It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, August 13th at 7 p.m.
What Book? The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
(Please let me know if you can join us.)
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
The Hunt for Colonel Fawcett
Bio of Percy Fawcett and his expeditions
Book Review from The Nation
Video of The Lost Cities of the Amazon on National Geographic
Scientific American slideshow with pics of Heckenberg’s archeology findings -
Dissent in the Royal Geographic Society?
Was Percy Fawcett the last of his kind? Read this 2007 Obit of Gene Savoy
Coming Up Next:
Our next book for Thursday, September 10th is The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Our following book for Thursday, October 8th is The Song is You by Arthur Phillips.
Free books! Our group won 10 copies of The Song is You and I’ll be handing them out to anyone who is interested at our meeting this week.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
August and September books
Read with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
Thursday, August 13th : The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
Read more about The Lost City of Z (with maps and photos) at the author’s website.
Thursday, September 10th : The Lace Reader
On Thursday, September 10th, we’ll discuss The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. This is a great summer read - I think you’ll enjoy it.
Brunonia Barry also has an author website with lots of good, fun information.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Thursday, August 13th : The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
Read more about The Lost City of Z (with maps and photos) at the author’s website.
Thursday, September 10th : The Lace Reader
On Thursday, September 10th, we’ll discuss The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. This is a great summer read - I think you’ll enjoy it.
Brunonia Barry also has an author website with lots of good, fun information.
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Emperor's Children - July 2009
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, July 9th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info
Rothko Prints
Natasha and Pierre in War and Peace
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
1. At the novel’s onset, most of the characters are outside New York. Why might Messud have chosen to begin in this manner? At what other points in the book do the characters leave the city, and with what results?
2. Which of the novel’s characters strikes you as its moral center? Is it Bootie, who comes to New York with such high ideals and easily rankled feelings? Is it Danielle, who has lived there long enough to feel at home but who still sees its pretensions and absurdities? With which of these characters is the reader meant to identify? Whose judgments seem the most reliable? And what flaws or blind spots afflict them?
3. Julius is obsessed with the characters of Pierre and Natasha from War and Peace, longing to be the sparkling Natasha but fearing he’s really more like the brooding, self-conscious Pierre. Bootie is constantly quoting Emerson. Which of the other characters has an emblematic book, and what role do those books play in their lives, in the way they see the world, and, of course, the way they see themselves? Is Julius anything like Pierre or Natasha? Does Bootie really live up to Emerson’s criterion of genius? At what points do they similarly misread other characters?
4. Almost everybody in The Emperor’s Children envies, and is intimidated by, somebody else. Julius, for instance, is in awe of Marina’s self-confidence and envious of her sense of entitlement. Marina is cowed by her father. Poor Bootie is a virtual pressure cooker of indiscriminate awe and resentment. What do Messud’s characters feel insecure about? Is there anyone in the book who seems truly comfortable with him or herself or any relationship that seems to be conducted by equals? Would you say that awe and envy are this novel’s dominant emotions?
5. Marina, we learn, frequently accompanies Murray to public functions, and is sometimes mistaken for his “trophy wife” [p. 40]. Does their relationship strike you as incestuous [p. 121]? Compare Marina’s unfolding relationship with Ludovic to her bond with her father. Do you think that Ludovic—incidentally, the only major character who is seen entirely from the outside—really loves Marina or is merely using her, and if so for what purpose?
6. Just as Marina has symbolically taken over her mother’s role, “Danielle had the peculiar sensation of having usurped her friend’s role in the Thwaite family, and more than that, of having usurped it at some moment in the distant past, a decade or more ago: she felt like a teenager . . and she was suddenly, powerfully aware of the profound oddity of Marina’s present life, a life arrested at, or at least returned to, childhood” [p. 46]. How many of the other characters seem similarly suspended? Which of them seems like a full-grown adult, and what does it mean to be an adult in the scheme of this novel? If Danielle has indeed usurped Marina’s place, what is the significance of her affair with Marina’s father? Which of the other characters takes on another character’s role, and for what reasons?
