Meeting Location

July 2008 until November 2008 we have been offered the Children's Programming Room for our regular 3rd Thursday of the month meetings. This is a concession on the part of the Youth Services Librarian since she has strict guidelines to follow from the SC State Libray for the use of that space. She knows we like to eat, and that this is the only space left at the moment where we can have food and drink. Thank you, Maria Benac and staff.
You can reach the room from between the stacks on the left side of the room in the aisle to the right of the "Large Print Materials" sign.

July 17 Meeting-Not a Genuine Black Man

1. Do you think that a majority of the black population has been affected by various acts of prejudice against them?2. How can we identify racism within ourselves, even if we think we aren't racist (maybe we are)?3. How can people help change and eliminate prejudice?

4. How are black gangs or gangs of any color the result of racism?

5. What was the turning point in the book where Brian felt “genuinely” black? What inner feelings brought him to that point?6. Imagine what it would be like to have a lifetime of pain heaped upon you because of the color of your skin. How would it feel to you? How would you adapt to it?7. Do you think Brian's mother, Carolyn, was right in trying to bring up her family in a white enclave despite the costs to her family in suffering racism?8. How does Brian's family's situation in the 1970s compare with that of the Middle Eastern or Hispanic emigration experience of today?9. How does Brian's family's move into a white enclave in the 1970s compare/contrast with the contemporary issue of gentrification?10. Brian has been accused of being an “Oreo cookie” (white on the inside). Is there any validity to analogies such as “Oreo,” “banana” or “coconut” or are they simply pejoratives? Is it an expected adaptation to living in a “white” neighborhood? Does “keeping it real” foster racism against whites?11. When was a time in your life when you were “the only one”? What did it feel like? How did you react to the situation?12. There are several success stories in the book. Name them.

13. The book felt like an iconic identity crisis, embodying in one man's story the pain of the black race. It is easier to digest because it is couched as a human story. How can the book be used to eliminate the racism it describes?

The author’s Web site:
http://www.briancopeland.com/

News About Our Book Selections

Brenda sent along this link about the Hadron Collider. We read about it in Angels and Demons.
http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2008/05/23

Another piece of exciting news: Brian Copeland, author of our July selection, Not a Genuine Black Man: My Life as an Outsider has graciously offered to join our discussion by speaker phone. We will meet in the Children's Programming Room, so I am asking our library's Systems Specialist to set up the phone. (It goes through the computer system somehow and is totally beyond me.) Anyway, I just emailed Mr. Copeland to accept his offer. This should be fun! Bring your friends along.

My apologies for not posting questions for discussion on our June selection, Deception Point by Dan Brown. I haven't found any yet. If any of you find some, could you pass along the link?

Book Club Meeting Location

The Beaufort Branch upstairs lobby where we have been meeting will only be available for our next meeting on June 19. After that date, the lobby will be a staging area for construction of the new Beaufort District (Historical) Collection. Our July 17 meeting will move to the Children's Programming Room on the first floor. Maria, Youth Services Manager, has graciously offered the room to an adult group because she knows we like to eat, and can't do that in other areas of the library!

To enter the Programming room, go to the adult shelves in the aisle to the right of the "Large Print" sign. You will see the door ahead of you marked "Meeting Room". We can't enter the room through the Children's area, so if you are confused, just ask at Circulation and they will direct you.

Our June selection is Deception Point by Dan Brown. Stuart is our presenter.

We do not have a presenter for our July selection, My Life as an Outsider by Brian Copeland. Would anyone like to volunteer?

Discussion Questions-Answers from Our group and Links to More Sherman Alexie Info.

The following was contributed by Brenda who led the discussion complete with a YouTube interview with Alexie, Mapquest maps of the location of the reservation, and a film clip from another Alexie novel.

1a. What was your overall reaction to the book? Even if this is not your genre of choice, did you find the story fun to read? Would you recommend it?
I loved this comment by a reviewer of the book: Alexie doesn't sugarcoat problems on the reservation, and the alcohol and poverty and racism is pretty grinding, both to Junior and to the reader, even though the novel doesn't set up shop in angstville and live there.1b. What are some themes in the book?
1. Readers of all ages can benefit from the novel’s message: our past need not define us. It is never too late to change your destiny.
2. Forgiveness. Like when his father is absent once again at Christmas. Like when Rowdy gives him a concussion. Like the end of Smoke Signals when Victor scatters his absentee father's ashes in the river and gives a wailing cry. 3. His absolute disgust of alcohol. The scene in Smoke Signals where the kid is throwing beer bottles at his dad's truck left over from the party the night before.

