News from the Plumb Library

This month we read “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen.  Everyone loved this book!!

SPOILER ALERT!  If you haven’t read this book, do not read this post.

Everyone made the same assumption about who killed August.  And everyone agrees that he deserved it.

A big question is, why does Jake take offense at the other gentleman at the nursing home when he says he carried water for the elephants.  Maybe because Jake alone knew what that really meant.  He got very frustrated when no-one would believe him, and this started his reminisences.

Why did August keep inviting Jacob to those drunken parties?  He may have wanted to throw Jake at Marlena.  He could have had bipolar syndrome.  He could have wanted to associate with someone who was a “doctor”.  Everything August did was down to money and power.

Why did they kill both Walter and Camel?  Was it to leave no witnesses.  G thinks it was to make us hate Uncle Al. 

Someone asks why did Jake leave the knife on August’s pillow instead of killing him.  Maybe this was to show August that he could have easily been killed.  Everyone is glad that Jake didn’t kill him after all; this kept Jake pure.

Overall, this is an uplifting book, very hopeful, with a good ending.  The circus family sticks together at the end.

Next month’s books: “Reading Lolita in Tehran”, and “Perepolis”.  Happy reading!!

I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying the heck out of the April Cafe Parlez selection, “Water for Elephants”.  I’m particularly interested in the circus lingo, and wondered what they meant when they refer to Jacob as a “First of May”, early on in his career with the circus.  I went to a website that has a Circus Lingo Dictionary, http://www.goodmagic.com/carny/c_a.htm . According to them, the circus season starts the first of May, so that’s when any circus might pick up a new worker.  Try that website for more definitions.

Here are some new titles that we’ll be showcasing at this month’s “Tea and Titles”, happening today at 3:30:

Before Green Gables: The Prequel to Anne of Green Gables, by Budge Wilson.  Ever wonder what happened to Anne Shirley before she came to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert?  Well, in honor of the anniversary of the first printing of Anne of Green Gables, a noted Canadian author has been tapped to fill in the gaps of Anne’s early life, which she does very well.  Wilson is not L. M. Montgomery, but some of the charm of the Anne books is there.  Anne’s life is full of drudgery and heartbreak, but she manages to maintain her optimism and imagination with the help of some caring adults. 

Wit’s End, by Karen Joy Fowler, the author of The Jane Austen Book Club

Dervishes, by Beth Helms

The Winding Ways Quilt, by Jennifer Chiaverini

Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith, by Suzanne Shea

Playing with the Grown-Ups, by Sophia Dahl (Roald Dahl’s daughter)

Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian, by Scott Douglas

Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration, by Marcia Ann Gillespie

I am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee, by Charles J. Shields

There’s a bunch of new paperbacks, too, which I will note later.  The April Book Page has an interview with Joanne Harris, the author of Chocolat and Five Pieces of the Orange, and a review of her newest, a sequel to Chocolat.  We will be getting this book as soon as it is published later this month.

The group is gathering for our March discussion of Julia Alvarez’s book “In the Time of the Butterflies”.  We have flan, coconut cookies, and guacamole, along with our usual tea.  Jen is catching everyone up to date on next month’s selection.  MC is mentioning Edwidge Danticate’s book about Haiti, the other side of the island that the Dominican Republic is on. 

LS thinks the book is very well written and looked forward to reading it each time.  Jen was reminded of “The Poisonwood Bible”, where each sister takes turns narrating.  LR feels a real connection with these women and their courage and persistence.  The question was raised as to where was the US in dealing with Trujillo.  Since he wasn’t a Communist, the US was ready to support him, even though he was driving his country into the ground. 

Why was it so important for Minerva to go away to school?  She wants to be independent, unlike Patria, who is the caretaker.  

How does Maria Teresa’s diary save her in prison?  She can say things in her diary that she can’t say to her family, and the diary is her confidant, as her sisters are away.  Her diaries have to been hidden, as they will incriminate herself and any others involved in the underground.  Diaries fill in for some of the fabric of theif lives.  What does the woman visitor in the beginning do to move the plot?  She seems like an afterthought, like Alvarez needed something for the beginning.  Most feel it was confusing.  But some feel that the woman was a catalyst to get the story going. 