7. When pressed to take a job, Marina confesses, “I worry that that will make me ordinary, like everybody else” [p. 74]. To what extent are other characters possessed by the same fear, and how do they defend themselves against it? Do they have a common idea of what constitutes ordinariness? Can ordinariness even exist in a social world in which everyone is constantly, feverishly striving to be unique? Is it possible that Marina is just lazy and prevaricating in her charming way?
8. With his high-flown ambitions, his indolence, and his appalling sense of hygiene, Bootie initially seems like a comic character. But in the course of the novel Messud’s portrait of him darkens until he comes to seem either sinister or tragic—perhaps both. How does she accomplish this? Which other characters does she gradually reveal in a different light? Compare Messud’s shifting portrayal of Bootie to her handling of Julius and Danielle. In what ways do they too evade or defy the reader’s initial expectations about them?
9. On similar lines, both Ludovic and Bootie denounce Murray as a fraud while Bootie in particular prides himself on his sincerity. But is such sincerity a good thing? What other characters embrace that virtue, and with what results? Compare Bootie’s frank literary assessment of his uncle with Murray’s frank critique of his daughter’s manuscript, or his even franker response to Bootie’s essay. When in this novel does honesty turn out to be a pretext for something else? And when do subterfuge and deception turn out to be acts of kindness?
10. Murray feels that his mother’s efforts at improving him succeeded only in “turning her boy into someone, something, she couldn’t understand”. By contrast, he thinks, Marina has been paralyzed by the very expansiveness of her upbringing. What does this novel have to say about parents and children? Which of the Emperor’s children has proved a disappointment? Does any parent in this novel (Murray, Annabel, Judy, Randy) truly understand his or her offspring? And is it good for said offspring to be understood?
11. Some of Messud’s characters begin the novel in a state of happiness and others attain it, but nearly all of them see their happiness threatened or even shattered. How does this come about? Which of them is the victim of outside forces and which is responsible for his or her fall? How would you describe this novel’s vision of happiness? Considering that the typical comedy has a happy (or happy-ish) ending, what do you make of the fact that so many of Messud’s characters end up bereft or disappointed?
12. Among this novel’s many characters, one has to include the character of New York City. How does Messud bring the city to life? Compare Murray’s New York with that of Marina, Danielle, Bootie, and Julius. What is it that draws the characters to prove themselves in New York?
13. What role do the events of September 11, 2001, play in The Emperor’s Children? Are there other points when history—or reality—impinges on the safe and mostly privileged world its characters inhabit? What is the significance of Annabel Thwaite’s client DeVaughn or results of Julius and David’s affair? Does the ending make sense when compared with the rest of the novel?
14. Ludovic repeatedly declares that he wants to make a revolution with his magazine The Monitor, but what is the magazine supposed to be about? Lest we think that The Emperor’s Children is merely a satire of the New York media, what other highly touted ideas in this novel turn out to be light on substance, and what does this suggest about the value of ideas at this historical moment?
15. In addition to reading, many of Messud’s people are also engaged in writing: Marina has her book-in-progress and Murray has his (which he’s thinking of calling How to Live), and Bootie has his essay on Murray (and Murray’s book). What is their relationship to their writing? What do they hope to achieve through it? How do other characters respond to it? Does Messud give us any indication as to which of these characters’ work is good (or genuine) and which is failed or fraudulent?
16. Messud introduces her characters through their environments: the womblike bathroom where Bootie soaks in hot water and serious literature; the Thwaites’ resplendent Central Park West apartment; and Danielle’s pristine, aesthetically climate-controlled studio. What do these spaces tell us about their occupants? Why might the author have used this rather old-fashioned way of ushering us into a novel set in 2001? Where else does she employ the techniques of an earlier age of literature?
When? Thursday, July 9th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info
Rothko Prints
Natasha and Pierre in War and Peace
Our next book selection is The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann which we’ll discuss on Thursday, August 13th. There are holds on the book at the library so be sure to reserve your copy soon!
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
1. At the novel’s onset, most of the characters are outside New York. Why might Messud have chosen to begin in this manner? At what other points in the book do the characters leave the city, and with what results?
2. Which of the novel’s characters strikes you as its moral center? Is it Bootie, who comes to New York with such high ideals and easily rankled feelings? Is it Danielle, who has lived there long enough to feel at home but who still sees its pretensions and absurdities? With which of these characters is the reader meant to identify? Whose judgments seem the most reliable? And what flaws or blind spots afflict them?
