A Better Book Club

 "Bigger. Biggest ranch. Biggest steer. Biggest hat. Biggest state. A mania for Bigness. What littleness did it hide?" P. 199 1.Why did Ferber name her story Giant and how was her message/lesson connected to that? 2. When Giant was released in 1952, Edna Ferber made many in the south angry with what they felt was an unfair characterization of southern culture and its customs.The Dallas Morning News headline on Lon Tinkle’s review read “Ferber Goes Both Native and Berserk: Parody, Not Portrait, of Texas Life.”   Do you feel Southerners had a right to be angry? What are some specific instances you can remember described in the story that would warrant that reaction? 3. It was a big deal in 1952 American to have a female author write about race and discriminatory practices in the South, especially using a female protagonist such as the character of Leslie to paint a disparaging picture of life in Texas at the time.  What do think  would have been the reaction of differen

Season Seven Lineup 11/18 - 07/20 November 17, 2018 - Anne - Giant January 19, 2019 - Kim - Between the World and Me March 16, 2019 - Lindsay - The Secret Life of Color May 18, 2019 - Ann - For Whom the Bell Tolls July 20, 2019 - Shannon - Atonement September 21, 2019 - Julie - Rebecca November 16, 2019 - Gale - Alias Grace January 18, 2020 - Chelsea - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn March 21, 2020 - Tiffany - Still Alice May 16, 2020 - Jessica - Grapes of Wrath *Choosing Books Period and Voting* July 18, 2020 - Potluck - Ghosted

8/10 of us, enjoying great food and discussion! Perfect book to end our season studying underrepresented voices in literature.  Here is our sign up sheet!! And dessert! And adorable little ones reading! 

Discussion Guide for Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 1.  Trevor Noah opens his memoir with a story about being thrown from a car by his mother. In what ways does this story illustrate the overarching narrative of Trevor Noah’s early life? 2.  In Born a Crime, Noah seeks to dispel the myth that the ending of apartheid was bloodless. How much did you know about the end of apartheid before reading this book, and what did you learn about the history of South Africa by reading Noah’s story? 3.  One of the most impressive characteristics that Noah conveys about his mother is her faith. How did Patricia’s faith impact young Trevor, and what do you think has been the lasting impression of Patricia’s faith on Trevor Noah’s life? 4.  Trevor Noah learned to speak six different languages growing up. What impressed you about the ways that Trevor and his mother navigate neighborhoods, cultures, and family; and how did language make that possible? 5.  With all of the challenges Trevor faced g

Season 7 Books based on majority votes: Ann: For Whom the Bell Tolls , Hemingway Anne: Giant , Ferber Chelsea: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , Smith Gale: Alias Grace , Atwood Jessica: The Grapes of Wrath , Steinbeck Julie: Rebecca , De Maurier Kim: Between the World and Me , Coates Lindsay: The Secret Lives of Color, St. Claire Shannon: Atonement , McEwan Tiffany: Still Alice , Genova Please vote in the following poll for the Potluck book. I took the books that got 4 or higher votes, and in one case there were two books that tied with three each from the original poll, so both were added. If you don't see one of your other choices on the list, that meant that your book was chosen with a clear majority, and there wasn't a close second. You have 2 votes on this poll that you can use for one book, or two books. For example, if I really want to read 50 Shades of Grey , I would use both my votes on that selection, going through the voting process twice. If I like bo

NO WAY! Not us. We set out to challenge ourselves with literature, discussion, deep thinking, analysis and community. Thank you all for the amazing selections to choose from this season (and everyone turned in weeks before the deadline)! It was difficult to pick just one from each list, proving just how thoughtful your choices were. I am so excited to see what everyone votes for!

Our other location started to put ads on without permission, so I am moving to this new location to hold our book club. NO ADDS, YO! This site has all the info from the last one in archive and on each member's individual pages. I also laboriously searched through pictures going back to 2012 in search of photos of our club. They were hit and miss for a while, and not always the best shots, but in Season 5 I made it a goal to get a shot of us at the meetings. If you have any pics to share from over the years, send them my way. Here's one of the great ones from our July meeting, just missing Kim!