Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Jarrettsville by Cornelia Nixon


1. Why might Cornelia Nixon begin, rather than end, her novel with the shooting? What difference does it make in how you read the novel?
- We paid more attention to the novel and what went wrong in the love affair.
- He never talked about the beating and assumed she knew about the beating.

2. Does the author fully develop her characters? How would you describe both Martha Jane Cairnes and Nicholas McComas? Are the two well-suited to one another? What kind of character is Martha's brother Richard? Of the primary characters, which do you most admire? Least admire?
- We thought they were a nice couple.  He seemed to love her but when the brothers beat him, he knew he couldn’t be part of the family.

3. Was the romance between Martha and Nick doomed? Given the hostile environment and personalities and prejudices of those involved, was the tragedy inevitable? Could the shooting have been avoided?
- At first we didn’t think so because it was under the radar and she would have moved to one of his farms.
- Her brother made it doomed.

4. The novel indicates that the Civil War, while officially over, had yet to end in places like Jarrettsville. Were you surprised by the level of animosity in the wake of the war?
- No, taking rights away from blacks after Lincoln’s assassination was not a good scene.

5. How are African Americans treated in Jarrettsville? Are the freed slaves better off after the war than they were as slaves before the war?
- They had “freedom” but were intimidated and treated badly.
- You could ask that same question now, like Michelle Alexander wrote The New Jim Crow.

6. Did you detect the double-standard between men and women, especially with regards to Martha and Isie?
- Of course.

7. At what point did you come to understand why Martha shot Nick? Do you sympathizes with her? If so, how does an author go about building sympathy for a murderer? If you have no sympathy for Martha, why is that?
- Once she had the baby, it was so shameful with so much social stigma

8. How thoroughly does Cornelia Nixon establish the novel's 19th-century setting? Does she bring to life both the era and its people? If so, how does she accomplish this? If not, why not?
- Made us think about researching ancestry and we compared what we knew about our background and who might make a good story.

9. Does the ending hold up? Were you surprised... or let down by the way the novel ended?

10. Did you learn something new by reading this historical novel, perhaps something about the aftermath of the Civil War, the treatment of freed slaves, or the hostilities that continued after the war.
- Even though people are still related, the animosity of fighting on other sides of the war did not go away.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

-->
1. Amy Poehler comes across as modest and self-deprecating, especially when she says she fears that she hasn't "lived a life full enough to look back on." Think about that sentence. Is she right? Has her life lacked fullness, or has she lived a rather full life? Do you believe that you have lived a full-enough life to write about? At what age, or under what circumstances, have any of us lived long enough to reflect on and, perhaps, to offer solice or advice to others?

2. Poehler seems to indicate that her success hasn't been a matter of luck or due to the kindness of others (yes, many people offered helped along the way) but rather the result of desire, hard work, and ability. What do you think of her claim? To what extent are any of us responsible for our successes… and failures? How much do we depend on sheer luck and help from family or mentors. On the other hand, how important is personal drive, focus, and ability?

3. In what way is Yes Please as much (if not more) a book about Poehler's path to maturity than it is about her road to success?

4. What insights have you gained in reading Yes Please? Is there any part of Poehler's experience that parallels your own journey in life?

5. What about the chapter "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry"? Why was it so difficult for Poehler to admit her error? What does it reveal about her as a person? Has something similar ever happened to you?

6. What does Yes Please reveal about the field of entertainment and the people who work in it? Has it altered your opinion of celebrities and show business...for the better or for the worse? Or has it confirmed your previous beliefs?

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Waking Up White by Debby Irving

Every chapter of the book ends with a question.  I found a summary on line.  Even if you don't finished the book, you might find it interesting to peruse the discussion questions she came up with. 
We had a rich discussion that I totally can't capture.  Here are some topics and comments that came up in our discussion:
  • Childhood and where we grew up
  • Shaming: Don’t ask questions/talk about
  • House Rules: No yelling, elbows on table, etc.: Children should be seen and not heard
  • Birth order (if you were first born, what happens when your parents remarry and your birth order changes?)
  • What stereotypes do we have of other (any) groups?  Frat boys are more scary than other groups.
  • “Whiteness is a pigment of the imagination”
  • The people who believe themselves to be white – Ta Nehisi Coates
  • Do it, make mistakes!
  • It’s good to know other people’s opinions (Facebook)
  • Many ways that we are kept ignorant