3. Julius is obsessed with the characters of Pierre and Natasha from War and Peace, longing to be the sparkling Natasha but fearing he’s really more like the brooding, self-conscious Pierre. Bootie is constantly quoting Emerson. Which of the other characters has an emblematic book, and what role do those books play in their lives, in the way they see the world, and, of course, the way they see themselves? Is Julius anything like Pierre or Natasha? Does Bootie really live up to Emerson’s criterion of genius? At what points do they similarly misread other characters?
4. Almost everybody in The Emperor’s Children envies, and is intimidated by, somebody else. Julius, for instance, is in awe of Marina’s self-confidence and envious of her sense of entitlement. Marina is cowed by her father. Poor Bootie is a virtual pressure cooker of indiscriminate awe and resentment. What do Messud’s characters feel insecure about? Is there anyone in the book who seems truly comfortable with him or herself or any relationship that seems to be conducted by equals? Would you say that awe and envy are this novel’s dominant emotions?
5. Marina, we learn, frequently accompanies Murray to public functions, and is sometimes mistaken for his “trophy wife” [p. 40]. Does their relationship strike you as incestuous [p. 121]? Compare Marina’s unfolding relationship with Ludovic to her bond with her father. Do you think that Ludovic—incidentally, the only major character who is seen entirely from the outside—really loves Marina or is merely using her, and if so for what purpose?
6. Just as Marina has symbolically taken over her mother’s role, “Danielle had the peculiar sensation of having usurped her friend’s role in the Thwaite family, and more than that, of having usurped it at some moment in the distant past, a decade or more ago: she felt like a teenager . . and she was suddenly, powerfully aware of the profound oddity of Marina’s present life, a life arrested at, or at least returned to, childhood” [p. 46]. How many of the other characters seem similarly suspended? Which of them seems like a full-grown adult, and what does it mean to be an adult in the scheme of this novel? If Danielle has indeed usurped Marina’s place, what is the significance of her affair with Marina’s father? Which of the other characters takes on another character’s role, and for what reasons?
7. When pressed to take a job, Marina confesses, “I worry that that will make me ordinary, like everybody else” [p. 74]. To what extent are other characters possessed by the same fear, and how do they defend themselves against it? Do they have a common idea of what constitutes ordinariness? Can ordinariness even exist in a social world in which everyone is constantly, feverishly striving to be unique? Is it possible that Marina is just lazy and prevaricating in her charming way?
8. With his high-flown ambitions, his indolence, and his appalling sense of hygiene, Bootie initially seems like a comic character. But in the course of the novel Messud’s portrait of him darkens until he comes to seem either sinister or tragic—perhaps both. How does she accomplish this? Which other characters does she gradually reveal in a different light? Compare Messud’s shifting portrayal of Bootie to her handling of Julius and Danielle. In what ways do they too evade or defy the reader’s initial expectations about them?
9. On similar lines, both Ludovic and Bootie denounce Murray as a fraud while Bootie in particular prides himself on his sincerity. But is such sincerity a good thing? What other characters embrace that virtue, and with what results? Compare Bootie’s frank literary assessment of his uncle with Murray’s frank critique of his daughter’s manuscript, or his even franker response to Bootie’s essay. When in this novel does honesty turn out to be a pretext for something else? And when do subterfuge and deception turn out to be acts of kindness?
10. Murray feels that his mother’s efforts at improving him succeeded only in “turning her boy into someone, something, she couldn’t understand”. By contrast, he thinks, Marina has been paralyzed by the very expansiveness of her upbringing. What does this novel have to say about parents and children? Which of the Emperor’s children has proved a disappointment? Does any parent in this novel (Murray, Annabel, Judy, Randy) truly understand his or her offspring? And is it good for said offspring to be understood?
11. Some of Messud’s characters begin the novel in a state of happiness and others attain it, but nearly all of them see their happiness threatened or even shattered. How does this come about? Which of them is the victim of outside forces and which is responsible for his or her fall? How would you describe this novel’s vision of happiness? Considering that the typical comedy has a happy (or happy-ish) ending, what do you make of the fact that so many of Messud’s characters end up bereft or disappointed?
