The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

I sent a preview email to book members with these thoughts:
If you haven't been able to access the book, please consider coming anyway, since we will mostly likely talk about general knowledge of genocides (the theme of Sandcastle Girls is Armenian genocide) or other works by Bohjalian. This story is also about trauma, allies, survivors, the role of religion, the role of aid workers, and how folks keep their culture alive.

SYNOPSIS from The Sandcastle Girls
A spellbinding tale travels between Aleppo, Syria, in 1915 and Bronxville, New York, in 2012.

Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria, with her diploma from Mount Holyoke College, a crash course in nursing, and only the most basic grasp of the Armenian language. The First World War is spreading across Europe, and she has volunteered on behalf of the Boston-based Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian genocide. There, Elizabeth becomes friendly with Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant daughter. When Armen leaves Aleppo to join the British Army in Egypt, he begins to write Elizabeth letters, and comes to realize that he has fallen in love with the wealthy, young American woman who is so different from the wife he lost.

Flash forward to the present, where we meet Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in suburban New York. Although her grandparents’ ornate Pelham home was affectionately nicknamed the “Ottoman Annex,” Laura has never really given her Armenian heritage much thought. But when an old friend calls, claiming to have seen a newspaper photo of Laura’s grandmother promoting an exhibit at a Boston museum, Laura embarks on a journey back through her family’s history that reveals love, loss --- and a wrenching secret that has been buried for generations.

From the book group questions packet, we considered these questions from  ReadingGroupGuides.com

BIG QUESTIONS

•  At the end of chapter 19, does Elizabeth make the right decision? 

•  How would you have reacted in the wake of a similar tragedy?

One of the things we talked about was the strength that Elizabeth (and all women) had inside of her. The many ways women were killed reminded us of gladiator games and the sport that (apparently) is inherent in them.  The tragedy is atrocious and the desire for one generation to want to shield the next generation is understandable.  However, it does impact future generations in not having details about their history, identity, and ancestors.  With the knowledge, comes an appreciation of how family’s fought to survive, so that their descendants might have a better life.

ABOUT THE STYLE

•  Though The Sandcastle Girls is a novel, author Chris Bohjalian (and fictional narrator Laura Petrosian) based their storytelling on meticulous research. What can a novel reveal about history that a memoir or history book cannot?

•  Before reading The Sandcastle Girls, what did you know about the Armenian genocide?

•  How does this history broaden your understanding of current events in the regions surrounding Armenia?

•  What if the story were told from the perspective of a man, instead of a woman?

We thought that the female perspective was important.  Women and children are often major victims in war, from torture to death.  History tells the stories of generals, soldiers, and battles.  It often leaves out the impact of war on families, lovers (unless romanticized in a story about a man), and infrastructure.  While we knew of the Armenian genocide, we did not know details of the systematic slaughter of humans.

ABOUT THE CHARACTERS

•  What do the characters of Dr. Akcam, Helmut, and Orhan tell us about the process of resistance?

•  What separates them from the others, Who become capable of horrific, dehumanizing acts?

•  What relationships exist between "couples" in this story?

We thought Bohjalian did a great job at showing the range of human experience through the characters in this book.  Even “good people” do “bad things.”  It is impossible to always make the “best” or “right” decision, just look at parenting!  The characters were realistic in that they had a range of feelings – wanting to follow orders, wanting to fight in a “just” war, and also not realizing what they had “signed up for” and feeling conflicted about the dehumanizing acts they became involved in.  In times of war, it is impossible to know who to trust, and yet, there are people that are trying to help.  An ally might have power (to save photographs, to give a job) or an ally might simply be another person who becomes a friend or even family when everyone else is gone.  Being one of two is very different than being the only one.

ABOUT CULTURE/HISTORY – We didn’t get to discuss these questions

•  When Laura describes the music of her 1960s youth, her steamy relationship with Berk, her belly-dancing aunt, and other cultural memories, what is she saying about the American experience of immigration and assimilation?