People believe that the Mirabel sisters were trying to make their country a better place for their children, and were ready to sacrifice being with their children for the cause.    They couldn’t swallow what was happening in their country, so used their wealth and position to make  a difference.  The women in the family had the strength and conviction, even though the men run the country and the families.  Even in the US, men controlled women.  Would the revolution have been run better if it was done by women? 

The party at Trujillo’s - El Jefe was slimy, a lecher.  But was the father any better?  His second family was not well supported, but they helped their half-sisters in prison, and the Mirabels sent them to school.  The father blamed the mother for his affair, he was just looking for a son.  ED thinks he was cowardly.  There is a good discussion on the perceived importance of boys in a family, even in our modern times. 

How does Dede feel about being the only Mirable left alive?  She feels guilty, but this is her martyrdom, to be the one to tell the story.  Plus raising all of the children and caring for the aging mother.  The guilt must be overwhelming, as shown by surviving veterans

Why does their story endure?  Because they were women, because they were sisters, because they fought for a cause.  International Violence Against Women Day is based on the lives of the Mirabel sisters.  They took great risks to get the word out about Trujillo’s dictatorship and to keep secret the names of the others involved in the underground. 

Everyone loved the book, and learned a lot about the Dominican Republic.  Join us on April 24 for our discussion of “Water for Elephants”.

Our library assistant for children’s services, Therese Keegan, has resigned to pursue her teaching career.  We wish Therese good luck in the future.  We are currently looking for a replacement.

Library Page, Kristine Barrows, is also leaving, as of the end of April.  Kristine will be working full-time and starting school.  So, we are also looking for a page.  This is a great job for a high-school student that likes to read.  See Gail for an application.

Tonight we’re discussing Elizabeth McCracken’s “The Giant’s House: A Romance”.  Chocolate features heavily in the refreshments tonight.  We have lovely chocolate cake from Lois, our monthly baker, brownies from Jen, and fruit, just to balance things out.  The cake is fantastic!!

Elizabeth McCracken subtitles this book “a romance”.  Was it?  Well, not in the traditional sense.  30-year-old professional women don’t go around falling in love with giant teenage boys.  People like the writing style, and agree that Peggy is insane, but funny.  MS thinks it was “deliciously wierd”.   She’s saying that Peggy was given a gift, the gift of being in love.  She has the ability to focus on “the other”.  Did she see him as an oddity, like herself.  She didn’t experience much love as a child.   She is always viewing her own life as a spectator.  ED thinks that’s an excuse. 

James, the giant boy, was kind of an innocent.  She didn’t act on her feelings in an inapropriate way.  She may have been as innocent as he was.  Why did she love James so much?  Maybe because she was an outcast, like he was.  Maybe there was some sort of mother feelings for her, as she had been distant from her mother, and James’ mother was crippled. 

Are we defining “love” too narrowly?  MTR thinks that what he could provide for her was what she was in love with him.  She provided nothing for him, but took from him.  Her love was all self-centered; she didn’t care to know him very well. 

People like Astoria, the library assistant.  Is Peggy a librarian because she’s a control freak?   Does Peggy use James as a control thing?  Or was it an obsession?  LS feels like Peggy was a voyeur, she was trying to live her life through James.  She felt very uncomfortable.  The book describes tourists looking through the window, and feels that Peggy is looking through a window. 

The ending was so “out there”.  Some feel that the author was trying to end the story somehow and suddenly brings in James’ father to have an affair with Peggy.  Why does she say it’s James’ baby???  Would it have been a bigger scandal if she said who’s baby it really was?  MS says the group created a family of sorts.  It was inevitable that she would sleep with James’ father.  She was so focused on James that she wasn’t able to focus on the child she had.  Self-perpetuating.  She wanted James out of this, and, when she didn’t get him, she distanced herself from her child.