12. Among this novel’s many characters, one has to include the character of New York City. How does Messud bring the city to life? Compare Murray’s New York with that of Marina, Danielle, Bootie, and Julius. What is it that draws the characters to prove themselves in New York?
13. What role do the events of September 11, 2001, play in The Emperor’s Children? Are there other points when history—or reality—impinges on the safe and mostly privileged world its characters inhabit? What is the significance of Annabel Thwaite’s client DeVaughn or results of Julius and David’s affair? Does the ending make sense when compared with the rest of the novel?
14. Ludovic repeatedly declares that he wants to make a revolution with his magazine The Monitor, but what is the magazine supposed to be about? Lest we think that The Emperor’s Children is merely a satire of the New York media, what other highly touted ideas in this novel turn out to be light on substance, and what does this suggest about the value of ideas at this historical moment?
15. In addition to reading, many of Messud’s people are also engaged in writing: Marina has her book-in-progress and Murray has his (which he’s thinking of calling How to Live), and Bootie has his essay on Murray (and Murray’s book). What is their relationship to their writing? What do they hope to achieve through it? How do other characters respond to it? Does Messud give us any indication as to which of these characters’ work is good (or genuine) and which is failed or fraudulent?
16. Messud introduces her characters through their environments: the womblike bathroom where Bootie soaks in hot water and serious literature; the Thwaites’ resplendent Central Park West apartment; and Danielle’s pristine, aesthetically climate-controlled studio. What do these spaces tell us about their occupants? Why might the author have used this rather old-fashioned way of ushering us into a novel set in 2001? Where else does she employ the techniques of an earlier age of literature?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
To Kill A Mockingbird
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, June 4th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
Historical background
Reconstructing Atticus Finch
Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill A Mockingbird:
Growing up white in the 1930’s South
Growing up black in 1930’s Alabama
Photos of 1930’s racial discrimination signs
On Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
"Beautiful, Ivy League–educated, and the daughter of a renowned journalist, Marina Thwaite lives in New York City along with two close friends from Brown. All three are just barely 30 and making their way into adulthood. The group orbits around the post September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement. Messud’s comedy of manners is extremely well written and features characters that come alive. This wonderful read is an insightful look at our time and the decisions people make."
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Discussion Questions
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? In what way did Boo's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character?
2. In Scout's account of her childhood, her father Atticus reigns supreme. How would you characterize his abilities as a single parent? How would you describe his treatment of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson vis a vis his treatment of his white neighbors and colleagues? How would you typify his views on race and class in the larger context of his community and his peers?
3. The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the bluejays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." At the end of the novel, Scout likens the "sin" of naming Boo as Bob Ewell's killer to "shootin' a mockingbird." Do you think that Boo is the only innocent, or mockingbird, in this novel?
4. Scout ages two years-from six to eight-over the course of Lee's novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book that seemed unusually "knowing" for such a young child? What event or episode in Scout's story do you feel truly captures her personality?
5. To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture? Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or insightful?
6. Jem describes to Scout the four "folks" or classes of people in Maycomb County: "…our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." What do you think of the ways in which Lee explores race and class in 1930s Alabama? What significance, if any, do you think these characterizations have for people living in other parts of the world?
7. One of the chief criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem, and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial between Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Do you think that Lee is successful in incorporating these different stories? Were you surprised at the way in which these story lines were resolved? Why or why not?
8. By the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, the book's first sentence: "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow," has been explained and resolved. What did you think of the events that followed the Halloween pageant? Did you think that Bob Ewell was capable of injuring Scout or Jem? How did you feel about Boo Radley's last-minute intervention?
9. What elements of this book did you find especially memorable, humorous, or inspiring? Are there individual characters whose beliefs, acts, or motives especially impressed or surprised you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light?
When? Thursday, June 4th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
Historical background
Reconstructing Atticus Finch
Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill A Mockingbird:
Growing up white in the 1930’s South
Growing up black in 1930’s Alabama
Photos of 1930’s racial discrimination signs
On Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
"Beautiful, Ivy League–educated, and the daughter of a renowned journalist, Marina Thwaite lives in New York City along with two close friends from Brown. All three are just barely 30 and making their way into adulthood. The group orbits around the post September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement. Messud’s comedy of manners is extremely well written and features characters that come alive. This wonderful read is an insightful look at our time and the decisions people make."