Childhood in White
In this section of the book, Ms. Irving thinks back to the assumptions, both spoken and unspoken, that her family transmitted about race and class, self and others.
  Thinking back, did your family ever talk about issues of race and class? If so, what was the content of those discussions?
  As a child, what was your understanding of why some people were wealthy and some people were not?
  What was your family’s attitude about people in power?
  How did your faith fit into discussions about wealth, race and power

Midlife Wake Up Calls
In this section, Ms. Irving shares some of the sobering history she learned in her “Racial and Cultural Identity” class. On p. 30 she writes, “Not thinking I had a race, the idea of asking me to study my ‘racial identity’ felt ludicrous.”
  What are they ways in which you describe yourself to others? By gender? Religion? Sexual identity? Marital status? Familial status (parent, sibling, grandparent, etc.)? Is race ever a part of that description?
  Is it important for white people to perceive and understand whiteness?
  What “aha” or “waking up” moments did you have while reading this section of the book? If you did not have a moment like this while reading the book, do you remember having a “waking up” moment about race previously? What was it? How did it occur?
  How does Judaism impact your racial identity? How does your racial identity impact your Judaism?
  Do you think that American Jews are generally perceived as white? If so, where do Jews of Color fit into this perception?

Why Didn’t I Wake Up Sooner?
Here Ms. Irving delves more deeply into white privilege and starts to discuss the discomfort we can feel in speaking to one another across racial lines. On p. 71 she writes: “Privilege is a strange thing in that you notice it least when you have it most.” She also shares part of a piece called “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.”
  What privileges are granted simply for being white?
  What complications arise in facilitating conversations across race?  What role does white privilege have in shaping these complications?
  In what ways has your Jewish upbringing supported or challenged white privilege?
  Have you ever had anyone doubt or minimalize an experience of racism, sexism, homophobia or anti-Semitism? How did that make you feel?
  Have you ever second-guessed another person’s experience when it comes to racism or some other form of discrimination?

Rethinking Key Concepts
In these chapters Ms. Irving debunks a number of stories that white people tell themselves about their relationship with race in America.
  How do good people help to perpetuate systemic racism?
  How does “colorblindness” help to perpetuate systemic racism?
  What is the Robin Hood syndrome and how does it affect white and black people?
  Have the social justice programs at our synagogue/in our community played into any of these stories? If so, how?

Twenty-Five Years of Tossing and Turning
Ms. Irving speaks about instances in her life of trying to work with people of color, of mistakes she made and lessons she learned.
  Have you tried to form relationships across racial lines?  If so, were you successful?  If not, what has held you back?
  When do you feel inside or outside of social circles?  Does being Jewish ever affect how  “included” you feel in the secular world? Does being Jewish ever make you feel more connected with people on the “outside?”
  What do these chapters suggest, if anything, about the generational effects of racism?
  On p. 128, Ms. Irving writes: “White people becoming racially aware and coaching other white people to do the same is so important.” Why is it important for white people to take on this responsibility for ourselves?

Leaving My Comfort Zone
In this section, Ms. Irving details her work in becoming a diversity and antiracism teacher. She shares guidelines regarding conversational ground rules on p. 172.
• Do you agree with the guidelines Ms. Irving describes? In your opinion, are any guidelines missing?
• How can white people prepare to listen, without judgment, to the experiences of people with color?
Why is it important for them to do so?

Inner Work
These chapters detail the continuing work that white people need to do in order to be partners in the work of dismantling racism.
• Discuss the following topics: A multicultural approach vs. a “melting pot” approach when thinking about communities. Becoming culturally competent.  The often hidden dominant white culture.  Interdependence vs. individualism.  The difference between equality and equity.
• How do these ideas connect with Jewish values?

Outer Work and Reclaiming My Humanity
These chapters begin to help us think about where we might want to go from here.
  On p. 219 Ms. Irving writes: “Either I’m intentionally and strategically working against [racism] or I’m aiding and abetting the system.” Do you agree with this statement?  Why or why not?
  How can you move from being a bystander to an ally? Be specific.
  What qualities make a good ally? What behaviors or attitudes can compromise allyship?
  How can we make our synagogues more inclusive and welcoming of Jews of Color?
  What can we gain as individuals and as a community by working together with individuals and communities of color to end racism? What have we lost if we miss out on these opportunities?
  Where should we go from here?