•  Culturally, what did her grandfather sacrifice in order to gain security and prosperity in America?

•  How do Laura’s discoveries enrich her sense of self?

•  Discuss your own heritage and its impact on your identity. How much do you know about your parents’ and grandparents’ upbringing?

•  What immigration stories are part of your own family’s collective memory?

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

 
Here is a link to her website with videos and information about the book: http://www.stacyschiff.com/cleopatra-a-life.html, including interviews with the author.  One of her goals, it seems, is to make her more than the “woman who bared her breasts” in all those paintings.

Cleopatra lived from Late 69 BC – August 12, 30 BC, and she was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Initial Thoughts

• I know so little about history that everything was new.
• The author presumed you knew more.  Cleopatra’s contemporaries just showed up, without a lot of background story about what those contemporaries were doing at that historical time period.  Cleopatra is contemporary to King Herod!
• We were reminded that the library at Alexandria burned – so did all the ancient texts.  The author is trying to retell a story from letters, coins, and hieroglyphics.
• This book seems to be more of a scholarly attempt than a story.  Some of us felt that either a historical fiction or nonfiction playing out of events would have been better.  This version made you question what was real. 
• Cleopatra’s wealth and adoration is mind-blowing.
• There is little discussion of the poverty, slavery, or “average” person’s life.
• The author really brings in the legacy of female rulers and the value of education.  Women were educated and owned business.  What happened?
• The people who wrote about Cleopatra didn’t necessarily shed a good light on her.
• There wasn’t as much about Egyptian gods/goddesses as you’d think there might be.
• The goddess, Isis, could become Mary later.

History

• Egypt was so much more evolved than Rome. 
• Greece was also more evolved than Rome.
• After her death, Cleopatra enriched the Roman Empire with her Egyptian symbols.
• After her death, women began to have a role in public life.
• Rivalry with women, like her sister and Octavia

Contemporaries

• Julius Cesar (shared a son)
• Mark Anthony (shared a boy/girl set of twins) – over a 9-year relationship
• Herod (this is happening in 32 BC)

Myths

• Cleopatra is younger than we thought.
• Cleopatra spent more time with Ceaser, and then with Marc Anthony than we thought.
• We aren’t really sure how the figs and Asp played into her death.
• Cleopatra had more children than we thought, and they weren’t all killed.

Achievements – Quotes

• Cleopatra ruled Egypt for 22 years and it flourished and experienced peace.
• While living in Rome: “To relax her guard was to be sent home, to maintain it was to offend”
• Augustus: “Men ruled women and Rome ruled the World”
• “A capable woman is suspect.”
• “One would rather find a woman fatally attractive, than fatally intelligent.”
• “A man who teaches a woman to write should recognize that he is providing poison to an Asp.”
• “There are many statues of men slaying lions, but if only lions were sculptors, there might be a different set of statues, said the Lion to the man in Aesop’s fables.” 
• Cleopatra is portrayed as someone whose power came from her sexuality.  How much more attention people pay to their fears than to their memories.  It has always been preferable to attribute a woman’s success to her beauty rather then to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.  Against a powerful enchantress, there is no context, but against a women with intelligence, there is no antidote. (paraphrased from book)

We remember Cleopatra for having a relationship with two powerful men, and not for her leadership.  She was a capable, strategist, queen who inserted her self into world politics through improvisation, grandeur, and glamour.  She was astute, spirited, pampered, and inconceivably rich.  She remains one of the only women a table of men who had a royal flush.

For those who might want further reading in the fate of Cleopatra’s lineage, here are several books:
Alexander Helios is a main character in the book Cleopatra's Daughter, by Michelle Moran, which is about his twin sister Cleopatra Selene.


Similarly, he is followed in Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray, another novel that follows him and his young sister from the tragic fall of Alexandria to the cusp of her marriage to Juba II of Numibia.