2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian shows a different side of American Indian life than do many other books. Did you learn anything new about Indians from it?I failed to realize how pervasive death is in the rez. I know there is rampant trouble with drugs and alcohol and crime, but the notion of attending 42 funerals by the age of 14 was foreign to me. Most of the deaths being alcohol-related. I *may* have been to 30 funerals in my lifetime.
This was Alexie's first attempt at a young adult novel. He says, "My first draft was twice as long as what you see in the book now. My editor cut it up—HARD—and at first I just cursed at her and wouldn’t do it. If you’ve read “Flight,” that whole book is actually me working out my frustration at having to write a young adult novel. But in the end I realized my editor was right all along. So I made the cuts and got all the credit. Funny how that works out.”

3 & 4. Junior/Arnold says “I felt like two different people inside of one body.” Let's discuss his inner conflicts brought about by the experiences of going to school off the rez. Even before Arnold leaves the rez Arnold misses his best friend, Rowdy, after he starts his new school. But Rowdy doesn’t seem to want to join him there. How do Arnold’s and Rowdy’s views of the reservation – and their own lives – differ? What do you think Alexie is trying to show you through those differences?Junior has an undying search for identity and tries to figure out where he belongs. He says, "It was like being Indian was my job, but it was only a part- time job. And it didn't pay well at all."He is stuck between two worlds that don't mesh. Rowdy sees Junior's defection as the ultimate sell-out. Junior/Arnold is coping with tragedy and despair in his home life AND has to reach beyond himself in his new school environment. HE has to prove himself. It's unfair; they should try to make him feel welcome. But life doesn't operate that way for the most part. It's the new kid, the new employee in a job that has to prove themselves while also adjusting to a new environment. ARNOLD has to make the extra effort to fit in– by going out for basketball, dating a popular white girl and befriending a fellow bookworm – while coping with tragedy at home. And if some Indians continue to see him as a traitor for leaving the reservation, Arnold eventually learns that the world has many kinds of tribes and that more than a few of them have a place for him; like the tribes of bookworms, basketball players & writers.
His quest for higher learning is quite literally a search for hope. A search for a way to break this mousewheel of despair he's caught in. Junior writes in his diary:
It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because you’re Indian. And because you’re Indian you start believing you’re destined to be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there’s nothing you can do about it.
A quote from one of his stories: "Indians can reside in the city, but they can never live there."

5. Let's discuss the warrior archetype/persona/mentality on the reservation. In real life Alexie's fight record is 5 wins, 115 losses and one when he was 12 years old when a 20-yr old guy said he would beat him up unless Sherman wanted to beat himself up. With fists. There is a deep-seeded anger that is still pervasive among our indigenous people. Remember the scene where the rich guy from Montana comes to return the dress? (I think we all figured out that was Ted Turner). "Not another white guy coming to the rez who loves Indians. Who collects Indian art." He said somewhere that in every Indian's heart of hearts is the spirit of Crazy Horse, rising up to face the white nation head on.

6. What did you think of Ellen Forney’s pictures for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian? What is their purpose in the book? Do they provide a mirror for the text, reflecting back only what you read on the page? Or do they expand it? How?See www.ellenforney.com. Briefly show all of her sites above & end at her Bio... scroll down & you will see a photograph or her.The illustrations are humorous and do not overpower the book; they don't appear too frequently and provide a nice complement to the text. Alexie and Forney balance the use of text and images excellently, sometimes carrying dialogue from the prose into a cartoon and then back to the prose. The comics help us to see the world through Junior’s eyes. I love how most of them appear on crinkled pieces of paper, taped onto the pages, a charming effect. They look like rule paper and even paper bags--whatever he could find to write on.