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem


My Life on the Road is the moving, funny, and profound story of Gloria’s growth and also the growth of a revolutionary movement for equality—and the story of how surprising encounters on the road shaped both. From her first experience of social activism among women in India to her work as a journalist in the 1960s; from the whirlwind of political campaigns to the founding of Ms. magazine; from the historic 1977 National Women’s Conference to her travels through Indian Country—a lifetime spent on the road allowed Gloria to listen and connect deeply with people, to understand that context is everything, and to become part of a movement that would change the world. 

Apparently, you can download the pdf/book for free!
http://ebooksdownloadonline.com/2015/10/25/my-life-on-the-road-by-gloria-steinem/

We started with the "6 Reasons Why Gloria Steinem’s ‘My Life On The Road’ Is The ONE Book Every Woman Should Add To Her Reading List."  Do you agree it should be on everyone's reading list? Do you agree with this list? What would you add or change to this list? Do you have any other books that could/would do these "6 Things"?
 1. The Dedication Page
 2. Steinem’s Journeys On The Actual Road
 3. Steinem’s Journeys On The Metaphorical Road (To Justice)
 4. Her Willingness To Acknowledge — And Learn From — Her Own Prejudices
 5. She’ll Inspire You To Have More Face-To-Face Conversations
 6. She’ll Inspire You To Be Yourself In The Face Of Criticism
http://www.bustle.com/articles/131653-6-reasons-why-gloria-steinems-my-life-on-the-road-is-the-one-book-every-woman

We asked ourselves and answered the following questions:
What was something you didn’t know about Gloria (before reading the book)?
How did she make money to support herself?
What did we know about the feminist movement (before reading the book)?
When did we first learn about ________ (social justice issue)?
How easy/hard is it to grow up “clueless”?

Timeline
  • 1934 – born
  • 1956 – Smith College
  • 1956-1958 - Lives in India on a Chester Bowles Fellowship.
  • 1960 - Moves to New York City and begins working at Help! magazine.
  • 1963 - Works undercover as a "Bunny" at the Playboy Club in New York and then writes an exposé about the poor pay and working conditions.
  • 1968 - As a founding editor, she begins writing the column, "The City Politic," for New York magazine.
  • 1969 - Begins writing and speaking about feminism after attending a meeting held by a women's movement group that addressed the issue of abortion.
  • May 6, 1970 - Testifies before the United States Senate on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment.
  • 1971 - Co-founds Ms. Magazine, the first feminist magazine, and the first to be created and operated entirely by women.
  • November 18-21, 1977 - Organizes the National Women's conference in Houston, Texas. The conference is the first and only to be backed by the U.S. government, and its purpose was not lawmaking but proposing recommendations for widespread gender equality.
  • 1983 - Steinem's collection of essays, "Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions," is published.
  • 1992 - Steinem's book, "Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem," is published.
  • 1993 - Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
  • 1996 - Creates the Women and AIDS Fund with the Ms. Foundation to solely support women living with HIV/AIDS.
  • 2000-2003 – married to David Bale (Christian Bale’s father)
  • 2005 - Co-founds the Women's Media Center with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan.
  • November 20, 2013 - Is awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
  • October 27, 2015 - Her memoir, "My Life on the Road," is published.
  • February 5, 2016 - Steinem makes a controversial comment on "Real Time with Bill Maher," about young women supporting Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential race only because, "the boys are with Bernie." She later apologizes and claims her comment was misinterpreted.
Videos  we mentioned

Conversation Topics
  • The "road" is a place where you always live in the moment.
  • Talking circles.
  • Bookstores.
  • Feminism and racism.
  • A cab is fleeting intimacy.
  • When a slave leaves bondage, his first act is to name himself.
  • If you do things people care about, they will take care of you.
  • Anyone who has experienced something is more experiences than an expert.
  • Justice delayed is justice denied.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith

