I have wanted to read a book by Michael Chabon for many years.  His book The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay won the Pulitzer for fiction in 2001 and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007) is an alternative history and noir detective novel that imagines a world in which four million lives were saved by allowing persecuted Jewish immigrants to settle in Alaska, starting in 1940.  The latter book’s alternate-history premise was based on a failed proposal, The Problem of Alaskan Development, that was produced by the United States Department of the Interior under Secretary Harold L. Ickes.[1] Add in some starred reviews, a mystery, and enough library copies of the book, and I was excited for our book club’s discussion of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union.

Even so, I am never certain how a discussion will go.  Sometimes, I know a book will be well-received, but the discussion falls flat. Perhaps there is a lot of enthusiasm – I hated it, I loved it, or it was boring—but not much more, especially if it is foreign to us, diverse, unrelatable.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union was a great discussion, even though some of us couldn’t finish it. I had one member set a goal of 15 pages a day and found herself researching so much that it was difficult for her to get past ten pages! I struggled up until Chapter 16 and the entrance of Rabbi Heskel Shpilman, “a deformed mountain, a giant ruined dessert, a cartoon house with the windows shut and the sink left running. . .” The mystery finally grabbed me, though I continued to skim through some of the long, beautifully detailed descriptions, if only to be finished in time for our discussion.

Carol B.’s research and enthusiasm was contagious to me and I hope for others also. We loved the Boundary Maven, Willie Dick, Bina, and were fascinated by the complexity and brilliance of the author. One of us had read it before and liked it better on a second reading. Another member, who likes most of our choices, even the most unusual, hadn’t been able to appreciate this one. But our discussion was thoughtful and challenging. I know at least one member, afterwards, was going to try reading it again.

We discussed so much more than I have included here. History. Relationships. Language. Detectives. Believability. Religion. Human rights. Human nature. I almost didn’t write this recap. Sometimes it seems like a disservice to capture only part of a discussion, to leave out names, to show only my perspective. I hope this snapshot triggers at least the memory of pleasant evening, spent on the stage in the Whitney Library Theater, with seventeen lovely people, on Tuesday, May 9^th, 2017.

• Other Works Discussed:
• Genius (2016 DVD) about Thomas Wolfe and his editor
• The Man in the High Castle (1962) Philip K. Dick
• The Plot Against America (2004) Philip Roth
• Author Harry Turtledove (alternate history fiction)
• Author Isaac Bashevis Singer
• The Language of Lost History by Michael Chabon: (From “Guidebook to a Land of Ghosts”) Harper’s Magazine. Oct97, Vol. 295 Issue 1769, p32. 2p. 1 Color Photograph.
• Q&A Michael Chabon (April 2016): http://forward.com/culture/books/339119/qa-michael-chabon-talks-occupation-injustice-and-literature-after-visit-to/

[1] Web accessed 5/01/2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slattery_Report.  I have a copy of the report, dated April 1940, that I received through our library’s interlibrary loan program.  The report is 70 pages, including photographs.

Everyone was quiet, eyes roving and heads turning slightly as I asked if anyone wanted to be the first to share their review of Ape House by Sara Gruen. I shared a missing member’s remark that it was a “fun read.” One member then said that she reads the book club books and always learns something new. So, my next question was whether anyone else, like me, had not known about bonobos before this book. And we were off! 

What exactly is the difference between bonobos and chimpanzees? Bonobos have a more slender build, finer hair, redder lips, can walk more upright, and are a matriarchal society that tends to be less violent than chimpanzees’ patriarchal society.  Bonobos in the wild also live only in the Congo basin.  We watched a YouTube video that made these differences clear. We had more questions than any of us could answer and we watched a few more videos.

Our opinion of the story, however, was much less enthusiastic. The relationship between John and his wife was just not believable.  It reminded me of another book club selection, Landline, which was one of our least favorite books of 2016! Would the appearance of a Hollywood writer be so important to cause her to have plastic surgery? The author’s book Water for Elephants was made into a movie, so perhaps she had experience with such Hollywood absurdity (my words). And what about the meth house, the crack dog, and John’s DNA dilemma? Green hair, pink hair, and a pet fish? Figuratively, there were a lot of ape houses in this book! At least one of us, and probably more, wanted to see John and Isabel get together. Many of us just wanted to get back to the bonobos.

