something?
7. In a Caltech paper entitled, “Organizational Economics: A Behavioral Approach”, the paper’s author compares the adventure detailed in Shooting the Boh to an organizational meltdown where the weakest link in the group determines the overall strength of the group. He also points out that an inevitable weakness with a temporary organization such as the rafting group is the lack of knowledge of what the motivations or goals of the other travelers are. Are these valid descriptions? Could these weaknesses be overcome in another group? What did the members of Tracy Johnston’s group, including the author herself, each add to the experience?
8. Rivers are often used in literature as metaphors for life. Given Johnston’s descriptions of her voyage down the Boh River, how do you think she has approached her old age?
9. Sobek’s founder, Richard Bangs, heard about the Boh River when talking to someone who was trying to build up the local economy through tourism. Would this be considered ecologically sound today?
10. Adventurers like to test their mettle by risking their lives to see how far they can go. Is it possible to truly learn your limits and see inside yourself without climbing a high peak or otherwise physically and mentally exerting yourself? Have you experienced any physical or mental challenges that proved you could cope better than you might have expected?
11. The author is very descriptive of the rain forest in Borneo. Which (if any) of the dangers described (snakes, lizards, bees, mosquitoes, micro-organisms, the rain forest itself) would have kept you from taking this trip?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
2nd Quarter Reading List
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group has chosen the books we’ll read and discuss together in the next 3 months.
On April 3, 2008 we’ll be discussing River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. This is a gripping non-fiction story and can be found at 918.113 on the library shelves.
“After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil's most famous explorer, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the Western Hemisphere forever. Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.”
On Thursday, May 1, 2008 we will discuss another river adventure, Shooting the Boh: A Woman’s Voyage Down the Wildest River in Borneo by Tracy Johnston (wife of SF Chron columnist, Jon Carroll) This book can be found at 959.83 on the library shelves.
A thrilling, touching, and densely instructive book, Shooting the Boh is also a frank self-portrait of a woman facing her most corrosive fears--and triumphing over them--with fortitude and unflagging wit. "A captivating and truly offbeat rite of passage."
On Thursday, June 5, 2008 we’re still on our watery theme but closer to home as we discuss Cadillac Desert: The American West and its disappearing water by Marc Reisner (333.91)
“This timely history of the struggle to discover and control water in the American West is a tale of rivers diverted and damned, political corruption and intrigue, billion-dollar battles over water rights, and economic and ecological disaster. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award.”
I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Thanks for reading with us!
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
On April 3, 2008 we’ll be discussing River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. This is a gripping non-fiction story and can be found at 918.113 on the library shelves.
“After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil's most famous explorer, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the Western Hemisphere forever. Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.”
On Thursday, May 1, 2008 we will discuss another river adventure, Shooting the Boh: A Woman’s Voyage Down the Wildest River in Borneo by Tracy Johnston (wife of SF Chron columnist, Jon Carroll) This book can be found at 959.83 on the library shelves.
A thrilling, touching, and densely instructive book, Shooting the Boh is also a frank self-portrait of a woman facing her most corrosive fears--and triumphing over them--with fortitude and unflagging wit. "A captivating and truly offbeat rite of passage."
On Thursday, June 5, 2008 we’re still on our watery theme but closer to home as we discuss Cadillac Desert: The American West and its disappearing water by Marc Reisner (333.91)
“This timely history of the struggle to discover and control water in the American West is a tale of rivers diverted and damned, political corruption and intrigue, billion-dollar battles over water rights, and economic and ecological disaster. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award.”
I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Thanks for reading with us!
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Saving Fish From Drowning
One Book/One Marin 2008
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, March 6th at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our March selection and the 2008 One Book/One Marin choice, Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan,
“A provocative journey, colored with picaresque characters and haunting imagery, and a mesmerizing tale about what is real and what is make believe—and the profound answers one seeks when things seemingly fall apart.”
You can check the Marin County Library’s One Book/One Marin link for even more information about Amy Tan and her book. (Don’t miss the YouTube video of Amy singing with her rock band, the Rock Bottom Remainders.)
We’ll also spend a few minutes of the meeting choosing our next 3 book selections. Please bring any titles you’d like to have us read together or send me an e-mail with your choices.
Below are the discussion questions for the Saving Fish From Drowning. I'll also have some additional author and other background information for our discussion on Thursday.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
1. In the opening chapter, Bibi says, "...in all my life no one had loved me wholly and desperately." Discuss how this is reflected in Bibi's voice and in the way she narrates Saving Fish from Drowning.
