| The Space Between Us | Thrity Umrigar |
3.6 The setting is Bombay, India.This is the story told by two women: Sera, an upper middle class Parsi, and her longtime domestic servant, Bhima. Bhima has been working as a domestic for Sera. Bhima resides in the slums and lives with her granddaughter, Maya. For twenty years, the two women shared their lives. Bhima cooked and cleaned for Sera, helping raise Sera's daughter Dinaz. Bhima tended to Sera's bruised body after having been beat time and again by her abusive husband, Feroz. In the meantime, Sera helped Bhima when her husband was injured in an accident and wasn't getting proper medical care. When Bhima's daughter and son-in-law died, leaving Maya to live with her grandmother, Sera paid for Maya to go to the University. Even though these two women were indeed friends, they were separated by class. Bhima had her own cupboard at Sera's house where she kept her drinking glass and eating utensils. When she sat and had tea with Sera, she sat at a distance on her haunches on the floor while Sera sat in her chair at the table. When Maya becomes pregnant, she has to leave University and her future to get herself and Bhima out of the slums is slashed. Sera's family and Bhima decide the best thing to do for Maya is to have her get an abortion. Maya agrees only if Sera is the one to take her and they go alone. After the father is revealed to Bhima, no ones life will be the same. India comes to life for the reader; the visuals of the streets, market, the people, the smell of the foods, streets, the slums, and the difference in the classes- the poor and their strength, the rich and their greed and weaknesses.
After having just finished our 2010 year with the book "The Help", it was an interesting comparison in the relationships between employee and employer and where to draw the personal line. |
| Sarah's Key | Tatiana De Rosnay |
3 On July 16, 1942, the French police, collaborating with the Nazis, raided Jewish homes, arrested the families and took them to the Vélodrome d'Hiver, a stadium. The families were kept there for days then shipped to the Aushwitz camps and their eventual demise. This was a two day roundup known as the "Vel'dHiv". Sarah was 10 when she heard the knock on the door by the police. She realized her family had to leave so she locked her brother, Michel, in a cupboard and kept the key with her. She thought she would be back shortly to let him out. Sixty years later in Paris, Julia Jurmond, an American married to a Parisian, is asked by her Paris based American magazine to write an article for the anniversary of the d"Hiv. Surprisingly, not many French know too much about the roundup. In fact, it wasn't until 1995, when President Chirac apolgized to the Jewish citizens for France's involvement. It is through Julia's investigation, that she learns about her husband's family connection with Sarah's family. The first half of the story is told with intermittant chapters between Sarah's life and Julia's. Sarah's voice is very compelling describing the Holocaust and what the families went through. The second half of the book is about Julia, her relationship with her husband, daughter, his family, and her obsession with Sarah. We found the change in voice was distrupting and it slowed the story down. Julia became self absorbed in herself and this other family. It is another lesson of history during WWII that we did not know about. |
| The Cookbook Collector | Allegra Goodman |
1.8 Emily and Jessamine Bach are sisters and are 5 years apart. Their mother passed away when Emily was 10, leaving Emily to look after her younger sister. They were raised in Massachusetts but now live in Berekely, California- Silicon Valley. |
| Her Fearful Symmetry | Audrey Niffenegger |
2 Julia and Valentina are identical sisters. They are 20 and live at home in Chicago with their mother, Edie and father, Jack. They receive a thick letter that informs them that their Aunt Elspeth, their mother's identical twin who lives in London, has passed away. They twins never knew their aunt, as their mother and aunt became estranged when the twins were babies.The letter states that they have been left Elspeth's flat in London, along with her belongings, minus her personal papers. There are two conditions of the will. One, they are to live in the flat a year before they decide whether to keep it or sell it. Two, there parents are not to enter the apartment |
| Fall of Giants Book One of the Century Trilogy | Ken Follett |
3.6 This is the way one should learn History. Ken Follett has written a fictional historical novel based on well researched facts of WWI. When I first saw the size of the book, (985 pages), and the cast of characters, (fictional and real), involving five countries worldwide, I was overwhelmed. I wondered how I would ever remember them all and keep everyone straight. Follett writes with a gripping storyline that keeps the story moving and easy to absorb. The fictional characters provide for a better understanding of the human side of the war and of course make for a more interesting read than a nonfiction dry book. Whatever problems you may find with the characters, they teach you what it was like to live in that time of our history and how governments deal with war. |
| Little Bee | Chris Cleave |
3 Sarah is offered free trips through work and chooses to go to a private resort in Nigeria. She is hoping to rekindle her relationship with her husband, Andrew. Ignoring warnings to stay inside the resort, Sarah decides to venture outside the walls with her husband to walk along the beach. There she meets Little Bee and Little Bee's sister. |
| The Women | T.C. Boyle |
3.3 Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the world's greatest architect's. But, he had a wandering eye and libido which took precedence over his personal life. "The Women", is the story of the four women with whom FLW had serious relationships. The story is narrated by the fictional character of a Japanese apprentice, Tadashi Sato, who comes to Wright's residence, Taliesin, in the fall of 1932. He immediately goes to work in the kitchen. Any apprentice coming to Taliesin, is expected to work in all areas of the farm, land, house, and as an apprentice. Upfront, he pays a monetary tuition. His architecture was very different and modern for the time. He designed and built his buildings into the environment and wanted a very clean look. When you think of the designs of the late 1800's/early 1900's, his buildings were quite avantgarde for the time. T.C. Boyle gives us a good look into the life of Wright, his life and works, and that of his relationships with his women. |
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The Lacuna |
Barbara Kingsolver |