I had wanted to read this book because I believed we would all like a book about animals that wasn’t depressing. As I watched some videos in preparation for the discussion, I was a little concerned about the emphasis on humans as primates and evolution. This is a library book club and although we don’t want to avoid sensitive topics, we also don’t want to take sides. We provide information, materials, and spaces for discussion. No one seemed offended or concerned, just thoughtful, as always. Bonobos are known as the make love not war apes. Fascinating and endangered. Our discussions are always fascinating and I hope they will never be endangered!

• OTHER WORKS DISCUSSED:
• Bonobos by Buffy Silverman
• Kanzi: the ape at the brink of the human mind by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, Roger Lewin
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell
• Stone Mattress (short story) by Margaret Attwood
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• We are all completely beside ourselves by Karen Fowler
• VIDEOS:
• Chimpanzees & Bonobos—the differences
• Kanzi’s 1^st Phone Call
• Kanzi – An Ape of Genius
• Evolution’s gift of play: from bonobo apes to humans

This last Tuesday, we met to discuss The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. Since it also was Valentine’s Day, a member had encouraged us to exchange valentines and donated some paper goods and treats as well. I was a little concerned that this might be off-putting to some, but it added a festivity to the discussion that mirrored the humor in a book that was about incredibly serious subjects – slavery, John Brown, and the raid on Harper’s Ferry.

After I asked if anyone wanted to be the first responder, many chuckled and said they hadn’t liked the book. One of us had struggled to read it, but she was determined to finish it for the group! Another liked the author but didn’t like the subject.  She was particularly disturbed by the depiction of Frederick Douglass as a molester—someone she admired but could now never see the same again. Why would the author do that? Still another had disliked the book up until she finished it; then she looked back and thought, I really liked that book.  I, too, had struggled with the irreverence, but in the end I felt that the author had done a good job. I had learned, and thought. A lot.

We discussed the meaning of the title.  One member had found a reference to a Lord God Bird as an ivory-billed woodpecker.  One member thought it was titled as an homage to John Brown, himself a rare bird.  Once you let a bird out of a cage . . . Others also supported the idea of Onion as a good luck charm, like the bird’s feathers.

At least a third of us liked the book, although a few were disappointed in the quick ending.  They believed it was out of character for Onion to forget to give John Brown the password.  We wondered how accurate some of the details were. How did John Brown’s letters read? Did he really sound so uneducated? A white author would not have been able to denigrate Frederick Douglass so.

Why hadn’t the author described more of the horrors of slavery? We expect discussions of slavery to be devastating – perhaps the satirical treatment had more effect, causing us to pay better attention. Why was so much of John Brown’s fighting in Missouri and Kansas rather than “down the river?” Because the Deep South was not ready for persuasion – that’s why the Civil War was inevitable.  Was John Brown crazy? Ahead of his time? Someone noted that in hindsight the battle over slavery seems unimaginable and ugly, but while living it, people still loved and laughed, just as Onion told it.

This is my recollection of a pleasant evening with a great group of readers—an experience worth repeating.

• Other works discussed:
• The Color of Water: a black man’s tribute to his white mother (1996) by James McBride
• Miracle at St. Anna (2002) by James McBride
• Night (1960) by Elie Wiesel
• Warmth of Other Suns: the epic story of America’s great migration (2011) by Isabel Wilkerson
• Django Unchained (DVD)  (2012) Director/Writer Quentin Tarantino
• Key & Peele (DVD)

There was only –spring itself; the throb of it, the light restlessness, the vital essence of it everywhere: in the sky, in the swift clouds, in the pale sunshine, and in the warm, high wind–rising suddenly, sinking suddenly, impulsive and playful like a big puppy that pawed you and then lay down to be petted.   —  Willa Cather, My Ántonia,      chapter XVII.

For the last few years, we have met to discuss a classic novel in January.  Last year, we discussed Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894) by Mark Twain—before that, Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley,  and Pride and Prejudice (1813) by Jane Austen. This week, we discussed Willa Cather’s My Ántonia (1918).

We start our meetings a little early, giving us time to snack and mingle, but sometimes it’s hard not to talk about the book at hand. I had to explain the tomatillos sitting on the table because they reminded me of the ground cherries described in the book (only greener, and bigger, and more sour!). Rye bread and cheese with Harvest Song strawberry preserves seemed to fit, too; and ginger snaps substituted for ginger bread. Books like My Ántonia make book club food more fun and meaningful.