After young attorney Martin Grey trumps celebrity litigator Damon Darrell in a ­multimillion-dollar civil rights suit, Darrell inexplicably welcomes him into his circle of influential African American men. For Martin, acceptance into this circle is the realization of a life’s dream. He’s even invited on their men’s retreat, and Darrell cryptically promises a life-altering experience. But when they arrive at their secret destination, a secluded plantation called Forty Acres, Martin enters a horrific alternate reality. The group’s charismatic leader, Dr. Kasim, promises to free Martin from the legacy of slavery by avenging his ancestors. At Forty Acres, the slaves are captive descendants of plantation owners and slavers, and Martin’s new friends are their masters.
Independent of his thought-provoking plot, Smith has written a fast-paced thriller, one I didn't want to put down; I particularly enjoyed the way in which he plays with the reader's expectations in the final chapters. I did have one relatively minor quibble with Smith's legal jargon, which I hope was corrected before the final printing; although most laypeople probably wouldn't have noticed, this attorney-reader cringed at the statement by "the number one legal website in the world" that Grey represented the "prosecution" in a civil case (the correct term is plaintiff) and the repeated references to Grey's contingency fee as a "commission check."
All quibbles aside, Smith has done a superlative job in using fiction to explore American race relations, and I hope his novel can serve in furthering a non-confrontational dialogue on this topic. I highly recommend it.

These comments are interesting

Interview with the author

Summer Reading Project Blog
This book is going to piss people off. No matter who you are, what gender you are, or what color you are, this book is going to piss someone off. This is not to say that Dwayne Alexander Smith's thriller, Forty Acres, is a bad book. It's a deliberately provocative book. It asks questions about race the we still need to talk about.  The other issue I had with this book is that Smith spends so much time focusing on race and Black men, that he doesn't spend much time on African American women. How are they supposed to quiet their own, no less soul-killing "Black noise"? With the exception of Anna and the wives of Darrell's group, the women are all white slaves that are used by men just the way female slaves are. None of the women, even Anna Grey, gets to strike back. This bothered me a lot. Forty Acres has a great premise for a thriller, but as I said before, this could have been a mind blowing work of literary fiction that asked all kinds of unanswerable questions.

Book Musings Blog
http://bookmusings.com/2014/07/05/review-forty-acres-by-dwayne-alexander-smith/
There are huge ideas taken on in this book. I am sure every reader will attach to something different, but here are three quotes that just make me queasy:

1. “Theres a kind of interference that clouds the black man’s mind. This interference keeps black children from focusing on their studies. This interference turns black teens into drug addicts and killers. This interference keeps black men from being good fathers and providers. This interference keeps a black man behaving like a slave … It is this interference that keeps the black man from walking the earth with pride. There’s no scientific name for it, you wont find it in any medical books, but its as real as depression or bipolar disease or any other psychological disorder. I call it simply black noise.”  This idea is just disgusting. Not to mention infuriating. While I admit that I can never understand what it is to be black, I can certainly understand what it is to be different. And I could never dream of blaming my failures, crimes, or hopelessness on those who didn’t show me the respect I deserved, or even actively harassed me about my disabilities.

2. “Keep in mind,” Oscar said, “ that these so called ‘maniac followers’ are influential, conscious black men. Doctors, businessmen, politicians, even one prominent church leader. These men that you’re so determined to destroy do a lot of good for our people. Ruin them, and countless innocents will suffer as well.” Oscar paused to underscore his next point. “And thats just the beginning. Once you tell the world … just imagine the resentment and distrust. It will be directed not only towards the men involved, but toward the entire black community. You think blacks are discriminated against now? Just wait. What you do here tonight will set race relations back decades.”  This one just scares me deeply. There are two seeds here for me, one is how far and wide  corruption can run in society and how complicated it becomes to do anything about it. And two is the idea that a small group of people can be accused of an awful crime and suddenly the entire ethnic group is shunned, attacked, or worse.

3. “I’m Helen, from Far Hills, New Jersey,” the woman said. She tugged forward a boy who [he] judged to be about thirteen. “And this is my son, Aaron. He was born down here.” She thumbed over her shoulder. “Right in that corner over there.”  And this one makes me want to cry. How cruel. To allow a baby to be born in a subterranean hellhole, never to see the light of day, is barbaric.  Unfortunately, all of these examples ring way too close to home in our history. Some recent, some where the intensity has faded from time, but all despicable.  Smith does an honourable yet terrifying job of bringing these ideas and more to light in an engaging, page-turning story. The character development and story are not perfect, but Forty Acres will most definitely have you grappling with your own feelings and beliefs on the subject of slavery and racism.