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Discussion Questions
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book? In what way did Boo's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character?
2. In Scout's account of her childhood, her father Atticus reigns supreme. How would you characterize his abilities as a single parent? How would you describe his treatment of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson vis a vis his treatment of his white neighbors and colleagues? How would you typify his views on race and class in the larger context of his community and his peers?
3. The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the bluejays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." At the end of the novel, Scout likens the "sin" of naming Boo as Bob Ewell's killer to "shootin' a mockingbird." Do you think that Boo is the only innocent, or mockingbird, in this novel?
4. Scout ages two years-from six to eight-over the course of Lee's novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book that seemed unusually "knowing" for such a young child? What event or episode in Scout's story do you feel truly captures her personality?
5. To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture? Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or insightful?
6. Jem describes to Scout the four "folks" or classes of people in Maycomb County: "…our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." What do you think of the ways in which Lee explores race and class in 1930s Alabama? What significance, if any, do you think these characterizations have for people living in other parts of the world?
7. One of the chief criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem, and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial between Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Do you think that Lee is successful in incorporating these different stories? Were you surprised at the way in which these story lines were resolved? Why or why not?
8. By the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, the book's first sentence: "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow," has been explained and resolved. What did you think of the events that followed the Halloween pageant? Did you think that Bob Ewell was capable of injuring Scout or Jem? How did you feel about Boo Radley's last-minute intervention?
9. What elements of this book did you find especially memorable, humorous, or inspiring? Are there individual characters whose beliefs, acts, or motives especially impressed or surprised you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Book of Salt
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, May 14th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
A little history of French colonization of Vietnam
Another short history of French colonization in Vietnam
A history of French colonization (with pictures!)
Some interesting background on Gertrude Stein
If you’re really interested, a play of Gertrude Stein’s is being produced in SF this month.
As always, refreshments will be served. Since we’re discussing Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, it might be appropriate to think about serving Toklas’ famous Haschich Fudge.
Coming up next: On Thursday, June 11th, we’ll discuss To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
And on Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
When? Thursday, May 14th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
Going Green: Instead of printing copies of background material for the meeting, it’s attached to this e-mail for you to read before or after our discussion or check out these links for more background info:
A little history of French colonization of Vietnam
Another short history of French colonization in Vietnam
A history of French colonization (with pictures!)
Some interesting background on Gertrude Stein
If you’re really interested, a play of Gertrude Stein’s is being produced in SF this month.
As always, refreshments will be served. Since we’re discussing Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, it might be appropriate to think about serving Toklas’ famous Haschich Fudge.
Coming up next: On Thursday, June 11th, we’ll discuss To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
And on Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
I look forward to seeing you at the library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Monday, April 13, 2009
New books chosen for discussion
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group has chosen the books we’ll read and discuss together in the next three months. Our meetings for the next three months will be on the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library.
On Thursday, May 14th, we’ll discuss The Book of Salt by Monique Truong.
Set in Paris during the late 1920s and early 1930s, this uniquely told tale by debut novelist Truong features Binh, the fictionalized Vietnamese cook to literary figures Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Early in the novel, readers are whisked inside 27 rue de Fleurus, the real-life residence of the two women, as Binh judiciously describes the daily nuances of his life as well as his own equally intriguing biography. The novel portrays varying dimensions of love as readers observe the relationships between Stein and Toklas, Binh and his lover Sweet Sunday Man, and the Old Man and Binh's mother. From a culinary perspective, this work is a sensual treat .
On Thursday, June 11th, we’ll discuss To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Lawyer Atticus Finch defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic, Puliter Prize-winning novel--a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Through the eyes of Atticus's children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930's.
On Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
Beautiful, Ivy League–educated, and the daughter of a renowned journalist, Marina Thwaite lives in New York City along with two close friends from Brown. All three are just barely 30 and making their way into adulthood. The group orbits around the post September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement. Messud’s comedy of manners is extremely well written and features characters that come alive. This wonderful read is an insightful look at our time and the decisions people make.
Thanks for reading with us!
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
On Thursday, May 14th, we’ll discuss The Book of Salt by Monique Truong.