3 Harrison Shepherd was born in the United States to an American father and a Mexican mother. In 1929, his mother, Salome, left her husband and took Harrison with her to live with Enrique, a wealthy Mexican landowner, at his hacienda.. Salome thought she would become a bride and be wealthy herself. While there, Harrison helped the cook, Leandro, in the kitchen and became quite a good cook himself. He would also go to the beach where he learned to swim underneath the water where he discovered la lacuna. After a time, Salome realized that she and Harrison had to leave Enrique. She had met another business man who would set her and her son up in an apartment. One day Harrison came across the artist Diego Rivera painting a mural. his helpers were having trouble mixing the cement to the correct consistency. When Harrison taught them how to mix it, like dough, Diego hired Harrison. After Diego left town, Harrison met his wife and painter, Frida Kahlo. He offered to help her carry her items. Thus, the lifetime friendship of Harrison and Frida began.Harrison became the cook in the Rivera household. Rivera was part of the Communist movement and was a friend of Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was in hiding as he was a wanted man by his former friend and Bolshevik leader, Joseph Stalin. Harrison is hired by Trotsky and Harrison finds himself entwined with revolutionaries and artists. After Trotsky's violent death, the newspapers report all the wrong facts. This is Harrison's first experience with the power of the press and how the press can manipulate truth or fiction. People will believe whatever they are told. As the United States enters into WWII, Harrison returns to the States along with artwork for Frida's show in New York. Once there, he becomes a civil servant for the United States to help with a shipment of art oversees. After the death of Harrison's father, Harrison is left his father's car. He drives south until he reaches the town of Asheville, NC. He decides to stay and rents a room at a boarding house. From the time Harrison was a small boy, he always wrote in a notebook about his daily life. However, he wrote in the 3rd person. His mother and others would tell him to be careful what he wrote as they were afraid they may get into trouble with his writings. Once he settled into the boarding house, he began to write his book and had it published. He was able to buy a house and hire his boarding house friend, Violet Brown as his stenographer. After two successful books and a third waiting to be published, Harrison finds himself in the middle of the McCarthy hearings and his past has come back to haunt him.
Written in the form of journal, letters, and news clippings, this book takes a wonderful look into the lives of Rivera, Kahlo, and the politics of Mexico and the United States. Kingsolver takes us to the Aztec ruins and the stories behind them. However, the book does drag on at points but to true Kingsolver's writings, she brings it all together at the end. |
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot |
3.25 When the author took a community college biology class in 1988, her professor was explaining cancer cells and he wrote the name Henrietta Lacks on the board. He explained that Henrietta died in 1951 of cervical cancer. But, before she died, a surgeon took samples of her tumor and put them in a petri dish. The professor then added on that Henrietta was a black woman. Rebecca became intrigued about who the woman was behind the cells. She spent the next several years researching the story of the cells and that of Henrietta and her family. |
| The Other Boleyn Girl | Philippa Gregory |
3.4 We have all read and been taught the story of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. What we know little of is Anne's sister, Mary. Mary was the favorite and youngest lady-in-waiting for Queen Katherine. She was also married at age 13 to William Carey, a good friend and man high in favor with the king. When Mary catches the eye of the King, Mary's family, The Boleyn's and the Howard's, decide she must leave her husband to be available to the King. Soon, Mary finds herself in love with the King. She gives him two children. When the King begins to lose interest in Mary, the family decides she must step aside in order to let her sister Anne, seduce the King. Anne indeed catches the King's eye. For three years, she keeps the King's interest without giving into him sexually, although she does satisfy him in other ways.The King wants her so bad he will do anything to have her. She convinces him to leave Queen Katherine and to obtain an annulment. She also introduces him to the teachings of Martin Luther. This change in the church practices begins the new Church of England. Anne becomes quite ruthless in her need of power, not only over the King, the Court, but also her family. Mary had spent time at her family's estate in Hever. After her children were born, the children remained there to be cared for and Mary returned to Court to perform her duties. She was allowed to return to Hever during the summer months. On one of her trips, she was escorted by William Stafford. He stayed at Hever with her and they fell in love. Eventually, they married without permission. He later built her a home in the area, and they moved there to raise their children. We must remember this is historical fiction of the Tudor Court. There are inaccuracies but it gives us a very vivid look into the time period and life of King Henry's court. It was a very enjoyable read. |
| In the Sanctuary of Outcasts a memoir | Neil White |
3.25 In May 1993, Neil White was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for check kiting to sustain his publishing business. He was to spend his time at the Federal Medical Center in Carville, Louisiana. The medical center was home to the residents with Hansen's Disease, otherwise known as leprosy. The Center opened in 1894 with seven patients. The land had been originally a Southern Plantation. Since there was room at the Center, it was divided in half to accommodate prisoners on one side and the patients on the other side. |
| The Leisure Seeker | Michael Zadoorian |
3. Ella decides against the advice of her doctor and grown children, to take one last hurrah cross country from their home in Detroit, Michigan to Disneyland, California. They are going to drive there via Route 66 and travel in their leisure van. The thing is, Ella is dying from cancer and there are no more treatments that will cure her. John has alzheimers. He is still able to drive and Ella can navigate. The children do not realize they are gone until Ella and John are well on there way. They drive as far as they can each day, stopping by old tourist traps along the somewhat scenic route. At night they puill into a campsite and view family slides on the side of the camper from vacations and times past. John remembers these times well. It is his short term memory that he is struggling with. Ella at times is very short with him, angry at him and his disease. She is in terrible pain and has to medicate herself throughout the day in order to function. This is a love story that is funny and heartbreaking at the same time. We had a wonderful discussion about this book. We could all relate to Ella and John, the fact that our parents are aging, that we are aging. Many of us have gone through or are going through illnesses with our own parents or our spouses. The outcome does not change. It is how you live your life that matters. |
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The Master |
Colm Toibin |
2.5 This novel is actually a biography of the author Henry James during his life from 1895-1899. Through the book, we travel with Henry from his home in England, to his getaways to France and Italy. He tells of growing up in Newport, Rhode Island in a well off family. He describes his father's illness and that of his sister, Alice and cousin Minny,(both women died young), and the Civil War. Two of his brothers fought in the war. Henry found a way to avoid fighting. Henry writes his novels based on stories his friends have told or, for instance, fictionalized a life Minny would have had if she had lived. Henry enjoyed his solitude. He was invited to and attended many evening parties but was always eager to leave so he could go home and write or read. His sexuality was questioned as he had friendships and attractions towards other men. There is no evidence though that proves he acted upon his thoughts and feelings. He did have a close relationship with Constance Fenimore Woolson, but seemed to step back when he felt the relationship was getting too close or too public. The novel was very insightful to the life of Henry James and his writing/thought process. However, it did take time to get into the book. The first 100-150 pages read very slow.