James’ mother is fragile, which  makes James more mature than most children his age.  People who have been around children who have depilitating diseases have found that they have  something, maybe it’s wisdom, something special.  They live in the moment, which is something we need to learn to do.  We all live in fast forward, thinking about what we need to do instead of living in the “now”.

Does being in love give you permission to love yourself?  The other person is not supposed to be making you happy; you are responsible to make yourself happy. 

How do strangers and friends react to James?  Stella doesn’t concentrate on his height, just sees the real person within.  She’s the opposite of Peggy.  Then there was Patty Flood, the Christian.  MS would’ve been glad not to have been with her.  But James liked her and missed her, because she didn’t talk about him. 

Why did “Rocket Bride” resemble James’ mother?  Possibly Oscar feels sorry for her so gave her a new life that she couldn’t have.   People like James’ aunt Carolyn.  She’s a good person.  James’ mother saw Peggy as competition.   She was paralyzed and couldn’t see beyond his problems.

Did everyone see James as a person?  The other kids seemed to when they were hanging out with him after school.  He had a lot of friends. 

What is it about us that fascinates us about the unusual people?  We don’t know.  It’s a sad comment on human beings.  Maybe it’s because we’re glad it’s not us.  Or maybe envious.   We make judgements so quickly. 

Time to go.  Next month’s book is “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez.  See you March 27!

We have added two new museum passes: The New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the Mystic Aquarium.  The Whaling Museum pass allows one person free admission to the museum, and you may have a maximum of two passes.  The pass to the Mystic Aquarium is a discount admission of $14 per person.  As with the other passes, please reserve them in advance, and be sure to have your library card with you when you come to pick them up.

Today’s theme is Molasses!  We have gingerbread and whipped cream, molasses cookies (very yum!), and cheese and crackers.  A full house tonight to discuss this book about the molasses flood of 1919.  First order of business, after the announcements, is to take a group shot to send to the author, who is a big supporter of book groups.

 A couple of us has family members who remember hearing about the flood.

People think that parts of this book seem like a novel.  Noone had looked at the court records ever, because of the time it happened: just before the police strike and the Sacco-Vanzetti trial, and at the end of World War I.

What surprised us most of the flood?  Most agree that the size of the wave was shocking and can’t imagine getting stuck in the molasses.    Also, people agree that the fact that water wouldn’t clear it up.  The big surprise is that we never learned about this before, when it happened in our own state.    The only other books are for children. 

People hearing about this book thought it was a joke, that molasses couldn’t cause a flood.  The other thing people were surprised about is the uses for the molasses back then. 

The group liked the characters, especially the watchman who warned everyone about the impending disaster.   LS also likes the brakeman of the train who stopped the next train by standing on the tracks.  MD likes the lawyer for the prosecution.   The Bad Guy was Arthur Jell, the president of the molasses company, who painted the tank brown to disguise the leaks rather than fix them.  The problems with construction of pretty nearly everything are disturbing.  You’d think Boston would’ve learned by this flood, but our experience with the Big Dig shows us that they havent.

What would happen today if this incident had happened recently?  We agree that it wouldn’t have been as civilized, as shown by the Big Dig lawsuit, and the September 11 suits. 

Are poor neighborhoods treated in the same way as the North End was in 1919?  At first people say no, but, as we examine it, we realize that this is happening in other countries, on Native Reservations, and in some poor neighborhoods.

The flood killed horses and rats, and probably helped to keep the rat population down in the spring.

Anarchists!  People didn’t know that the anarchists did so much damage back then.   This brings the Sacco and Vanzetti case into focus. 

MC thinks that this book has a lot in common with “Devil in the White City” or “Isaac’s Storm”, where greater world events were brought into the story, you get a sense of the time, the writing made the story interesting.  Some in the group like this sort of history book, where the people are brought out.  History is about the people involved, not just the dates and incidents. 

Big ol’ thumbs up for this book!  See you next month for “The Giant’s House”. 

Some new items that have just come in:

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks

Princess Mia, by Meg Cabot

The Crazy School, by Cornelia Read

Fault Tree, by Louise Ure

Dragons of Babel, by Michael Swanwick

Beginners Greek, by James Collins (a novel, NOT a book on learning Greek!)