In Cleopatra's Moon, by Vicky Alvear Shecter, Alexander Helios is also mentioned, along with Ptolemy Philadelphos and Cleopatra Selene, the main character of the book.

"A" History of the World in Two Books: one about objects, the other about drinks

A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

OUR APPRECIATIONS ABOUT THIS BOOK

• The author is very conscious of the simultaneous development of objects and ideas (writing, coins, etc.) in multiple places and didn’t just talk about Africa or other “traditional” places
• He included objects from all over the world to tell a sequential history of the world
• Why did corn become a “god” in the Americas and not squash or beans?
• He included biological changes (brain size, nutrition, etc.) along with the social changes (farming, artisans, communities, etc.)
• The ceremonial jade axe story (4000 BC) is one of our favorites

In preparation for our meeting to discuss the HISTORY OF THE WORLD in 100 object or 6 glasses, think about your own life  What 6 objects represent your history?  Our own personal list of objects that influenced our life included:

• German pretzels
• Cat/kitten
• Photograph of Rex Smith (the actor/singer)
• Paper & pencil (or writing instrument)
• Car
• Boston Sunday Globe
• Wearing braces
• Special doll received from Dad who was in the Air Force
• Beads (“hippie era”)
• Water
• House

History of the World in 100 Objects – A description of objects

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/exploreraltflash/

BBC – A list of objects

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/british-museum-objects/

100 Objects in 5 minutes – a quick video of all the objects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-g1qeX0cTM 

 

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage (you might want to consider reading his other book, An Edible History of Humanity)

OUR APPRECIATIONS ABOUT THIS BOOK

• Each drink represented an era of history
• Each drink influenced the next drink
• Coffee and tea might have happened simultaneously, rather than sequentially
• All the drinks are tied to economics
• Drinks were tied to social structure, including children in that societal structure
• Globalization could also have been represented by McDonalds, but then it wouldn’t have been a drink
• He focused a lot on the Middle East (The Fertile Crescent) and we sometimes forget how important that part of the world is to world history

History of the world in 6 glasses – great little video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncUtfrNi7Hc&feature=related

General History

History of the World in 7 Minutes – a quickie world history video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pnmZalx9YY&feature=related

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

There is a great BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE here

There is also a TEACHER'S GUIDE here.  This is so darn cool!!!! It has questions by CHAPTER and by SUBJECT and by LITERARY TECHNIQUES.

I particularly liked these questions:

1. When Henrietta’s story first appeared in the mainstream media in 1976, many viewed it as one of race and racism. Evaluate whether or not you think this is an appropriate way to interpret the story. How do you think public interpretation might have been different if the story had been published at the time of Henrietta’s death in 1951? How is it being interpreted now? Analyze the cultural and historic events that have influenced, or would influence, these interpretations.

2. Consider Deborah’s comment on page 276: “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.” How does cultural perspective influence the way history is recorded, taught, and studied? Why is it important to approach history from an objective point of view? Why is this approach sometimes difficult?

3. Although a right to privacy is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, the Supreme Court has established that it is inherently protected by the Constitution. Explain the numerous ways that the Lacks family’s right to privacy was violated. Discuss the importance of the right to privacy. How has this right evolved over the course of American history? How is it being challenged by emergent technologies? How have groups of people such as African Americans, women, children, and most recently, immigrants, fought for legislation protecting their right to privacy? Cite specific court cases and/or current events.