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| This Boy's Life A Memoir | Tobias Wolff |
3.25 Toby, or Jack, as he liked to be called, lived with his mother, Rosemary. His brother, Geoffrey, lived with his father. Jack and his mother fled from Florida when he was 10. His mother was escaping an abusive relationship. Their destination was Utah, but after another abusive relationship there, they went to Seattle, Wa. Rosemary was urged by her housemates to settle down and find a man to marry. She needed a husband and Jack definitely needed a father. He ran off with friends, lied, cheated, and stole. Rosemary met Dwight who lived two hours away in a very small camptown called Chinook. Dwight was a widow with three children of his own. Jack went to live with Dwight before the marriage. Dwight was very hard on Jack yet whenever his mother asked him about his living situation, Dwight, the town, Jack said everything was fine. His mother said she wouldn't marry Dwight if Jack didn't want her to but Jack wanted a family. Dwight was also a drinker and a mean drunk. He made Jack take over a paper route and give Dwight all the money. Jack thought Dwight was saving it for him but that was not the case. Dwight had Jack join the boy scouts but refused to fill out the forms for Jack to become an eagle scout. Jack did not do well in school and would get into trouble. He called his brother Geoffrey who was now in college. Jack told him that Dwight had hit him and he had to get out. Geoffrey talked with him about applying to prep schools. Jack lied saying he had good grades and seemed to be a good candidate to be accepted under a scholarship. To hide the truth. Jack had a friend steal school stationary so he could write reference letters and change his grades. This would change his future and that of his mother. Wolff writes with a great style of storytelling. It is simplistic yet you can feel and sense what he was going through. He does not portray himself as someone to feel sorry for or pity. He just went through his day, everyday, dealing with whatever was to happen to him. He made plans and when they didn't work, moved on. A true story of self reliance. |
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Sin in the Second City Madams, Ministers, Playboys, And The Battle for America's Soul |
Karen Abbott |
3 In the Levee District of South Chicago, circa 1900-1911, Ada and Minna Simms/Everleigh ran the most elite brothel in the city, possibly the country. They catered to high end clientele including actors, politicians, foreign dignataries, and millionaires. They had many rooms decorated with expensive art, gold, and mirrors. They took very good care of their girls providing them with health care, money, and beautiful clothing. They offered good wine and food to their clients. They did not deal with pimps or white slave traders, unlike other brothels in the district. The Cast of Characters at the beginning of the book reads like a well written play: The Madams of the District, The Lords of the Levee, The Ministers, and The Politicians. It is an amazing look into the world of prostitution, vice, shakedowns, blackmail, law, and The Mann Act, which made it against the law to traffic women across the state line for illegal purposes and white slavery. What is amazing is that still to this day, women and children are being sold into slavery. |
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Deaths on Pleasant Street The Ghastly Enigma of Colonel Swope and Doctor Hyde. |
Giles Fowler |
3.3 In the late 1800's, Colonlel Thomas Swope made his money in mining and moved to the Kansas City area in Missouri. His brother and sister-in-law, Maggie Swope, lived in Independence, MO., which at that time, was the large city and County seat. He bought a large parcel of farm land, sold it off into smaller parcels and made his fortune. This area became downtown Kansas City. He donated a large parcel to the city to become a park, Swope Park. After the death of Maggie's husband, Col. Swope lived in the Swope mansion along with his cousin Hunton Moss, 62, and Maggie's children. Her oldest daughter, Francis, married Dr. Bennett Clark Hyde, against the family's wishes. Hyde had had questionable relationships previously with two divorced women whom he had borrowed money and not paid back. Maggie eventually welcomed him into the family after Hyde cared for her son, Thomas, after an accident. On September 18, Hyde purchases cyanide capsules from the drug store. On October 1, 1909, Colonel Hunton Moss, age 62, dies of a brain hemorrhage. He was one of the executor's of Col. Swope's estate, and Hyde wants to be the new executor. He hears of Swope wanting to change his will so that more of his money would go to the poor of Kansas City and not his nieces and nephews. Swope planned on changing his will the following week. October 3, Col. Swope feels ill and Hyde gives him a capsule, saying it will help his stomach, having had gastric problems in the past. Within minutes, Swope has convulsions and is dead by the end of the day. By end November, another Swope family member is dead and many ill. Is this all circumstance or did Dr. Hyde murder and attempt murder on other family members for a larger piece of the inheritance? The author, a previous KC Star reporter, does an amazing job recounting the saga of the Swope family. His extensive research and accurate depiction of facts puts you in the jury box.