2. The first time in her adult life that Bibi feels “unmindful” passionate love results in her accidental death. Is her demise tragic? Comic? Ironic? Why does Tan leave us to assume for most of the novel that Bibi was murdered?
3. As the opening epigraph, Tan has chosen a quote from Albert Camus that reads, "Evil ...almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding." How does evil, ignorance, and good intentions play out in the novel? Discuss whether you have observed this in your own experiences with others.
4. The role of the media, including the Global News Network and the reality show "Darwin's Fittest" shapes outcomes and people's sympathies in the story. Do you believe the media really does have such an effect, and if so, in what ways and to what degree? Do you feel the media should have more or less of an effect?
5. Some of the group have mixed feelings about visiting Burma. "...it's in some ways a financial collusion with a corrupt regime," Roxanne says. (page 35). In a meeting with foreign journalists in Rangoon on November 17, 1995, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, when asked if she thought tourism could help her country, reportedly replied, "Well, I think that visitors to the country can be useful, depending on what they do, or how they go about it. But I think also, tourists have to be careful not to deceive themselves ...You can talk about 'trickle down' effect, but sometimes the trickle down effect is exactly that, a mere trickle, which dissipates before it gets to where it's required." Do you think it's better to boycott a place where the native people are oppressed? Does tourism help in these places, or does it hurt? What further information might you need if you were one of the tourists considering whether to go to Burma?
6. In what sense do the tourists feel culpable for the suffering they see in Burma? Does Amy Tan offer a solution to their feelings of guilt?
7. In Chapter 6 (page 161), the group's Burmese tour guide, Walter, says, "...being American has less to do with one's proficiency in English and more with the assumptions you hold dear and true - your inalienable rights, your pursuit of happiness." Do you agree? How do you think Americans are perceived overseas today? What other qualities define Americans?
8. How does the tour group’s behavior reinforce or rebut stereotypes of the “ugly American”?
9. Is it important to get credit for the things we do? What about the blame?
10. Another theme in the book is the idea of unintended consequences. Outcomes are not in our control. When they’re bad, who actually suffers?
11. What is the moral responsibility of the tourists?
12. In Chapter 8 (p. 215) Bibi says, “In Buddhism it is said you must have complete compassion to have complete understanding.” Is this true? Do any of the characters exhibit this trait?
13. The title of the book comes from the anonymous epigraph in the beginning of the novel and is mentioned again in Chapter 6. Discuss the implications of the book's title and how it might reflect any of the character's intentions or actions. How are words used to conceal truth and deceive in Burma and among the travelers?
14. In the opening of Chapter 12, "Darwin's Fittest," Bibi says, "The only thing certain in times of great uncertainty is that people will behave with great strength or weakness, and with very little else in between." Discuss how some of the characters demonstrate their own strengths and weaknesses in their time of crisis or great stress.
15. Toward the end of their ordeal, in Chapter 17, the eleven captives experience a sort of group out-of-body experience. What are some of the ways that might explain what has happened to them? Is this state of feeling similar to what you have observed other groups who have undergone a powerful shared experience?
17. "But if miracles are like rain after a drought, then greed is the flash flood that follows," Bibi says, when all the good that seemed to come right after their adventure begins to dissipate. What examples in current events can you think of that might support this sentiment? What are some examples in history?
18. The narrative of Saving Fish From Drowning winds itself around episodes of illusion and false impressions: the travelers are lured away from their resort under false pretenses; the world at large is seduced by Myanmar's glossy PR campaign; and in a larger sense, your readers will be seduced by the story's façade of travelogue and tourist escapades, only to find that there is something much darker at the its soul. By its very trickery, the novel asks the question - how does one deduce what is truth? How can a person separate fact from fiction in everything they hear or see? Does this come into play in one's personal life? Do you think there's a political element to this theme?
19. Burma - and the current situation there - serves as the perfect setting for the novel's themes of truth and moral responsibility. But how much of this novel, do you think, is fact and how much is based on Amy Tan's imagination?
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, March 6th at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our March selection and the 2008 One Book/One Marin choice, Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan,
“A provocative journey, colored with picaresque characters and haunting imagery, and a mesmerizing tale about what is real and what is make believe—and the profound answers one seeks when things seemingly fall apart.”
You can check the Marin County Library’s One Book/One Marin link for even more information about Amy Tan and her book. (Don’t miss the YouTube video of Amy singing with her rock band, the Rock Bottom Remainders.)
We’ll also spend a few minutes of the meeting choosing our next 3 book selections. Please bring any titles you’d like to have us read together or send me an e-mail with your choices.