In discussing how some discrimination has not been eliminated, I mentioned a Batgirl PSA from “long” ago.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szZsKdJYR-A


The Discussion Questions we used:

  • What's fictional?  What's real?
  • Which character did you like the most? Least?
  • What did you learn by reading this novel?
  • If you could change one historical event in the novel, what would it be? How might it have affected the course of history?

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Blue Eyes in a Black Wonderland by Erin McCormack



It was really a treat to have Erin at book group to talk about her book, Brown Eyes in a Black Wonderland (BEBW).  Charlotte had sent some questions, so we used them as a starting off point.  Erin brought some “show and tell” and let us in on some “behind the scenes” stories.

Did Alice in Wonderland influence you when you created the characters in the book?
Yes! The story is about a somewhat impulsive white girl “coming of age” after some traumatic events cause her to move in with her sister.  She takes a job where just about everyone is African American, “going down the rabbit hole,” so to speak.  And the similarities don’t end there.  Erin said that using “Alice” made the story have an anchor, even though it’s not the same story and not all the characters are replicated.

If you are interested in the original Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, it can be downloaded here:  http://www.gasl.org/refbib/Carroll__Alice_1st.pdf

How autobiographical was the book? (Thinking of A Tree grows in Brooklyn and Betty Smith being advised to rework her memoir as fiction).
Very!  We learned that it is set in Easton, MD.  That is where Fredrick Douglass was enslaved when he escaped http://www.hstc.org/museum-gardens/frederick-douglass.  Erin told us that the town didn’t really want the world to know how it was connected to Douglass, but they got over it in 2011 and erected a statue http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/16/md-hometown-honors-douglass-after-years-debate.html. This book was the first book she wrote, but she didn’t finish it, and instead wrote Spanish Soap Operas.  Then she came back and did a rewrite.  Many of the characters are modeled after people she met and knew in her youthful travel adventures, although the story events are different.  Erin did say there was a real restaurant and even brought a photo and current menu from the place – the marvels of the Internet.

We talked about the characters we liked, which events resonated for us, and how learning about other cultures/races is a process, among other things.

There’s way more, but I hope I captured some highlights of our conversation.  If you want more fun with BEBW, then here is Erin’s Facebook page, where she posts some juicy tidbits:

Monday, January 4, 2016

Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross

In the comfort of her Brooklyn basement bra shop, Sima Goldner teaches other women to appreciate their bodies, but feels betrayed by her own. Shamed by her infertility and by a secret from her youth, she has given up on happiness and surrendered to a bitter marriage. But then Timna, a young Israeli with enviable cleavage, becomes the shop seamstress. As the two serve the colorful customers of their Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, Sima finds herself awakened to adventure and romance. Years after giving up on their marriage, Sima and her husband, Lev, must decide if what they have is worth saving.
1.     Beyond undergarments, what does Sima’s shop provide her community? What does it provide her? Is she aware of this?
2.     For thirty-five years, Sima’s seen a range of women’s shapes and sizes in her store and because of this, she is far more accepting of women’s varied body types. Do you think women have more body anxiety than men? Why? Do you have any fears or concerns about your own body image? If so, how do you confront them?
3.     Sima believes that good-fitting bras are the foundation of a good outfit. What item of clothing do you think is indispensable? What item do you think is impossible to find in a perfect fit?
4.     Not having children created a deep rift in Sima and Lev’s relationship. Did you feel any sympathy for either of them? If so, who and why? Is Sima and Lev’s marriage worth saving?
5.     Why did Sima keep her secret from Lev for such a long time? Should she have told him sooner? If she did, how do you think he would have reacted?
6.     What do Timna and Sima learn from each other? What is Timna’s greatest strength? What is Sima’s? Do you have a friend who inspires or teaches you?

The most interesting part of the conversation was about the Question #3 prompt.  We all agreed that “indispensable” clothing depended on where you lived, in which case, shoes were at the top of the list.  Many stories we’ve heard and/or read related tales of people who knew if their shoes were taken during a winter, they were dead.  In addition, coats and hats, if you live in a cold climate.  Certainly finding the “correct” undergarments are important, depending, on your body type!