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| The Good Soldiers | David Finkel |
4 In January 2007, President Bush announced a new strategy to win the war in Iraq. It was known as "The Surge". Battalion 2-16 was deployed from Fort Riley, Kansas to fight in Iraq for 15 months. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, this unit, the infantry Rangers went into Iraq to bring peace and order to their country. They tried to improve the water systems, sewers, and overall lives of the Iraqi people. The goal was to bring democracy to the nation. Instead, they were met with EFP'S,(explosively formed penetrators), IED's,(improvised explosive device), and hostile Iraqi terrorists. These young men from the battalion were right out of high school, college, newly married, single, fathers, came from all walks of life. They arrived positive, fearless, strong, and left disheartened, suffering from PTSD, injured, or in body bags. David Finkel, a reporter for The Washington Post, lived along side these men for months reporting what he saw. He starts off each chapter with a quotation from President Bush about the status of the war at the time. He takes you right there on the front line, going through homes, buildings, and down the road when a bomb goes off right in front of you blowing up the humvee with your friends. You can visually see, smell, and feel the emotions and terror our young soldiers experienced. This is the real war. Finkel's writing pulls you in. This is not his story as he does not place himself in the story at all. This is the soldiers story from beginning to the end when they come home. this is a must read. |
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| Embers | Sandor Marai |
3.6 Konrad and Henrik, "The General", met as boys in military school in Hungary. The General lived in a family castle and came from money. Konrad was poor and his parents sacrificed to pay for his schooling. The boys became inseparable. Konrad introduced his childhood friend, Krisztina, to Henrik. Henrik and Krisztina eventually married and the 3 remained good friends, until the 'hunt'. 41 years later, Konrad sends a letter of arrival to Henrik, saying he is in town.They meet for dinner that evening. In preparation of the dinner, Henrik has the castle, down to the dinner table, prepared as it was the night of their last dinner. At the table and for the continuation of the evening, the book is written as a monologue. Henrik tells his life story since that last fateful night, and asks questions, without having Konrad answer. This is his closure, though sad, that it seems 3 lives were changed horribly through escape and silence. |
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| The Little Book | Selden Edwards |
3.25 Wheeler Burden is a famous American college baseballl player, rock star, and author, who wakes up to find himself in Vienna. It is the end of the 19th century, and the city is full of artists, philosophers and musicians. It is the time of Mahler, Klimt and Freud, and the youth of the city are part of a social, artistic and intellectual revolution. The hatred toward Jews is climaxing and a young boy, named Adolph Hitler is 9 years old. Wheeler knows all about this era and the sites of Vienna because of his prep school mentor, Arnauld Esterhazy (known as The Haze), whose memoir he edited and published. He steals some clothes and money and sets off to see the city. But that theft leads to an incredible chain of events that plays out over almost the next 100 years and then circles in on itself starting all over again. Time travel can be confusing and tricky but the journal Wheeler started on his arrival in Vienna, will help him and his family throughout his lifetime.
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| Half Broke Horses | Jeannette Walls |
3.2 Jeannette Walls, author of 'The Glass Castle', wanted to write a story about her mother, Rosemary Smith Walls. Her mother told her to write about her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith, because she was more interesting. Through Lily, we learn why Rosemary wanted to live a nomadic lifestyle and raise her children the same way. Lily was 6 when she was helping her father break horses. She had to work on the ranch. She was able later to attend catholic school but after a year, her father pulled her out because he had spent her tuition money. She left home at 15 to accept a teaching job in Arizona that didn't require a degree. From there she traveled to Chicago, married, divorced, and worked as a maid to earn money for college. She returned to Arizona and raced horses to earn more money when she met Jim Casey, her future husband. They married, worked a ranch, and had two children; Jim Jr. and Rosemary. She continued to teach in various locations from one room schoolhouses to a high school in Phoenix. Rosemary loved the ranch and the abilty to roam and be a free spirit like her mother. But, she didn't care for the education system. Life was her education. She met and married Rex Walls , Jeannette's father. She was herself a half broke horse. 'The Glass Castle' picks up their life. This book is considered fiction. Ms. Walls used the family history and stories to write the book but because she had to embellish in order to make it a story, it is a novel.
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| MOO | Jane Smiley |
2.75 MOO University could be any Midwestern University. In fact, the main character of the book is the University itself and the faculty and students are the supporting cast. The students are referred to as customers. Here Smiley includes the all too common four female roomates who are very different from each other but have to learn to get along, at least for the first semester. Then there are also the male roomates, same thing. The faculty ranges from: the Dean, the secretary, (who knows more than her boss of the workings of the University and has more control than she should), the Department heads, and Professors vying for tenure. At the center of the University is a building referred to as 'Old Meats". It is no longer used except it now houses a Landrace boar named Earl Butz. Only the owner, Dr. Bo, and his caretaker, Bob, know of his existence. His purpose in life is to see what happens if a hog is allowed to eat at will for all of is natural lifespan. The politics of a University are very evident. Professors are expected to publish, serve on commitees, write grants, and raise funds for their individual departments. Money from State Government and Corporations for research are imperative to keep the University afloat. The results when they are withdrawn or cutback can result in larger class size, dropped classes and programs. There are so many characters in this book you may want to write them down and keep track of their occupation and relationship with one another. One chapter is titled " Who's in Bed With Whom?". This book is actually a very good book for discussion. It is one of those books that needs to be discussed instead of just letting it sit in your head. We all wondered what Ms. Smiley's own university thought of this book. She did leave her post the following year.