Below are the discussion questions for the Saving Fish From Drowning. I'll also have some additional author and other background information for our discussion on Thursday.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
1. In the opening chapter, Bibi says, "...in all my life no one had loved me wholly and desperately." Discuss how this is reflected in Bibi's voice and in the way she narrates Saving Fish from Drowning.
2. The first time in her adult life that Bibi feels “unmindful” passionate love results in her accidental death. Is her demise tragic? Comic? Ironic? Why does Tan leave us to assume for most of the novel that Bibi was murdered?
3. As the opening epigraph, Tan has chosen a quote from Albert Camus that reads, "Evil ...almost always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding." How does evil, ignorance, and good intentions play out in the novel? Discuss whether you have observed this in your own experiences with others.
4. The role of the media, including the Global News Network and the reality show "Darwin's Fittest" shapes outcomes and people's sympathies in the story. Do you believe the media really does have such an effect, and if so, in what ways and to what degree? Do you feel the media should have more or less of an effect?
5. Some of the group have mixed feelings about visiting Burma. "...it's in some ways a financial collusion with a corrupt regime," Roxanne says. (page 35). In a meeting with foreign journalists in Rangoon on November 17, 1995, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi, when asked if she thought tourism could help her country, reportedly replied, "Well, I think that visitors to the country can be useful, depending on what they do, or how they go about it. But I think also, tourists have to be careful not to deceive themselves ...You can talk about 'trickle down' effect, but sometimes the trickle down effect is exactly that, a mere trickle, which dissipates before it gets to where it's required." Do you think it's better to boycott a place where the native people are oppressed? Does tourism help in these places, or does it hurt? What further information might you need if you were one of the tourists considering whether to go to Burma?
6. In what sense do the tourists feel culpable for the suffering they see in Burma? Does Amy Tan offer a solution to their feelings of guilt?
7. In Chapter 6 (page 161), the group's Burmese tour guide, Walter, says, "...being American has less to do with one's proficiency in English and more with the assumptions you hold dear and true - your inalienable rights, your pursuit of happiness." Do you agree? How do you think Americans are perceived overseas today? What other qualities define Americans?
8. How does the tour group’s behavior reinforce or rebut stereotypes of the “ugly American”?
9. Is it important to get credit for the things we do? What about the blame?
10. Another theme in the book is the idea of unintended consequences. Outcomes are not in our control. When they’re bad, who actually suffers?
11. What is the moral responsibility of the tourists?
12. In Chapter 8 (p. 215) Bibi says, “In Buddhism it is said you must have complete compassion to have complete understanding.” Is this true? Do any of the characters exhibit this trait?
13. The title of the book comes from the anonymous epigraph in the beginning of the novel and is mentioned again in Chapter 6. Discuss the implications of the book's title and how it might reflect any of the character's intentions or actions. How are words used to conceal truth and deceive in Burma and among the travelers?
14. In the opening of Chapter 12, "Darwin's Fittest," Bibi says, "The only thing certain in times of great uncertainty is that people will behave with great strength or weakness, and with very little else in between." Discuss how some of the characters demonstrate their own strengths and weaknesses in their time of crisis or great stress.
15. Toward the end of their ordeal, in Chapter 17, the eleven captives experience a sort of group out-of-body experience. What are some of the ways that might explain what has happened to them? Is this state of feeling similar to what you have observed other groups who have undergone a powerful shared experience?
17. "But if miracles are like rain after a drought, then greed is the flash flood that follows," Bibi says, when all the good that seemed to come right after their adventure begins to dissipate. What examples in current events can you think of that might support this sentiment? What are some examples in history?
18. The narrative of Saving Fish From Drowning winds itself around episodes of illusion and false impressions: the travelers are lured away from their resort under false pretenses; the world at large is seduced by Myanmar's glossy PR campaign; and in a larger sense, your readers will be seduced by the story's façade of travelogue and tourist escapades, only to find that there is something much darker at the its soul. By its very trickery, the novel asks the question - how does one deduce what is truth? How can a person separate fact from fiction in everything they hear or see? Does this come into play in one's personal life? Do you think there's a political element to this theme?
19. Burma - and the current situation there - serves as the perfect setting for the novel's themes of truth and moral responsibility. But how much of this novel, do you think, is fact and how much is based on Amy Tan's imagination?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Glass Palace discussion Feb. 7th
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet this Thursday, Feb. 7th to discuss The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh.
I've enjoyed reading this book which has turned out to be a little lengthy for me - almost 500 pages! The story about the British invasion of Burma, the exile of the Burmese king and queen and the tales of the intertwining lives of three Burmese and Indian families over a century of history is genuinely riveting, although I could have lived without the excessive details of the cars of the period. The novel offers an important, alternative view of events from the native inhabitants of those countries during the reign of England during their colonial years.