ONLINE RESOURCES
Author Web site: http://rebeccaskloot.com/

Lacks family Web site: http://www.lacksfamily.com/

Radio lab segment on the story of Henrietta Lacks and her children, featuring audio footage of Deborah Lacks talking about her mother’s cells, and actual recordings of key scenes from the book: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2010/05/07/segments/150681

Fresh Air’s Terry Gross interviews the author: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123232331

CBS Sunday Morning piece featuring interviews with the author, members of the Lacks family, and a representative from Johns Hopkins: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6304949n&tag=related;photovideo

Tavis Smiley interviews the author: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/201005/20100514_skloot.html

“Are We Alone?” public radio segment focusing on the science of HeLa cells: http://radio.seti.org/episodes/Cell_Cell_

Author appearance on The Colbert Report: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/267542/march-16-2010/rebecca-skloot

Slate article about the Law & Order episode based on the book: http://www.slate.com/id/2257189

The author combined her personal story and research with that of Henrietta Lacks and her family to help us understand pieces of scientific history, specifically medical research. There were many topics and themes that came up in discussion. Here is a quick recap of some that I remember!

Bioethics

– Today the definition of “informed consent” is unclear.   Some of us have signed waivers about “releasing body parts/cells” before surgery and others of us can’t remember signing any special paperwork. 

– We talked about how once a body part (or placenta, mole, or other cell) leaves your body, it is considered “trash,” but that doesn’t mean it is incinerated.  Some cells go into research or storage. 

– We might not like what is being researched, but can only designate BEFORE the cells are taken.

– Some of the research of related to ancestry, gender, for prolife (when does life begin?) and we wondered whether or not we wanted to have our cells be used “against us” or for a (political) cause we didn’t support.

Racism

– Skloot, the author, was yet another white person asking the Lacks family about Henrietta. 

– Henrietta (and her institutionalized sister) was treated more badly because she was African American.  She didn’t have proper treatment for her cancer and wasn’t even treated for over a year after she first noticed a problem. This could have been because she was a women and/or because of her race.

Poverty

– The book is filled with stories of people used as research subjects, sometimes without their knowledge, sometimes with ill-informed consent, sometimes because of their inability to understand (patients with mental illness) or resist (prisoners). 

–  Most of us knew this history existed, but we hadn’t thought about all the ramifications.

Science

– Some of us now have a better understanding of cell biology.

– We have thought about donating body/cell parts to further research, and also about the laws changing to require consent.

– Henrietta never provided consent for her cells to be taken and used – although this was a little confusing in the book, did her husband give consent after the fact?

 

Writing Style

– It was interesting to hear about Deborah’s abuse by Galen in Chapter 15. 

– Deborah’s story made the whole story more interesting.

 

Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

As you will know, if you have finished the book, dictionaries can vary a little one from another.  There are several "Flower Dictionaries" on line, as well as posters.

Questions to prompt thinking and Connection:

1) What kind of nonverbal communication systems do you have with family and close friends?  If you were to use flowers, to whom would you send a bouquet and what would it say?

2) Do you have any "18 year old regrets?"  Why do you think Elizabeth waits so long to patch things up with her sister, Catherine?  Have you given/received any "second chances"?

3) The first week after her daughter’s birth goes surprisingly well for Victoria. What is it that makes Victoria feel unable to care for her child after the weekends? And what is it that allows her to ultimately rejoin her family?

Quotes:

My own husband! The man who had been there every day—monitoring our baby and me with careful attention—thought I was as overwhelmed as the new mother in my book, Victoria.

“It’s fiction!” I told him, exasperated. “Don’t you know I made it all up?”

The trouble is—as much as I deny it—my character does, in specific instances, think and behave exactly like me.

Random House link: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/vanessa_diffenbaugh/  

Planned Discussion Questions 

1. What potential do Elizabeth, Renata, and Grant see in Victoria that she has a hard time seeing in herself?

2. While Victoria has been hungry and malnourished often in her life, food ends up meaning more than just nourishment to her. Why?

3. Victoria and Elizabeth both struggle with the idea of being part of a family. What does it mean to you to be part of a family? What defines family?

4. Why do you think Elizabeth waits so long be fore trying to patch things up with her long-lost sister Catherine? What is the impetus for her to do so?

5. What did you think of the structure of the book – the alternating chapters of past and present? In what ways did the two storylines parallel each other, and how did they diverge?