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| The Help |
Kathryn Stockett |
3.9 When Skeeter graduated from college she applied for only one job, to be an editor for Harper & Row in New York City. The senior editor wrote back admiring her ambition, but told her to get a job for experience. In the meantime, continue to write but write down things that disturb her, particularly if they don't bother anyone else. Skeeter applies for a job at the Jackson Journal and is hired to take over the column of Miss Myrna, a cleaning advice column. Quite ironic for someone who has never had to clean. Skeeter lives in Jackson, Mississippi and the year is 1962. She was raised on her family's cotton plantation and was raised by Constantine, the black maid. This was very common in the South for the white families to have black domestics taking care of the house and raising the children. Skeeter, 23, is still friends with Hilly and Elizabeth, two women she has known from childhood. They are both now married and all three belong to the Junior League. Elizabeth allows Skeeter to ask Elizabeth's maid, Abileen, the cleaning questions for her column. Abileen agrees to help her. The three women get together, along with Hilly's mother to play bridge. Hilly is having a problem with her mother's maid, Minny, who is very outspoken. Hilly also is accusing Minny of starving her mother and stealing from her. Hilly believes that blacks are disease carrying, dirty people who shouldn't share the same bathroom or anything else for that matter. But, this has been a way of life in the South for many many years. It being 1962 and the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, some things are changing. When Hilly starts a campaign to install separate bathrooms outside of the main homes for the black domestics, Skeeter really starts to realize the unjust that the maids are being subject to. They can love and raise your children, but they can't use your bathroom. This is what disturbs Skeeter. Skeeter talks with Abileen to hear her story of being a black maid. She sends it to Elaine Stein, the editor at Harper & Row. Ms. Stein says it is a good start but that she needs 11 more stories. This is a very dangerous and scary thing for blacks to be doing, speaking out against their white employers. Abileen and Skeeter have to convince the other maids to come on board to tell their stories. The book is written in three voices: Abileen, who has raised 17 children but has lost her only son when he was 17. Minnie, the best cook in Jackson, Mississippi, but doesn't know better to keep her thoughts to herself so she keeps losing jobs. Skeeter, who wants to get away from her controlling mother, to become a writer and move to New York City. Ms. Stockett did an amazing job capturing the voices of Abileen and Minny. She based the book on her own experiences with her maid growing up, Demetri, and the way of life at the time. This is her first novel and I believe this book will be timeless. This is the second time I have read the book and I could read it again. We all loved this book. |
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The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court |
Jeffrey Toobin |
3.75 Toobin’s book covers the history of the US Supreme Court from the summer of 1991 through the spring of 2007. The two major themes are: 1) the push and pull between the conservatives and the liberals on the court and 2) the evolution of the judicial opinions of most of the justices, particularly O’Connor and Kennedy. None of us realized the pivotal role that Sandra Day O’Connor played in some of the most critical Court decisions of our time – affirmative action, abortion rights, executive powers. Time after time, she cast the deciding 5th majority vote to preserve these rights. You would think that a book about the Supreme Court would be on the dry and boring side, but not this book! As one of our book club members put it, the book often reads like a novel, complete with suspense, character development and personal rivalries. Toobin does an outstanding job of bringing each Justice to life with personal details. For instance, none of us knew that Clarence Thomas socializes at RV campgrounds and NASCAR tracks, where few people recognize him. We had a wide-ranging and often spirited discussion as we reflected on some of the controversial issues of our time: Roe vs Wade, Bush vs Gore, Gitmo, the Harriet Miers nomination, prayer in school, the Clarence Thomas nomination, the Terry Schiavo case, gay rights. We rated this book a 3.75 for its writing style as well as its timely information on the branch of government that few of us know much about.
