• Outwitted
• He drew a circle that shut me out.
• Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
• But love and I had the wit to win.
• We drew a circle that took him in.
•        – Edwin Markham

As I read The Circle by Dave Eggers, I wondered if I should even write a journal for this month’s discussion. I felt a distinct need for privacy and anonymity. One of the elements that fascinates me about the book is how it combines philosophies for collectivism and individualism. I found myself reading essays by Ayn Rand (skimming them really), enjoying the chance to wax philosophical, horrified by the application of real-world technology, yet confident that it will never happen—after all, we are reading the book, like we read 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale and many others.

Did you know that there is a National Banned Books Week that was celebrated September 25^th through October 1^st this year? In the world of The Circle, absolute transparency is the ultimate goal. So there could be no banned books. But could they, or would they, be written? The movie Snowden was released in September; Apple Inc. is building a huge circle-shaped facility in California; Google just introduced a new phone. I am so thankful for so many possibilities. I hope our humanity can keep up.

As for the meeting . . . a small group gathered last Tuesday. Voluntarily, I hope! But not everything needs to be shared to be remembered! Join us next month if you’re curious!