Set in Paris during the late 1920s and early 1930s, this uniquely told tale by debut novelist Truong features Binh, the fictionalized Vietnamese cook to literary figures Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Early in the novel, readers are whisked inside 27 rue de Fleurus, the real-life residence of the two women, as Binh judiciously describes the daily nuances of his life as well as his own equally intriguing biography. The novel portrays varying dimensions of love as readers observe the relationships between Stein and Toklas, Binh and his lover Sweet Sunday Man, and the Old Man and Binh's mother. From a culinary perspective, this work is a sensual treat .
On Thursday, June 11th, we’ll discuss To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Lawyer Atticus Finch defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic, Puliter Prize-winning novel--a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Through the eyes of Atticus's children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930's.
On Thursday, July 9th, we’ll discuss The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud
Beautiful, Ivy League–educated, and the daughter of a renowned journalist, Marina Thwaite lives in New York City along with two close friends from Brown. All three are just barely 30 and making their way into adulthood. The group orbits around the post September 11 city with disconcerting entitlement. Messud’s comedy of manners is extremely well written and features characters that come alive. This wonderful read is an insightful look at our time and the decisions people make.
Thanks for reading with us!
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax Library
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
March discussion - A Bend in the River
It’s time to talk books with the Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group!
When? Thursday, March 5th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Discussion questions are below and check out these links for more background info
The Enigma of V. S. Naipaul
Colonial Desire and Disappointment in V. S. Naipaul
V.S. Naipaul, Nikolai Gogol, and the illumination of darkness
Civilization and V. S. Naipaul
Our next book selection is the One Book/One Marin selection, What is the What by Dave Eggers which we’ll discuss on Thursday, April 2nd.
A shameless plug – All month long in March, Bookbeat offers you a free tea or espresso every time you buy a book. Bookbeat is also featuring live acoustic music every morning. Stop by and ask Gary for one of his book recommendations.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
1. "The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it."Salim says, “For people like myself…the world was really quite a simple place…the less educated we were, the more at peace we were, the more easily we were carried along by our civilization…” (p. 54) Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Is Salim describing an unexamined life? Are these philosophies complimentary or contrasting?
2. The motto of Ferdinand’s lycee was Semper Aliquid Novi – always something new. Father Huisman’s masks lived up to the motto since masks were made for specific religious purposes. Pliny, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, first said, Semper aliquid novi Africam adferre. Africa always brings [us] something new. Has the truth of Pliny’s statement been proved over the centuries?
3. Are there comparisons to be made between Salim’s experience in a newly independent African country with soldiers and tribal warfare and the experiences of Alexandra Fuller’s family as described in her memoir, Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight?
4. On p. 21, “For Europe it was one little probe. For the Arabs of central Africa it was their all; the Arabian energy that had pushed them into Africa had died down at its source… Arab power had vanished.” On p. 76, “slave peoples are physically wretches, half-men in everything except their capacity to breed the next generation” Naipaul makes some very provocative statements in his book. Do these statements advance the story? Are they distracting in their provocation? Is Naipaul racist?
5. What were the differences between the Africa of the “Domain” and the Africa of Salim’s village? Were either the real Africa?
6. A reviewer in The Nation wrote, “In the last reckoning, A Bend in the River is about homelessness.” What does he mean by this? Would you agree that the novel is essentially about homelessness?
7. Speaking about leaving his hometown and family to go to England, Indar says, "It isn't easy to turn your back on the past. It is something you have to arm yourself for, or grief will ambush and destroy you. That is why I hold onto the image of the garden trampled to the ground--it is a small thing, but it helps" (141). Does Naipaul mourn the lost past of Africa or look forward to a new and better Africa?
8. Many writers wax poetic about the purity of the simple life of natives like those of the Bush country in Africa. How does Naipaul describe the African natives such as Zabeth?
9. How does Naipaul describe “the Big Man”? Is he a good ruler of his country? Does he offer hope for a better future in Africa?
10. When Salim first meets Raymond, Raymond says, “I began to wonder…whether the truth ever gets known…Time, the discoverer of truth. I know. It’s the classical idea, the religious idea. But there are times when you begin to wonder. Do we really know the history of the Roman Empire? Do we really know what went on during the conquest of Gaul? I was sitting in my room and thinking with sadness about all the things that have gone unrecorded. Do you think we will ever get to know the truth about what has happened in Africa in the last hundred or even fifty years?” In the beginning of the novel, Salim noted that all he knew about the world was from European history books. What does this say about African history or even world history? Is it important to know the truth of history? Are some things in history better forgotten?