We decided to try a book circle before the meeting started, taking turns around the table to talk about other books we were reading or favorite ones we wanted to recommend. Cheryl had read Joanne Fluke’s Apple Turnover Murder and had made one of the book’s recipes, chocolate crack, to share. A delicious treat.

When I finally asked who would like to be our first responder, the room seemed surprisingly quiet. As if we had been holding our breath, I heard a quiet sigh of “I liked it.” Another member asked if we hadn’t read something like this previously, referring to the Nevada Reads selection of Twenty Miles from a Match by Sarah Olds, about homesteading in Northern Nevada. We also stumbled over how to pronounce Ántonia, finally deciding on the pronunciation of Ant(h)ony plus ah. Or just Tony.

The discussion proceeded slowly and in many directions. We discussed the beauty of Cather’s language and one member quoted the selection describing the wind as a playful pup. Another member had lived on the plains and found the sound of the wind whistling through the grass so remarkable that she had been surprised not to find it in the story. Why hadn’t Willa Cather been as acknowledged a talent as her friend Edith Wharton? Because she wrote about the poor. How could she have claimed not to be interested in feminism and write such a book about strong, independent women? Willa Cather had dressed as a boy in Nebraska and even gone by the name of William. What did that mean? One member mentioned that in her family, many years ago, a woman who was doing a man’s work could dress as a man. Who was the woman on the train in the introduction? Perhaps the reason the book lacked descriptions of sexual attraction was because Cather couldn’t describe it as the character of Jim.

One of us had the annotated version of My Ántonia and shared pictures from Willa Cather’s life and the inspirations for the story, including pictures of her grandparents and the “real” Ántonia. We discussed the inspiration for Peter’s tale about the wolves and the likelihood that wolves would take down an entire wedding party, even in the black forests of Germany. We talked, and thought, about hard work, survival, immigration, sex, and children.  One of us shared that, years ago, while visiting family members with many children, she had been startled to be limited to two squares of toilet paper (four for solid waste!). Another member said that in some places (and times) you might be offered a page from a magazine. No one seemed to dislike the novel. The only question from the discussion question we addressed was about the novel’s epigraph, a quote from Virgil: “Optima dies… prima fugit: ‘The best days are the first to pass’.” Did this mean that the best days are first forgotten? Or that our first days, our childhood, are the best. Like time is relative?

So many things influence our reading and our understanding of our world. Like our discussions. They remain with us, perhaps not remembered but also not forgotten. Somehow a part of who we are and who we have, and will, become.

• Other Works Discussed:
• Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) by Willa Cather
• One of Ours (1922) by Willa Cather
• O Pioneers (1913) by Willa Cather
• Giant (1952) by Edna Ferber
• Little House on the Prairie Series (1932 – 1943) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• See Member Recommendations for books mentioned during the Book Circle Discussion

Tuesday night was the last Super Moon for 2016 and our Book Bistro met for our last discussion of the year as well. I chose The Universe Playing Strings, by R.M.Kinder because it is a beautifully written book that offers great insight into a world of passion and heartache and music that many of us know little about—even here in Las Vegas, where superstars grace our stages and arenas regularly. I also have the privilege of knowing the author and knew that this connection could offer tremendous insight into the world of writing, publishing, and reading.

The discussion started off slowly and our first responder was interested mostly in my connection to the author and the book. Then another member said the book was so realistic that she didn’t like the characters and was actually angry at Amy for putting up with George. Another couldn’t understand how Carl could give up half his savings, although as the book progressed he understood Carl’s character better. Others remarked that Carl needed to be needed, which is why he chose a relationship with his bi-polar neighbor. We discussed that although Jack was privileged, he seemed to live simply and not take advantage of his father, to be respectful, even though he seemed naïve. One of us liked how Amy fell in love with the guitar. Another really liked Cora.

Although one or two members felt that Carl was the main character in the story, several in our group dissented.  One of us had not finished the book because it didn’t have a plot and he believed he knew the characters well enough. He found them egotistical, always interested in being better than someone else. Another believed that the characters used sex and music to try to connect with one another, never succeeding. Still others liked the happy ending, although they wondered if it was as realistic as portended.

