Evening Book Club May 2016

The Boys in the Boat

Daniel Brown

Readers were impressed with the scope of history covered in this book about the University of Washington rowing crew and their Gold medal win at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The stories of nine young men, their families and friends and in particular Joe Rantz and the sweet love story between him and his girlfriend/wife Joyce were the heart of The Boys in the Boat. The dust bowl, the great Depression, the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, Hitler’s march toward war in Europe, and the Holocaust sparked discussion and comparison with contemporary times. Readers agreed that the 1930’s were indeed hard times and talked about memories of family who had personal experience during those years.

 A reader shared a photograph of her grandmother and her college women’s rowing crew. She also talked about a Silver Lake rowing competition on Silver Lake in 1878. Readers’ appreciation of the sport of rowing was enhanced by the details of boat building, coaching and competition leading up to 1936 in Berlin. The spirit of cooperation and camaraderie among the crew supported them throughout their trials and drove them on to the peak moment of the “swing” while rowing. They had each other’s backs. One reader compared it to the cadence in a skating competition when participants are synchronized and perform as one unit.

Once again readers recommended books that reminded them in some way of the heroism in this month’s selection. In the Heart of the Sea; the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, Mountains beyond Mountains; the Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, by Tracy Kidder, The Worst Hard Time; the Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American  Dust Bowl, by Timothy Egan, The Sudden Sea; the Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti, Dark Tide; the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo, Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova and The Indifferent Stars Above: the Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown.

Have you read The Boys in the Boat?  What did you think?  Please share your thoughts in comments.

What we thought: The Good Father by Noah Hawley

Evening Book Club

April 2016

The Good Father, Noah Hawley

“What made him ditch his comfortable life and embrace an act of barbarity? I have read the reports. I have watched the footage, but the answer continues to elude me. More than anything I want to know. I am his father, you see. He is my son.” Dr. Paul Allen, chief of rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian.

Readers expressed different opinions about the characters and their motives. Some were more sympathetic to the doctor and his quest to understand how his son Daniel could have assassinated a leading political candidate. Most were expecting a conspiracy to explain the crime. Others were not sure that Doctor Allen was a good father and that he did the best he could to care for Daniel after divorce. Others said children can suffer through the worst life circumstances and still come out fine. Children in the same family can often grow up completely opposite of each other. Readers generally agreed that Daniel was driven to kill the senator. Whatever was in his mind and whatever triggers set him off was bound to happen no matter what in his life influenced him. He was an angry young man.

Readers were not very interested in the political aspects of the book. They felt that there was already enough information about people who attempted and succeeded to assassinate other political figures. The explanations got in the way of the story. The main interest was Dan’s family and the people he met along the way to the conclusion of the story. In the end there was no rational explanation for Dan and his actions. Dan may have known but he did not reveal it to anyone, except to say that he was the shadow son and should have died in a childhood accident. It was left for the family, acquaintances and survivors to come to closure and deal with it in their own way in their own time.

Conversation was centered on what ifs and how alternative outcomes could have been influenced. In the end it was decided that the story went in the direction that was preordained. Other conclusions would not have fit.

The evening’s discussion concluded with a question about the author’s intention in writing the story. Did the author write it with a book club selection in mind? All agreed that this is an important book and a difficult one to read, but were glad that they were able to finish it. The discussion continued after the readers left the group. Readers will still talk about as time goes on.

Have you read The Good Father? What did you think? Please share your thoughts in comments.

What we thought: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Evening Book Club

March 2016

Little Bee, Chris Cleave

“Britain is proud of its tradition of providing a safe haven for people fleeting [sic] persecution and conflict.”

   From Life in the United Kingdom: A journey to citizenship (UK Home Office, 2005)

Readers discussed Little Bee as if it was a true story rather than fiction. The author described the events in the character’s lives and the emotional impact so well that the story stayed with everyone. As readers discussed the story there were many different opinions on the motives of characters and how they could have changed the outcome of their actions. Little Bee was the most sympathetic character along with Charlie who identified with Batman. The relationships with Charlie’s mother Sarah, her husband Andrew and lover Lawrence from the Home Office complicated reader’s understanding about their lives and why they did not always behave reasonably. Little Bee grew up and suffered great trauma in Nigeria stirring up the middle class British lives of the other characters.

Early in the discussion readers commented about how they did not like the ending or really understand where the author was going with it. They did say that they appreciated the beauty of his writing even though it left them with a melancholy feeling. None the less, readers did finish the book and were eager to talk about it and their hope that Little Bee would have a better outcome. They didn’t express the same feeling for the British characters with the exception of Charlie the Batman.

Readers discussed the treatment of immigrants in Britain which inspired the author to write Little Bee’s story. Some were familiar with issues of migration and found it difficult to understand the desperation leading people to leave their country to start new lives in a foreign nation. There was some discussion of the current state of immigration today. Readers asked, “What do we do with them and where does it stop?”

“When horror and darkness descend, asylum seekers are the ones who get away. They are not all Einsteins or Conrads of course. Some of them are horrible people. And that’s just it—they are like us: they are people. Many are above average in terms of far-sightedness, motivation and resilience. A fair proportion are the people you want to have on your side. Whatever the solution to the refugee crisis—and I don’t suggest there is a simple one—it will be a monument to our dehumanization if we allow the new anti-refugee rhetoric to erode our first feeling of empathy.”  Chris Cleave, author  October 9, 2015

Readers recommended books that they felt added to the topic of discussion. Some of the titles were previous book club selections.

Gold, Chris Cleave

Incendiary, Chris Cleave

The Secret Keeper, Kate Morton

Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

Sunset Park, Paul Auster

Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl

Two documentaries, Lost Boys of Sudan and The Good Lie

Have you read Little Bee? What did you think? Please share your thoughts in comments.