11. What kind of man was Raymond - educated and married to a much younger woman and working as the “Big Man’s white man” and the town cuckold?
12. The description of Salim beating Yvette is very violent and graphic. How does the fictional beating compare to the reality of Naipaul’s confession of beating the women in his life in his new biography?
When? Thursday, March 5th at 7 p.m.
Where? Fairfax Library meeting room
What Book? A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Discussion questions are below and check out these links for more background info
The Enigma of V. S. Naipaul
Colonial Desire and Disappointment in V. S. Naipaul
V.S. Naipaul, Nikolai Gogol, and the illumination of darkness
Civilization and V. S. Naipaul
Our next book selection is the One Book/One Marin selection, What is the What by Dave Eggers which we’ll discuss on Thursday, April 2nd.
A shameless plug – All month long in March, Bookbeat offers you a free tea or espresso every time you buy a book. Bookbeat is also featuring live acoustic music every morning. Stop by and ask Gary for one of his book recommendations.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
1. "The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it."Salim says, “For people like myself…the world was really quite a simple place…the less educated we were, the more at peace we were, the more easily we were carried along by our civilization…” (p. 54) Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Is Salim describing an unexamined life? Are these philosophies complimentary or contrasting?
2. The motto of Ferdinand’s lycee was Semper Aliquid Novi – always something new. Father Huisman’s masks lived up to the motto since masks were made for specific religious purposes. Pliny, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, first said, Semper aliquid novi Africam adferre. Africa always brings [us] something new. Has the truth of Pliny’s statement been proved over the centuries?
3. Are there comparisons to be made between Salim’s experience in a newly independent African country with soldiers and tribal warfare and the experiences of Alexandra Fuller’s family as described in her memoir, Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight?
4. On p. 21, “For Europe it was one little probe. For the Arabs of central Africa it was their all; the Arabian energy that had pushed them into Africa had died down at its source… Arab power had vanished.” On p. 76, “slave peoples are physically wretches, half-men in everything except their capacity to breed the next generation” Naipaul makes some very provocative statements in his book. Do these statements advance the story? Are they distracting in their provocation? Is Naipaul racist?
5. What were the differences between the Africa of the “Domain” and the Africa of Salim’s village? Were either the real Africa?
6. A reviewer in The Nation wrote, “In the last reckoning, A Bend in the River is about homelessness.” What does he mean by this? Would you agree that the novel is essentially about homelessness?
7. Speaking about leaving his hometown and family to go to England, Indar says, "It isn't easy to turn your back on the past. It is something you have to arm yourself for, or grief will ambush and destroy you. That is why I hold onto the image of the garden trampled to the ground--it is a small thing, but it helps" (141). Does Naipaul mourn the lost past of Africa or look forward to a new and better Africa?
8. Many writers wax poetic about the purity of the simple life of natives like those of the Bush country in Africa. How does Naipaul describe the African natives such as Zabeth?
9. How does Naipaul describe “the Big Man”? Is he a good ruler of his country? Does he offer hope for a better future in Africa?
10. When Salim first meets Raymond, Raymond says, “I began to wonder…whether the truth ever gets known…Time, the discoverer of truth. I know. It’s the classical idea, the religious idea. But there are times when you begin to wonder. Do we really know the history of the Roman Empire? Do we really know what went on during the conquest of Gaul? I was sitting in my room and thinking with sadness about all the things that have gone unrecorded. Do you think we will ever get to know the truth about what has happened in Africa in the last hundred or even fifty years?” In the beginning of the novel, Salim noted that all he knew about the world was from European history books. What does this say about African history or even world history? Is it important to know the truth of history? Are some things in history better forgotten?
11. What kind of man was Raymond - educated and married to a much younger woman and working as the “Big Man’s white man” and the town cuckold?
12. The description of Salim beating Yvette is very violent and graphic. How does the fictional beating compare to the reality of Naipaul’s confession of beating the women in his life in his new biography?
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