If you're interested in delving a little deeper into the story, I found some websites that offer material worth your time:
An interesting blog discussion of colonial literature and post-colonial literature and their designations as such:
http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2004/05/question-for-discussion-marketing-and.html
A discussion of the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar:
http://arbitrarymarks.com/wordpress/2007/09/28/covering-myanmar/
A fun story of Amitav Ghosh’s bookstore appearance in the Oxford Bookstore:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/08/11/stories/2003081101030100.htm
Discussion questions for the novel can be found on the Publisher's (Random House) website:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375758775&view=rg
I've enjoyed reading this book which has turned out to be a little lengthy for me - almost 500 pages! The story about the British invasion of Burma, the exile of the Burmese king and queen and the tales of the intertwining lives of three Burmese and Indian families over a century of history is genuinely riveting, although I could have lived without the excessive details of the cars of the period. The novel offers an important, alternative view of events from the native inhabitants of those countries during the reign of England during their colonial years.
If you're interested in delving a little deeper into the story, I found some websites that offer material worth your time:
An interesting blog discussion of colonial literature and post-colonial literature and their designations as such:
http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2004/05/question-for-discussion-marketing-and.html
A discussion of the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar:
http://arbitrarymarks.com/wordpress/2007/09/28/covering-myanmar/
A fun story of Amitav Ghosh’s bookstore appearance in the Oxford Bookstore:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/08/11/stories/2003081101030100.htm
Discussion questions for the novel can be found on the Publisher's (Random House) website:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375758775&view=rg
Monday, January 14, 2008
The best books of 2007?
What would the New Year be without a look back? Here are some of the lists of the Best Books of 2007. Have you already read some of these? Or are these on your list of TBR (to be read)?
Lists like these just prove the adage, "So many books, so little time."
So what are you waiting for?
Remember to check the Marin County Library's website for availability. If the book isn't currently available at the Fairfax branch, just click on the "Request" button and, for 50 cents, you'll be added to the wait list or a copy will be sent to Fairfax from another branch.
Happy reading!
NY Times list of the 10 best books of 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/books/review/10-best-2007.html
salon.com’s list of best fiction of 2007
http://www.salon.com/books/awards/2007/12/12/best_books/index1.html
Kirkus Reviews best books of 2007
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/images/pdf/Best_of_2007.pdf
Barnes and Noble best books of 2007
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bestof/index.asp?PID=20800&z=y
and 3 of the NY Times reviewers' picks for their personal favorites of 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/books/28intro.html
Don't miss the Marin County Library's "Reader's Corner" with recommendations, Bookletters and Literature Resources:
http://www.co.marin.ca.us/library/readers.cfm
Lists like these just prove the adage, "So many books, so little time."
So what are you waiting for?
Remember to check the Marin County Library's website for availability. If the book isn't currently available at the Fairfax branch, just click on the "Request" button and, for 50 cents, you'll be added to the wait list or a copy will be sent to Fairfax from another branch.
Happy reading!
NY Times list of the 10 best books of 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/books/review/10-best-2007.html
salon.com’s list of best fiction of 2007
http://www.salon.com/books/awards/2007/12/12/best_books/index1.html
Kirkus Reviews best books of 2007
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/images/pdf/Best_of_2007.pdf
Barnes and Noble best books of 2007
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bestof/index.asp?PID=20800&z=y
and 3 of the NY Times reviewers' picks for their personal favorites of 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/books/28intro.html
Don't miss the Marin County Library's "Reader's Corner" with recommendations, Bookletters and Literature Resources:
http://www.co.marin.ca.us/library/readers.cfm
Friday, January 11, 2008
This Is Not Civilization
The Fairfax Library Book Group met Wednesday night (a change from our usual first Thursday meetings) and discussed our January book selection, This Is Not Civilization by Robert Rosenberg. The overall consensus of the group was positive although most in attendance were not “wowed” by the book.
We all enjoyed the descriptions of the Kyrgyz village and Istanbul and appreciated the author’s comparison of the Kyrgyz village and the Apache reservation in Arizona as equally struggling communities suffering from poverty (both money and opportunities) internal corruption and the oversight and abandonment of their larger governments.
I would definitely recommend the book to others and look forward to reading more from Robert Rosenberg. An interesting (to me) footnote; my son attends the university mentioned in the first part of the book, Northern Arizona University. It’s a great school!
