This Month's Selection: The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

Evening Readers Book Club

The Astronaut Wives Club

by Lily Koppel

Tuesday, May 19, 6:30 p.m.

As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, TV cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.

Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was proclaimed JFK's favorite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived on base with a secret. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, meeting regularly to provide support and friendship. Many became next-door neighbors and helped to raise each other's children by day, while going to glam parties at night as the country raced to land a man on the moon.

As their celebrity rose-and as divorce and tragic death began to touch their lives-they continued to rally together, and the wives have now been friends for more than fifty years. The Astronaut Wives Club tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.

Please feel free to read The Astronaut Wives Club along with us this month, and join the discussion using the comments section of this blog!

What We Thought: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink: the Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell

The author "examines how people process the information they receive through first impressions and how these impressions, which Gladwell calls rapid cognition, can be channeled into productive thinking.”        

                                    

Blink, a work of nonfiction, generated as much intense discussion as any of the novels read by book club members. Readers did not hold back on their impressions of the author’s observations and conclusions. Most said that what he wrote about was commonsense and possibly mind reading. That what he said was obvious. He spent a lot of time repeating his explanations, and then talked about exceptions. 

The discussion was not so much about whether or not the group liked the book, but rather how the outcome of the studies accurately reflected the science behind the premise of experts who concluded that instincts influence decision making. The group questioned how so much effort could be spent on mundane subjects, and then said it was interesting and useful information. 

The marketing studies about colas and jams interested readers, and everyone who commented on them had a different opinion about the author’s point of view. Again people said that marketing strategies are targeted to an audience with common sense and that the marketers don’t always understand the consumer.

Readers wanted more explanations about how to make snap judgments in a positive way and visuals to illustrate the facial recognition and body language studies. It was said that he wrote a lot about what happens but not how to make things happen. He didn’t explain his points well enough to suit some; for example, when one should or should not act on first impressions. How can we make good snap judgments based on rules and experience when lives are at stake? Another reader said that the same research done by a different person could come up with a different conclusion. It happens all the time. She mentioned recommended healthy diets as an example.

Some readers grew tired of the book early on and didn’t want to spend more time on it. Others were immediately captivated by it and others said they continued reading until they caught on to what he was writing about and then they finished the book.

The discussion followed the book club members’ analysis of the book. Some agreed, some disagreed, and some changed their minds without being aware of what was happening to the dynamics of the group. Blink was a great read and a great choice for the book club.

Have you read Blink? What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

This Month's Selection: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell

Tuesday, September 23

6:30 p. m.

Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that actually aren't as simple as they seem:

• Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept?

• Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error?

• How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom?

•  And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others? 

 Have you read Blink? Please share your thoughts in the comments here or in the discussion post after September 23rd!