Since I know the author, I enjoyed sharing her dedication—writing and re-writing—her love for her characters and her great talent with both music and words. We discussed her choice to make this book positive and the choice she made to shorten it and focus on fewer characters.

And what was the significance of the Tennessee Tenor? I suggested that he represents Nashville, the heart of country music, the talent and success just out of their reach but rubbing shoulders with them briefly. I’m sure I didn’t say it that way— nor as elegantly as the author does herself. That’s why this is just a taste of what it’s like to connect with us in the book club . . . the rest is up to you!

• Other works discussed:
• The Art Forger (2013) by B.A.Shapiro
• The Banger Sisters (2002) DVD
• Crazy Heart (2009) DVD
• Genius (2016) DVD
• Go Set a Watchman (2015)/To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee
• Ricki and the Flash (2015) DVD

• “All the world’s a stage,
• And all the men and women merely players”[1]
• — Shakespeare

This last week, we met to discuss The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro. Nine of us met in the theater, on the stage, the last hour of the 2016 presidential election counting down, politics on our minds and art and morality in our discussion. The theater was lit, but the stage was half in shadow, creating a murky atmosphere to compliment a murky subject!

Our first responder liked the book, as did we all (I think!). One of us hadn’t liked it as much at first, uninterested in the artist’s detail—while others found the descriptions of painting and forgery to be the best part. One member described herself as a “Sunday painter” and shared how expensive painting supplies can be and wondered about the author’s use of the word “cotton wool” which is primarily a British term. Another recommended a virtual tour of the Gardner Museum, offered on their website.[2]

We talked a lot about the value of things and the importance of provenance. The discussion actually became quite heated for a moment, not so much from disagreement as from the difficulty inherent in ascribing value. If a copy is as good as the original, why is the original worth more? Why is a baseball from the Cubs’ recent historic win really so much more valuable than any other? Provenance, of course. What about art appreciation and knowledge? We remembered the Calder Mobiles mentioned in The Circle and by Isabelle Gardner in this story.[3] We discussed them but weren’t all impressed. We were, though, astounded to learn that “it is estimated that 40 percent of all artworks put up for sale in any given year are forgeries.” [4]

Most of us found the mystery and development of the story to be well done. When we discussed Claire’s complicity in the forgery and in Isaac’s ruin, we were surprisingly forgiving. Claire was young and naïve and yet amazingly disciplined, dedicated, and talented. According to one member, Claire’s outing of Isaac was appropriate for what he did to her.  Another member reminded us that there is “nothing like a woman scorned!” We discussed how her struggle made her stronger. Like the painting she stripped and then built back up to create her forgery, she was stripped down and then built back up. We weren’t certain how her volunteering at the juvenile center fit, though we discussed possibilities. Perhaps it was the small group size, or maybe it was the book itself, but we seemed to delve especially deep, finding the story layered like the paintings baked in Claire’s oven.

Am I missing details of the discussion? Of course! As always, it was a performance piece.

For our next discussion, we should be back in the conference room, still studying the effects of obsession and artistry and relationships, but with music! I hope you can join us! In person and on-line!

• Other works discussed:
• The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
• by Benjamin Wallace (2008)
• The Girl with a Pearl Earring (Book and DVD) by Tracy Chevalier (2001)
• Indecent Proposal (DVD) 1993
• The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults (DVD) 1986
• Tim’s Vermeer (DVD Documentary) 2013

[1] “As You Like It” Act II Scene VII. Shakespeare. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/you-it-act-ii-scene-vii-all-worlds-stage

[2] http://www.gardnermuseum.org/resources/theft

[3] In case you’d like to see one follow this link: http://www.calder.org/work/by-category/hanging-mobile

[4] Discussion question #5 issued by publisher and provided by litlovers.com: http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/8989-art-forger-shapiro?start=3

• 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!

We gathered this week to discuss Ian McEwan’s The Children Act. Ian McEwan is the award-winning author of Atonement. The story of a British High Court judge who presides over cases in the family court while struggling with her own domestic strife fit in nicely with our recent discussions of Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain and Landline by Rainbow Rowell.