I made some of the recipes that are available on the publisher’s website:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/rosenberg_this.shtml
Here are the 3 recipes that I tried and brought to the meeting:
Plov
This pilaf is popular throughout Central Asia, especially in southern Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
5 Tbsp oil
2 cups rice
5–6 large carrots, cut in long thin strips
¾ cup raisins
2–3 large onions, chopped
5–10 cloves garlic, whole
2–3 fresh peppers, chopped
1–2 pounds beef or mutton, cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a wok until hot, and add the meat, cooking until brown on all sides. Add the carrots, onions, and peppers, and cook until tender. Add 5 cups hot water and then the rice; the water should completely cover the rice. Push the cloves of garlic just under the surface of the rice, making sure they don't pop up. Cover and lower heat a little. After 10 minutes, add the raisins. Do not stir. Cover and cook until done, about 30 minutes. (I poured off all of the fat before adding the rice and used cubed London Broil since it was on sale this week.)
Note: Plov is usually eaten with the hands. Mash the rice into a small ball over the plate and slide it with the thumb into your mouth. (We used forks and plates…)
Apache Fry Bread
4 cups white flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
Lard or shortening
Combine all ingredients. Add about 1½ cups warm water and knead until dough is soft but not sticky. Shape dough into balls the size of a small apple. Flatten into patties by hand; dough should be about ½ inch thick. Fry one at a time in about one inch of hot lard or shortening in a heavy pan. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with honey or jam. ( I used olive oil to fry the bread.)
Crushed Tomato Salad Spread (Ezme)
½ pound ripe tomatoes
½ cucumber
1 green pepper
2 stalks green onions
1 tsp dried mint
salt, pepper, paprika
1 Tbsp paprika paste (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
Peel tomatoes and cucumber. Remove stalk and seeds from pepper. Remove outer layer of green onions. Chop them all very fine without pulverizing them. Mix well all ingredients. Serve with bread for dipping. (Tomatoes are out of season now so I used a can of organic whole, peeled tomatoes. I also didn’t have dried mint so I used dried basil. I used plenty of paprika, but no paprika paste.)
We all enjoyed the descriptions of the Kyrgyz village and Istanbul and appreciated the author’s comparison of the Kyrgyz village and the Apache reservation in Arizona as equally struggling communities suffering from poverty (both money and opportunities) internal corruption and the oversight and abandonment of their larger governments.
I would definitely recommend the book to others and look forward to reading more from Robert Rosenberg. An interesting (to me) footnote; my son attends the university mentioned in the first part of the book, Northern Arizona University. It’s a great school!
I made some of the recipes that are available on the publisher’s website:
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/rosenberg_this.shtml
Here are the 3 recipes that I tried and brought to the meeting:
Plov
This pilaf is popular throughout Central Asia, especially in southern Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
5 Tbsp oil
2 cups rice
5–6 large carrots, cut in long thin strips
¾ cup raisins
2–3 large onions, chopped
5–10 cloves garlic, whole
2–3 fresh peppers, chopped
1–2 pounds beef or mutton, cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a wok until hot, and add the meat, cooking until brown on all sides. Add the carrots, onions, and peppers, and cook until tender. Add 5 cups hot water and then the rice; the water should completely cover the rice. Push the cloves of garlic just under the surface of the rice, making sure they don't pop up. Cover and lower heat a little. After 10 minutes, add the raisins. Do not stir. Cover and cook until done, about 30 minutes. (I poured off all of the fat before adding the rice and used cubed London Broil since it was on sale this week.)
Note: Plov is usually eaten with the hands. Mash the rice into a small ball over the plate and slide it with the thumb into your mouth. (We used forks and plates…)
Apache Fry Bread
4 cups white flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
Lard or shortening
Combine all ingredients. Add about 1½ cups warm water and knead until dough is soft but not sticky. Shape dough into balls the size of a small apple. Flatten into patties by hand; dough should be about ½ inch thick. Fry one at a time in about one inch of hot lard or shortening in a heavy pan. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with honey or jam. ( I used olive oil to fry the bread.)
Crushed Tomato Salad Spread (Ezme)
½ pound ripe tomatoes
½ cucumber
1 green pepper
2 stalks green onions
1 tsp dried mint
salt, pepper, paprika
1 Tbsp paprika paste (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
Peel tomatoes and cucumber. Remove stalk and seeds from pepper. Remove outer layer of green onions. Chop them all very fine without pulverizing them. Mix well all ingredients. Serve with bread for dipping. (Tomatoes are out of season now so I used a can of organic whole, peeled tomatoes. I also didn’t have dried mint so I used dried basil. I used plenty of paprika, but no paprika paste.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)