Blue Heaven, by C. J. Box

Bleeding Kansas, by Sara Paretsky

The Senator’s Wife, by Sue Miller

The Pig Did It, by Joseph Caldwell

Plum Lucky, by Janet Evanovich

Notes from the Backseat, by Jody Gherman

Tonight, a small and select group is discussing “Night” by Elie Wiesel.  MC is our guest leader.  The refreshments are Hannukah food: latkes, apple cake, applesauce, sparkling grape juice, and tea.

Waiting for latecomers, J is catching people up on next year’s selections, and what’s in the packet. 

MC is going over the list of suggested titles that she brought.  Books for teens are a great way to get an intro to a subject.  MC is asking what people thought of the book.  LS couldn’t read it all at once, had to stop and take a break from the intensity.  Someone is mentioning the Holocaust memorial in Boston, and how emotional it is. 

Comparing the preface to the newer edition to the memoir, MC is asking if anyone thinks Wiesel’s perspective has shifted.  His life’s mission is to be sure that the story is never forgotten.  J is most moved by the point in the book where Wiesel says he’s done with God. 

Wiesel’s story of how his father dies is moving to many in the group.  They’re impressed by his courage to tell this, how he watched his father die and did nothing to stop it.  In the preface, he asks about being judged.  MC is mentioning “choiceless choices”, where both choices are bad and tortured.  Wiesel was 16 when his father died, and has never forgiven the world for creating this situation.  When does a person reach their limit?   When is enough enough?

There is a second insult when Wiesel mentions the after effect, seeing the criminals walking around alive and well.  Also, when the camps are moved and the Jews are walked through the towns and the people did nothing. 

MC is relating an interview with Elie Wiesel that she read on the website of the Holocaust Museum.  He mentions the legacy of the Nazis, how the children are not to blame.  The memoir does not come through as angry, but more as matter-of-fact, a straight relating of the story.  He humanizes the people in the book, and gives everyone a name.  This is in reaction to the Nazi’s dehumanization.

No-one believes Moishe the Beadle, because it was so horrible that it was unbelievable.  In Transylvania, they were so removed from the German front that it was all distant.  Does the Internet and today’s communication make it harder to disbelieve a story like that?  Some think that we are still complacent about horror, maybe due to saturation and overload.  Maybe due to the “Me Generation” being self-centered.  The “greatest generation” and the Baby Boomers were more involved and challenged.  The current generations are cushioned and spoiled.  Life now is fast, and women feel that their families are most important.  ML says we can be aware and effect things on a small scale.  By just being informed, we can make choices that help with change.  How we live our lives can make a difference. 

BM has been to Auschwitz, and Dachau, and is telling us about her impressions.  She’s also been to the Holocaust Museum, and is describing the feeling of claustrophobia that she got experiencing some of the exhibits.

Wiesel doesn’t express any “survivor’s guilt”, no “Why me?”.  Maybe it comes out in his work.  Making sure the story is never forgotten means that it is fresh in his mind always.  Sometimes it’s easier not to know about something that is objectionable.

How were he and his father able to stay sane?  Maybe because they had each other.  He could see the different sides of things, and didn’t let the situation overtake him. 

What was the place that meant the most to people?  Some felt it was the scene when everyone was running, feet bleeding, tired, just basic survival. 

Why was the ghetto not sufficient?  In the camps, there were no witnesses.  And there is more of a tendency to rebel in a familiar setting. 

His memoir could have been a platform for hate or revenge.  He abused himself.  He used knowledge to strengthen himself.  His childhood died the day the Nazis came to town.  How would he have been different if this had never happened?  He says he would have lived an unremarkable life.   Why was this new edition translated from French by his wife, when he can clearly speak excellent English? 

Why no revenge?  Revenge is not their’s to seek.  Seeking revenge makes it worse for the one doing the seeking.  There can be no healing in revenge.  Some may have looked for revenge. 

MC has done an excellent job!!  See you next month, January 31, for “The Dark Tide”, about the molasses flood of 1919.