Our first responder shared that she found the main character to be whiney, dropping the ball on her professional and ethical duties.  She also shared that one of our absent members had disliked the novel enough to stop reading. Another member had really liked the book until the end, when she felt tricked and cheated. The author set up the boy as a charismatic angel, entering and then abandoned in a brave new world. Others then chimed in that the book seemed contrived and predictable—obviously Fiona would decide to save the boy because otherwise the conflict would be over too quickly! Fiona’s husband was petulant and selfish. Wasn’t he too old for a midlife crisis? One member shared that she had recently read that 58% of all divorces are of couples over the age of 60.[i] We discussed briefly the common need as we age to fulfill a bucket list, to appraise the value of our lives, to search for meaning.

Since most of the comments were negative, placing blame on Fiona for failing to save Henry Adam, blame on her husband for not being able to help Fiona with the stress of her difficult cases, I asked if anyone found the characters admirable.  One member said she felt that Fiona was not responsible for Henry Adam’s suicide—she wasn’t even sure it was suicide. Ultimately he was an adult who was tired of dealing with a terminal disease.  Another said that although she didn’t exactly like Fiona, she found the way she approached and considered her cases to be admirable. She also noted that she was struck by the description of Henry Adam’s parents’ relief that the court had forced the transfusion that could save their son.  The same realization that shattered Henry Adam’s faith brought us a new understanding of such legal-religious struggles.

One member mentioned that he liked the early descriptions in the book; another had once worked across from the Old Bailey and followed the story’s geography from London to Newcastle on a map. Still another had recorded passages that were striking, such as “She belonged to the law as some women had once been brides of Christ”(p.49) or the author’s description of the legal wrangling of a divorce as “the whole circus rising, but so slowly, through the judicial hierarchy like a lopsided, ill-tethered hot-air balloon” (38).

Despite the negative comments, many found it to be easy to read and would read others by Ian McEwan.  Atonement was highly recommended by at least one of us. I read aloud some of the acclaim in the author’s biography. I also mentioned one reviewer who said (in a scathing review) that the ending seemed to be right out of James Joyce’s story The Dead.[ii] We touched on but didn’t discuss the potentially hot topic of religion. The discussion was measured, perhaps like Fiona’s tone, outwardly calm and controlled, but filled with an underlying poetry and music for those able to hear it.

Notes:

[i] I briefly researched this (divorce) on the internet and could not corroborate these same statistics, however, I did find several articles on what NPR labeled “Gray Divorce.” Web accessed 9-16-2016:  http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148235385/gray-divorce-over-50-and-splitting-up http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/your-money/after-full-lives-together-more-older-couples-are-divorcing.html

[ii] I misstated during the meeting that a reviewer had said the entire novel resembled The Dead. And I did not mention the review’s title:  “Improbable, unconvincing and lazy – Ian McEwan’s latest is unforgivable” web accessed 9-15-2016: http://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/09/the-children-act-by-ian-mcewan-review/

I chose Landline by Rainbow Rowell as an easy summer read: something different than our book club’s usual fare and yet concerning a comparable and relatable married with children theme.

As usual, our members did not disappoint! Overall, the book was not liked, but we had one of the best discussions ever. Several members had not finished the book. One member had looked ahead and discovered the “magic” phone line and completely lost interest. One threw the book across the room at home. Another member concluded that the book was “much ado about nothing”!

I asked if anyone had liked the book and a few people nodded and one woman acknowledged it wasn’t deep but had been enjoyable to read.  One member had been interested to know what would happen, even as another said – nothing happened, that’s the problem. I asked for us all to consider why we needed something serious, such as the forced sterilization issue in Necessary Lies? One member concluded that Landline needed more of a plot and maybe even a dead body! Did we feel sorry for Georgie? Maybe, but did we like her? Several of us forgave Neil as an introvert while others found him too grumpy and uncommunicative. Was he even really unhappy or was that all Georgie’s construct? Was the landline magic or was it all Georgie’s imagination? We discussed Georgie’s personal hygiene. Why did she buy only one bra and no underwear? Why didn’t she just go home to get a bag of clothes? Georgie was used to being in control and when Neal left, she was thrown into a tailspin. And what about those pugs in the dryer?! I heard more comments from my end of the table while animated debates were happening all at once and all around. It was pleasant to experience but difficult to record!

We discussed gender roles and we shared some stories from our own experiences. After the meeting, one member said what a great group of people we all were. Another agreed. And so do I. Thank you all for joining us!

• Other works discussed:
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
• Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
• Faulkner and Twain (authors: mundane topics well written)