Island Bookies October Selection

September Book - The Glass Castle

"Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls is presented by Meredith.    From the opening sentence "I was sitting in a taxi wondering if I had dressed appropriately for the evening when I looked up and saw Mom rummaging through dumpster."  The book captured you from the beginning.  Meredith asked how everyone felt from the beginning.  Some felt they would pass judgment and others jump in and help their Mother.  Book was divided into 4 sections - each could have been a vignette itself even though themes that were threaded throughout.   Themes - unconventional parenting  - resilience, child abuse, hunger, perseverance, magic, family, love, mental illness.   We discussed the burn in the hospital and how it was etched in her memory.  She was 3 years old — we discussed all memories from 3 were traumatic.  We discussed the mother as the eternal optimist on steroids.  Meredith posed the question — does anyone think the children would be better with social services?  Majority said no.  We discussed if they had moved to a Haight Ashbury - the consensus was the children would have thrived.  Meredith thought the rocks mentioned throughout the book were so poignant. Our group rated  the book a 4.4. Our October book is Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

Book Ends

BOOK ENDS

Welcoming New Members

Our next meeting is September 8, at Linda H.'s house. 

We are reading

 

The Round House by Louise Erdrich. 

Winner of the National Book Award.

 

          We meet on Mondays at 4:00; 

the Monday before the Newcomers Luncheon.

(The September luncheon is on the 10th, thus we meet on the 8th).