7. What’s the purpose of the humor in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian? Why does Alexie use it when Arnold is clearly angry about a lot of things?Sherman Alexie epitomizes the notion of laughing in order to keep from crying. He uses humor to illustrate the sadness, hopelessness, and sheer poverty of the people in Junior's world on the rez. There is one line that reads, “When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing.”Remember that scene when Junior is laughing when his father comes to pick him up from school after his sister's death? I guess he was just sure his dad would stop at a bar on the way and get drunk and he'd forget him or get into an accident. To this day Alexie is an insomniac, which he claims stems from all the nights he stayed awake until his father got home. And while it was painful for him when his father died, he admits there is also a certain relief of not having to wait up for him any longer. [play audio clip]
Mortality. (handouts) In a clip from his 2nd film The Business of Fancydancing, there is a scene when the family is all home for the night; the parents passed out drunk and "snoring like drums." And one of the kids says, "We were all alive; and that was enough."
Alexie's siblings are surprised when people find him funny. "I was always the depressed guy in the basement," he says. "But I've borrowed their sense of humor and made it darker and more deadly - a weapon of self-defense. Being funny you win hearts quicker; people laughing are more apt to listen."8. Do you agree with Alexie that in order to make his point he had to use language that some people find offensive?
Some thought some of the talk of masturbation could have been left out, and others say this is a real life issue for 14-year old boys and someone reading it may feel more normal about it. Another pointed out that YA readers are becoming exposed much more explicit themes in literature and in everyday life than they were a generation ago.

9. Arnold’s math teacher at Wellpinit High School, Mr. P, tells him that the teachers at the school used to beat the Indians with a stick: “That’s how we were taught to teach you. We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child.” What did he mean?
We didn't get to this one.

10. With so many scholarships available to them, why have American Indians given up on life and turned to drugs & alcohol? Why do they not take pride in their yards and houses and try to keep litter off the streets?It's like everyone has given up on life. This pervasive, defeatist attitude.
In another YouTube interview, Alexie says with conviction, "We seem to have forgotten that reservations were created as death camps; we were supposed to go there, disappear, and/or die."


11. How different is the American Indian experience for women than men?

Brigette Hernandez Elteto says it's not much different for women; being raised on the rez is like being raised in a foreign country. A third world country. Brigette: "We have nothing left but each other and our culture. Sherman Alexie is a quandary to the Indian people because he has broken away from the oral tradition. That is what they know best."

Look for more from Alexie in the coming months. He is currently working on a book with his wife and kids for readers grade 2-6 based on two characters named Thunder and Lightening, which they develop from Indian mythology. He's also working on another YA novel called A Radioactive Love Song about an ipod. Also an adult murder-mystery. AND he's got about 3,000 pages of notes on a family memoir.

Alexie on Casinos: They are creating a class society on the rez that has never existed before. In the past it's been all third world low class all the time. Now you're starting to see some upper and middle class distinctions. All without the advantages of a democracy--no control.

In the book Flight, there is no sense of hope at all, like you find in Absolutely True Diary, even though both are about teenagers of the same age. Flight is also more violent, so it is marketed as an adult novel.

In his short story "the approximate size of my favorite tumor" Alexie concludes the 2 things Indians are good at are frybread and helping people die.

LINKS:

Map of the Reservations:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Wellpinit,+WA,+USA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

USCD YouTube interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWolPAoDk3g

National Book Award Acceptance Speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6AbxJxDoI8


ShermanAlexie.com (reverts to fallsapart.com)

http://www.fallsapart.com/

His Illustrator:
http://www.ellenforney.com

April Meeting

With just four members attending, Beaufort Book Club engaged in one of the most wide-ranging discussions we've had. Dan Brown's Angels and Demons was the launching point for our discussion, and Stuart did a remarkable job of bringing us back on topic after digressions. We did some comparison of Angels with The Da Vinci Code such as the vivid descriptions of Rome compared to the detailed descriptions of sites in Paris. We did the same with information about the Illuminati and the Knights Templar. We decided that Brown is a first-rate researcher and detail man. No wonder some readers think his books are nonfiction! The longest part of the discussion centered on the faith vs science question and whether the two are really mutually exclusive.
You really had to be there to get the full effect! Try to be there on May 15 when Brenda leads our discussion of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. The titles we chose for the rest of the year appear in the sidebar. Please consider presenting one of your favorites.

Saying Goodbye to a Club Member

Our friend Mitch writes:
"I got a job at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and will start May 5, so therefore my book club days are over. Please tell everyone how much I have enjoyed our discussions and books."
I know we will all miss Mitch and that we wish him well in Atlanta.