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| The Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett |
3.75 Tom Builder is a mason. When work is stopped on the house he is building, he sets forth with his wife and family to find work. His dream is to build a cathedral. Thus begins his journey. Prior Phillip is the head monk at a small monastery. He goes to Kingsbridge and his journey as the new Prior of Kingsbridge begins. The two inevitably meet. Without giving anything away, this story of early 1100's England, politics between Kings, Lords, and Bishops, along with a cast of wonderful and horrid characters, make a 1000 page book read as if it was only 300. This is a must read. What a wonderful education of the time period. |
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| Loving Frank | Nancy Horan |
3.33 Frank Lloyd Wright is hired to design and build a home for Edwin Chene, and his wife, Mamah. Mamah and Frank enjoy each others company and conversation. Thus begins their affair that leads to the destruction of both families.This fictional book is based on facts. Horan creates an intimate picture into Mamah's life and her relationship with Frank. After reading this book, I became more interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and his life after the affair. Another book, "The Women", has recently been published by T.C. Boyle. This is about Frank's other women. |
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The Color of Water A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother |
James McBride |
3.2 In this memoir of Ruth (Rachel Dwajra Zyliska) McBride Jordan, Mc Bride writes of his family; one of twelve siblings, a white, Jewish mother who will not admit she is white, and his father, black Baptist minister who dies before James is born. Her story, as told to James, is written along side his. It wasn't until he was an adult that he learned the truth about his mother. This is a story of a very strong, determined mother who made sure all of her twelve children received a good education leading to professional degrees. |
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Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time
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Grag Mortenson David Oliver Relin |
3.25 In 1993, Greg Mortenson failed in his attempt to climb K2, the world's second largest mountain, in the Karakoram Range, Pakistan. On his way down the mountain, he became lost and found himself in the village of Korphe, being nursed back to health by Chief Ali. To thank the village, he promised to return and build a school. He did not break his promise. This book is his story, as told to and researched by Relin, of the following years, his struggle, triumphs, and rewards to have built numerous schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He believes that the educaton of children, especially girls, is what will bring peace and an end to terrorism in the Middle East. This book is very educational as to what is going on in Pakistan and Afghanistan with the Taliban. Greg Mortenson has been nominated for the Nobel Prize this year. He deserves it. If you are interested in purchasing this book, please go to www.threecupsoftea. Money from the purchase of this book will benefit more schools. This is a must read. |
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| The Devil in the White City |
Erik Larson |
3.75 This is a book with two stories. One is the Chicago World"s Fair, 1892, and the men who created it. The second is of Henry H. Holmes, serial killer. Larson does an amazing job weaving two true separate stories into one book. Daniel Burnham and his partner, John Root, Chicago's leading architects, were chosen to design the Chicago's World Fair. It was Burnham's responsibility to acquire other national architects, labor, and money to build the Fair in less than three years so that it could open in October to celebrate Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World. The book explains all the work and hardship that was needed to pull this off. The story describes not only the politics behind the project, but that of construction, weather, economy and industrialization. The Fair brought many important people and characters to Chicago, including Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show. It also was the beginning of many foods and inventions that we still have today: Juicy Fruit Gum, Cracker Jacks, Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Shredded Wheat, AC electricity to light our homes and streets, and where would a carnival be today without a Midway and a ferris wheel. Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor from the East Coast, moves to Chicago after leaving his wife. He purchases a drug store then builds a hotel across the street for the upcoming Fair. Larson delves into Holmes past from his early childhood to that of a young man. Holmes was a psychotic, satanic, charming man who lured many young women into his life and to their brutal deaths. His house of horrors was built by men he would fire to not only avoid having to pay them, but so that they would not be suspicious of what he was doing. He owed many people and businesses money yet he could manipulate them out of collecting what was their due.This was the United States Jack the Ripper. This is the way to learn history. |
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society |
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows |
3.75 The time period is 1946, London, post WWII. Juliet Ashton is an author looking for a new book subject. She receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a resident of Guernsey, an island in the English Channel. He is reading a book by Charles Lamb and finds Juliet's name in the book as the previous owner. He writes to her to inquire if she has any other books by Charles Lamb. Dawsey tells her the circumstances that formed the literary society on the island. Juliet is curious and begins corresponding not only with Dawsey, but members of the society and other inhabitants of the Island. Juliet becomes intrigued with the people and their experiences during the German occupation. She decides to move to Guernsey for further research, thinking that this just may be the book she is meant to write. She not only becomes involved in the lives of the inhabitants, but the experience will change her future forever. Written in epistolary style, we meet over 20 different people. I know have written this before, but we have read so many books about WWII that I think we must have covered everything by now. Yet, here is another book giving us insight into how devasting the war was on a small Island in the middle of a Channel. |
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| The Book Thief | Markus Zusak |
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Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven a memoir |
Susan Jane Gilman |
3.1 In 1986, right after college, Susie and Claire decide to travel the world for a year instead of getting jobs. This idea came to them one late night, or early morning, while sitting in a IHOP and seeing that their paper place mat was a map of the world. Claire came from money and wanted to make the entire trip authentic as a backpacker by making sure they did not partake of luxuries such as hotels and Americanized restaurants. Susie came from NYC, worked in a bar, and her grandmother helped pay for her trip. Arrivng in China, they were told by the government where they could or could not travel, and what currency of money they were allowed to use. The met: Johnnie, a Chinese native, who said he would show them parts of China they could not see on their own, hoping in the end, Claire and Susie would take him to the American Embassy. Gunter, a tall German, who help the two girls since he knows Mandarin. Cynthia, a young mother traveling with her two sons. And Lisa, a young Chinese woman who owns a small restaurant in a village catering to American food such as banana pancakes. Their travels begin into the unknown shock culture of China. Ms. Gilman takes us deep into the back villages of China, the Great Wall, the variety of young, world wide backpack travelers, and the two girls own personal lives. The last part of the book turns into a mystery thriller. This book livens all the senses to China. |