6. The novel touches on many different themes (love, family, forgiveness, second chances). Which do you think is the most important? And what did you think was ultimately the lesson?

7.  At the end of the novel, Victoria learns that moss grows without roots. What does this mean, and why is it such a revelation for her?

8.  Based on your reading of the novel, what are your impressions of the foster care system in America? What could be improved?

9.  Knowing what you now know about the language of the flowers, to whom would you send a bouquet and what would you want it to say?

Spanish Soap Operas by Erin McCormack

Spanish Soap Operas by Erin McCormick. Against her parents’ wishes, recent college grad Gretchen Kemp has left small-town Ohio with her best friend, Kimberly, to make a new life in New York City. But when Kimberly is assaulted outside their apartment and decides to leave, Gretchen is on her own. Lonely and isolated, she takes a chance on two new friends from very different worlds: on the one hand, Bloomingdales and celebrity auctions with golden girl Paige; on the other, salsa clubs and telenovelas with vibrant, sassy Marisol. Quickly, New York becomes a place of wonder and excitement as Gretchen gets caught up in her friends’ soap opera-like lives. But the city has another side, drugs and violence, which links their lives in unexpected and dangerous ways, threatening Gretchen’s new friendships and her ability to survive in the city.

SUMMARY of Spanish Soap Operas

I won’t be able to capture Erin’s words and feelings as well as hearing from her in person, but I’ll try.  Learning about Erin’s process and why she self-published is inspiring.  We should all know that if we have elders in our lives and want to share something we have been working on that they are looking forward to, we CAN publish, even if not perfect and finish that novel. Self-publishing also allows you to go back and revise more easily than going through a publishing house.  Topics we discussed are categorized below:

Cross-cultural Relationships

•  These women supported each other across ethnic and racial lines.
•  Love/hate (or thinking about not being friends) is part of relationship building.
•  Keeping secrets can damage relationships in not allowing others to help you, when they really want •  to help, and also in making things much harder on yourself.
•  You know who your friends are when… you find yourself in a crisis, and they are/are not there for you.
•  The women grow in their understanding of each other and appreciate what each person has to offer as an individual from another culture.

-       Gretchen learns about dancing, community, various spiritual practices

-       Marisol appreciates that Paige offers a safe apartment for Gretchen to recuperate

-       Paige has a lot going on with her health and her fiancé’s drug use, but still is there for Gretchen and also appreciates that Gretchen’s relationship with Marisol is important to Gretchen.

-       Each woman learns their own limitations and that they need help from each other.

-       It was great to see the three perspectives on helping Gretchen to heal after the fire: science, prayer, and candles.

Paige, Marisol, and Gretchen come with their own prejudices/privileges which impact their relationships and how they see the word.  Some of these themes thread through the novel and into the lives of other associated chracters.

•  Homophobia/Heterosexism

-       Marisol could accept her brother privately, but did not want his sexuality on public display (e.g. in paintings)

•  Classism

-       Paige was wealthy, did fundraising benefits, organized parties, and chose whom to invite (or exclude), sometimes based on politics.  She had the ability to network in ways that would help her friends. 

-       Gretchen made decisions based on “her own rules” like when to donate to can-handlers/homeless on the streets. 

-       Gretchen also feared being in the “wrong neighborhood,” even though drugs were clearly happening on the wealthy side of town, too.

-       Homelessness is “houselessness” as George Carlin says.  Gretchen gets a feeling for what it’s like to so easily become homeless after he apartment goes up in flames.

-       The topic of bearing children or having an abortion is also related to class.

•  Racism

-       Gretchen made assumptions about Latinas and noticed appearance, but not skills or intelligence, until she got to know Marisol. 

-       The Latino men went to jail for drug use, the white man went to rehab.

Independence/Growing Up

We were glad to see the gals “sticking with it” out on their own, away from home.  And, that each character is strong and independent, not needing to rely on a man (father, brother, boyfriend).  We also liked that they got to meet their “heroes,” like Paige meeting Kent, the artist.