Questions for Discussion from readinggroupguides.com: Angels and Demons

1. What is your view of Robert Langdon? What motivates him to find out more about the circumstances of Leonardo Vetra's death? Is it merely academic interest? Aside from his scholarly knowledge, what else in Langdon's background helps him succeed during this adventure?

2. Discuss the other characters' motivations for their actions, both the "villains" and "heroes" in the story, including Vittoria, the Hassassin, the camerlengo, Cardinal Mortati, and Maximilian Kohler.

3. Angels & Demons is filled with examples of science versus religion, a debate that has raged for centuries. Is there room in the world for both science and religion? Is one likely to render the other obsolete? Would you rather live in a world without science...or in a world without religion?

4. Were you aware of the existence of CERN prior to reading this book? What is your opinion of the work they conduct, particularly in regard to antimatter technology?

5. Discuss Vittoria's role in the story. How does her knowledge as a scientist come into play? Leonardo Vetra was both a scientist and a priest. How did he reconcile these two seemingly disparate entities? In what ways did her father's beliefs influence Vittoria's own opinions of science and religion?

6. When he first meets Maximilian Kohler, Langdon tells him he is "undecided on miracles... . I study religious symbology -- I'm an academic, not a priest" (21). Does Langdon change his view on miracles by the end of the book?

7. Had you heard of the Illuminati before reading Angels & Demons? The Illuminati is rumored by some to be active today. Do you believe this is true? What is the enduring fascination with conspiracy theories? Given what Dan Brown reveals about the history of the Illuminati, is their alleged vendetta against the Vatican justified?

8. Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca emerges as one of the most complex characters in the story. What was your opinion of the camerlengo when he is first introduced? How about by the end of the book?

9. What role do the media play in the events that unfold? How about Glick and Macri in particular? The media were not interested in covering the election of a new pope until there was tragedy involved. How much influence do the media have on what information is relayed to the public? Is it true, as Glick believes, that "viewers didn't want truth anymore; they wanted entertainment" (190)?

10. The novel takes place during a 24-hour period. How does this narrative structure heighten the suspense in the story? What red herrings does the author use to keep the reader guessing? Did you anticipate any of the events in the story?

11. What did you find to be most compelling about Angels & Demons -- the action scenes, the characters, the setting, the history, or something else entirely?

12. Discuss the novel's ending. Do you think the Vatican (and Robert and Vittoria) made the right decision to keep the events that took place secret from the public?

13. In an interview on his website (www.danbrown.com), Dan Brown said that Angels & Demons "opens some Vatican closets most people don't even know exist." Did you learn anything about the Vatican, its practices, and its history that surprised you?

14. In the same interview Dan Brown goes on to say, "The final message of the novel, though, without a doubt, is a positive one." What do you see as the ultimate message of the book?

15. Have you visited Rome? If so, do you recall seeing the Illuminati symbolism that Dan Brown describes in the book, such as at the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona? If you have not been to Rome, has reading Angels & Demons inspired you to make a visit?

16. If you've read Robert Langdon's second adventure, The Da Vinci Code, compare the two books. What similarities do the stories share? How does the character of Robert Langdon change?

March Meeting

Seven of us met on 3/20 to discuss A Conspiracy of Paper. Sandi gave us a short biography of the author, and then told us about the real people and settings included in this fictional account of stock trading in 1720s London. The author's depiction of the South Sea "bubble" during which stock was traded for the South Sea Company that really had no assets was based on an actual event. When the bubble burst, London experienced the first stock market crash. Our discussion circled several times back to the fact that the book could almost be the morning paper as the US experiences the failures of companies and a volatile stock market. One of our attendees who has considerable experience in stock trading was able to give us good background information so that we could understand Conspiracy.
Our next selection is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Stuart will lead our discussion on April 17 at 5:30 in the upstairs lobby of the Beaufort Branch Library. This library program is free and open to the public.

A Conspiracy of Paper

Our next meeting is Thursday, March 20 at 5:30 PM. We will, again, be meeting on the second floor of the Beaufort Branch Library at 311 Scott Street. Our book this month is A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss. There is still one copy on the shelf at the Hilton Head Island Branch. If you need it, just go to our online catalog, look up the book, and click on "Place Hold" on the right. The book will be sent to this branch for you to check out.

The following link leads to discussion questions that might help you begin to draw conclusions about our book:

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_C/conspiracy_of_paper1.asp#discuss