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| Run | Ann Patchett |
2.5 Unfortunately, I was out of town when we had this meeting. I also left the book on the plane so I never did get to finish it. There are many reviews online if you would like more information on this book. Sorry. |
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| TheStory of Edgar Sawtelle | David Wroblewski |
2.5 Edgar Sawtelle lives on a farm in Wisconsin with his parents where they raise a special breed of dog. He and his father, Gar, and mother, Trudy, not only breed, but train the pups until they are eighteen months old. They are then sold at a high price to good homes. Edgar was born mute and communicates with his family and the dogs with their own version of sign language. Gar's brother, Claude, comes back to the farm after a long absence and begins to help out on the farm. Before long, the sibling rivalry starts up again and the two brothers argue over the past and present. When Gar unexpectedly dies, Edgar asks Claude to come to the farm to help him and his mother with the work. Soon, Edgar resents the relationship between his mother and Claude. After a terrible accident, Edgar runs away from home with the pact of dogs he was given to raise. He eventually returns to prove that Claude did indeed kill his father. This book was twice as long as it needed to be. Although the descriptions of the dog training, countryside, and living off the land are very interesting, there are plot lines that go on and on. Where was the editor for this? The ending was horrid. I know not every ending has to be good, but I gasped!! This book was written with the outline of Hamlet, down to character, plot and poison.The author was an essay write hence the dog name of Essay. They are links out there that have a line by line comparison. If you need one let me know. The author actually grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and raised dogs. |
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The Thirteenth Tale
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Diane Setterfield |
3.7 (out of 4 rating) British author, Ms. Vida Winter, has asked Margaret Lea to write her biography. Ms. Winter, who has written over 50 novels, having them translated into many languages, given many interviews over the years, (none true), has decided she wants to have her biography written. Many years ago, a young man came to interview her stating, "Tell me the Truth!". Of course she didn't, but she never forgot that man and those words. Margaret Lea only wrote one article that was published and it was about siblings. That is the reason she is chosen. Ms. Winter has a story that she believes only Margaret can write. Ms. Winter cannot write any more, but this story has one last character who wants her story told. It will be her last story and it will be true. 'The Thirteenth Tale' contains all the elements to make this novel a true historical gothic. It is a story of ruins, darkness, twists and turns, the psyche of people who have lived through tragedies, strangers, and secrets; very well written. We had a great discussion. |
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The American Plague The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History |
Molly Caldwell Crosby |
3.8 This was an incredible book on the history of the yellow fever. Ms. Crosby concentrates on Memphis, Tennessee,1878, to start her story of those infected and how it came to our country. During the Civil War, two thirds of the soldiers that died, died from the plague. Napoleon sold Louisiana to the USA because of the yellow fever. Scientists fought amongst each other as to how yellow fever spread. Three scientists, one was Walter Reed, went to Havana, Cuba, to discover and experiment the true cause. Scientists volunteered themselves to contract yellow fever. Although the cause is found, it is not yet cured and is still active today. You will also learn little tidbits and phrases that we have heard of all our lives but did not know where they came from, such as: How did the KKK begin? What was the Flying Dutchman? Why did we start calling the parlor, living room? Where did the word cemetery derive from? Who was Walter Reed? and last but not least, Will you ever look at a mosquito the same way again? This is Ms. Cosby's first book and is written so that it flows like a story, not a history book. She is an excellent writer and I hope we hear more from her. Books like this and "River of Doubt" are not only educational, but very fascinating into the history of our country that we on our own know little or nothing about. We need more books like this. After reading this book, a member went to Memphis and decided to go on a tour of the yellow fever according to the book. When she asked business' where things were, they didn't know and knew nothing about the fever or the author. The author still lives there. |
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The Welsh Girl
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Peter HO Davies |
3 Ester is a seventeen year old Welsh girl. Living in her native hometown of Cilgwyn, she helps her father with the sheep and works at the local tavern. They have also taken in a British evacuee, Jim, to raise until it is safe for him to return home. In the meantime, it is D-day and Karsten surrenders his troop of Germans to the British. It was either surrender or die. Throughout the book, he wonders if he was a coward or right to save himself and the other men. Back in Wales, British men are building a POW Camp in Cilgwyn. The workers visit the tavern often and Ester becomes infatuated with one of the workers, Colin. After the prisoners come to camp, Jim and the boys spend many days outside of the fence taunting them. Ester hears the noise and goes down the hill to the camp. Karsten notices her and calls out to her in English. That connection sets up what happens during the rest of the book. As a sidebar to this story, the author throws in another storyline. A man named Rotheram, who is half German and half Jewish, becomes a translator for the Political Intelligence Division to sit in on interrogations. He goes to Wales to interrogate Rudolf Hess, a deputy fuhrer to Hitler. Hess was being held on charges of war crime. He was in Wales to await trial. It is another means that the author uses to relate how a person doesn't know where he belongs because of his heritage. We used the readers guide found online and realized there were many themes flowing throughout the book. One of our members came from southern England and had evacuees stay at her house. She said it was exactly like the book described. |
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Rise and Shine
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Anna Quindlen |
1.3 Meghan Fitzmaurice is a famous morning talk show host. She lives a glamorous life with her husband, Evan, and son, Leo. Her sister, Bridget, is a social worker in the Bronx and has been a second mother to Leo. When Meghan thinks she is off the air, she calls her guest a name. Thus, the book goes on. We expected more from the author who wrote, "Black and Blue", which was made into a TV movie of the week. We were casting the characters for this movie as we had just read the outline. |
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Good Harbor
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Anita Diamant |