 

The Tin Ticket by Deborah J. Swiss

The Tin Ticket takes readers to the dawn of the nineteenth century and into the lives of three women arrested and sent into suffering and slavery in Australia and Tasmania-where they overcame their fates unlike any women in the world. It also tells the tale of Elizabeth Gurney Fry, a Quaker reformer who touched all their lives. Ultimately, this is a story of women who, by sheer force of will, became the heart and soul of a new nation.

Book Group Questions can be found on her website: http://www.deborahswiss.com/book_clubs.html

A HUGE thank you to Deborah Swiss for sharing her time with our book group. It was such a treat to eat together, share conversation, learn about her experience writing the book, and ask questions about what we read. This narrative nonfiction book was filled with research and discovery. Deborah was able to make links and tell the stories of four convict women (Agnes McMillan, Janet Houston, Bridget Mulligan, Ludlow Tedder) based on multiple primary source materials as well as from the oral stories which was passed down through the generations by the descendants of these women. The last quarter of the book is filled with literal translations of conduct reports, prison rules, and other documents.

Here is her website again: http://deborahswiss.com/index.html scroll down for the video
And the recent Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-swiss/honoring-ancestors_b_1168975.html

Our understanding was deepened through the “show and tell” that Deborah brought to share. She had a sandstone brick made by convicts and identified by a symbol (from a suit of cards – heart, spade, diamond, club). A convict’s weekly quota was counted based on the symbols. She also brought several examples of carved pennies (the size of half dollars) which would have been tokens left with loved ones upon departure to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). Some were very intricately carved. It was fun to handle them and feel their weight, as well as to look at the carvings on front, back and even edge!

Here is a quick summary of our thoughts…

IT’S NOT FAIR!
* Exile for life for first offense, with the largest crime being poverty
* Women become slaves/indentured servants
* Women are raped, healthcare for women is terrible, young children are sent with their mothers
* Women were disposable, like “tin”
* Those in “power” were really, really wealthy and the “powerless” were poor
* “Convicts” were treated as “criminals”

POVERTY & EDUCATION
* Children miss their parents (who are working)
* Emotions aren’t shared
* We considered the emotions that babies are born with and those that may need to be taught. How are they taught when parents are working? Here is an article on baby emotions: http://mentalhealth.about.com/library/weekly/aa110298.htm

IT’S COOL TO KNOW!
* 1 in 5 people in Australia is a descendent of a convict
* The strongest, most resilient folks survived
* This book helps us go from HIStory to HERstory

OTHER TOPICS A few related, but not really part of the book, topics with links are below:
* ASJ nonfiction New York conference – http://newyorkwritersworkshop.com/nyww-non-fiction-pitch-conference (I hope this is the right conference that we talked about!)

* There are only 7 publishing houses – This site lists ten – http://michaelhyatt.com/top-ten-book-publishers-in-america-through-march-2008.html

* Rajah quilt – http://nga.gov.au/rajahquilt/ - The Rajah quilt is one of Australia’s most important textiles, and a major focus of the National Gallery of Australia’s Australian textiles collection. While it is a work of great documentary importance in Australia’s history, it is also an extraordinary work of art; a product of beauty from the hands of many women who, while in the most abject circumstances, were able to work together to produce something of hope.

* Irish hunger museum in New York – The Irish were discriminated against more than others wherever in the world they were during this certain time period – http://www.strokestownpark.ie/irish-national-famine-museum/ there is a good video on this site. The Famine Museum at Strokestown Park, Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, Ireland is twinned with Grosse Ile and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site, Grosse Ile, Quebec, Canada. Over 5,500 Irish people who emigrated during the famine of Ireland are buried in mass graves at Grosse Ile.

* Rabbit Proof Fence – A great movie about the Aboriginal People of Australia showing the outright racism against them by the dominant culture. In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB-jkydqADg and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit-Proof_Fence_%28film%29