1.5 Kathleen Levine, a resident of Glouster on Cape Ann, MA., has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her sister and best friend, Pat, died fifteen years earlier of the same disease. Joyce Tabachnik, a magazine writer, has used her royalties from her first published romance novel to purchase a second home in Glouster. Joyce is at a point in her life where she is unhappy in her marriage. Her twelve year old daughter, Nina, is entering her rebellious teen years. Both women are feeling very alone and vunerable when they meet at Temple. A friendship is slowly formed through out the summer months during their walks together on Good Harbor Beach. As they get closer, they are able to confide and share their past and present. This book shows the importance of women friendships. One cannot compare Ms. Diamont's first book, "The Red Tent", with her second. The writing style and story telling are very different. We questioned her need for a specific plot line each woman had. We found it negated the book. |
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Eat, Pray, Love
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Elizabeth Gilbert |
2 Suffering from depression, questioning her life and wants, Liz decides to leave and divorce her husband. She enters into a relationship with David, (but that isn't working), so she decides to take a year absence from her job at GQ-with pay as long as she writes about her year's journey. Liz would spend time; in Italy learning Italian, in India studying meditation at a yoga ashram, and in Indonesia trying to balance the two. She writes with humor and interesting factoids. She also reminded me of Virginia Woolf but not in a good way. She writes as if in a stream of conscienceness and one sentence could be the entire paragraph. I found this distracting. By the time she went to India, her writing appeared to be more structured. For those who have never meditated, it may be hard to understand the levels one goes through in meditation. It truly can be a mind opening experience. |
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Tomorrow to be Brave
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Susan Travers with Wendy Holden |
3.6 Susan Travers was the only woman to serve in the French Foreign Legion earning the Military Medal and the Legion d'Honneur. She was born into an upper class English family, where she yearned for her father's approval and her mother's love. Susan moved from England to Cannes with her family when she was a young girl. In her teen's, she attended boarding school in Florence, Italy. She became quite the socialite after school ended until WWII broke out. Her father had taught her how to drive at a young age, not typical of most females, so she decided to enter the Legion as a driver. She first had to volunteer as a nurse in the French Red Cross. Eventually, she would become the personal driver of Colonel Koenig through the historic battle at Bir Hakeim in Libya. Her story takes you through her life in the Legion starting in Finland, then on to Northern Africa, Southern Italy, Indonesia, then back to Tunisia. It is not only a story of war, but also of love for a man who would never be her's. Ms. Holden did a wonderful job with research, description, and giving voice to Ms. Travers life. It is a part of history we would have never known otherwise. A must read. |
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The World to Come
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Dara Horn |
3.5 Ben Ziskind attends an art exhibit of Chagall's paintings. He recognizes the small painting "Over Vitebsk", as one that hung on the wall of his childhood home. Convinced it was taken from his family wrongfully, he steals it. The novel is a testament of Jewish history starting in Russia circa 1920. Chagall and his novelist friend, Der Nister, teach at an orphanage. Chagall asks one of the orphan's, Boris, for his painting. Boris wants a trade. Chagall gives him "Over Vitebsk". The story then continues, weaving into different timelines in the lives of Ben, his twin sister- Sara, parents-Rosalie and Daniel, their parents, and other characters that become important in their lives. There are words-themes-which are continued throughout every storyline. A complex book filled with love, loss, pain, horror, betrayal, war, death, birth, art, literature, history,and family. |
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All the Numbers
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JudyMerrill Larsen Author Visit |
2.9 Brothers Daniel and James are playing with friends in a lake when a Jet Ski swerves into them. This is a nightmare no mother wants to imagine. Ellen, the boys mom, must now come to grips with the tragedy of losing James and trying to stay strong for Daniel. The scenes in the hospital are heart wrenching. When Ellen and Daniel try to get on with their lives, trying to keep a routine of family life alive in the home, they both find it difficult. Ellen not only has her job as a teacher, but she is determined to find justice for her son's death. She meets Bob, a lawyer, who helps to bring the young man, who was the driver of the jet ski, to trial. Ellen also is having a hard time managing her relationships with her parents, friends, and her ex-husband. The author was a guest at our book club. She began by telling us of her writing process. She made many changes to the book before she began submitting it to publishers, as authors often do. She submitted her manuscript on her own with no luck. In the summer, she attended the Iowa Writers Worshop. While there she made a connection to an agent in NYC. Her book was picked up quickly. She came up with the idea for this story one summer when she was at the lake with her two sons. A jet ski came to close and she wondered, "What would happen if...?". She has had many comments from grieving parents saying that she had written true to what they had gone through. You may contact the author for your bookclub through this link: www.judymerrilllarsen.com. She is available for phone chats. |
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The Bonesetter's Daughter
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Amy Tan |
3.6 Ruth Young is a ghost writer for self help books. While looking in a drawer in her office, she finds papers her mother, LuLing, gave her to read several years ago. Her mother had told her that she had also been writing a book about her own life The papers are in Chinese. Ruth never read them. Now she has noticed changes in her mother's behavior. Ruth takes LuLing to the Dr's. and discovers her mother is in early stages of Alzheimers. Ruth begins to read the papers but is unable to translate them. In the days ahead, she discovers in her mother's home, more papers. She hires someone to translate them and learns the real story of her mother's life beginning in China. A truely classic story of life in China during the time of the Peking Man, relationships between mothers and daughters, survival, and the uncovering of many secrets and ghosts. |
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The Ex Files
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Victoria Christopher Murray |
05 Take four women and four ways to lose your husband/lover, give each woman their own chapters throughout the book as they congregate intermittenly with each other at a prayer service just for them, and you have this book. The premise was there, unfortunately, the writing was not. The author admits in interviews as having an agenda when writing her Christian based stories. If her agenda is homophobic, anti-media, sterotyped characters, she succeeded. That isn't saying much. There is nothing Christian about her viewpoints. The surprising factor of the night was that we had a great discussion. One the author would not want to hear. |
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