Plagued by the Past

In November, members of the South River Book Discussion Group met to talk about the 2008 book The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. This book is the first in a loose trilogy; the other two titles are The Round House (2012) and LaRose (2016). This first title covers many generations within the same town (and often, within the same family lines) as they deal with the fallout of a heinous crime and a vicious reprisal.

In addition to discussing The Plague of Doves, members enjoyed a treat of frybread with honey, a traditional Native American food mentioned in the book several times. Below are some resources to further your understanding of the book.

"... from the KC kitchen ovens great roasters of meat soup, baked beans, frybread, potatoes, and roasted chicken were being lugged to the serving table. We’d pass by and fill our plates, eat in an exciting good-natured garble of cheer." 

Author Bios & Interviews 

• http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04092010/profile.html
• https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/louise-erdrich
• https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=90167624
• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/books/louise-erdrich-on-her-new-novel-larose-and-the-psychic-territory-of-native-americans.html
• https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6055/louise-erdrich-the-art-of-fiction-no-208-louise-erdrich

Book Reviews 

• https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/may/18/fiction.reviews 
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/24/AR2008042403018.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/books/29kaku.html
• http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/27/books/bk-frase27
• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/books/review/Barcott-t.html

Discussion Questions  

• http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/fiction/790-plague-of-doves-erdrich?start=3 
• http://www.thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/plague-of-doves.pdf

Historical Background 

• Louis Riel: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/louis-riel/ 
• Mustache Maude: http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/the-real-cowboys-of-n-d/article_976b59e8-353d-5c29-8fa8-1d8e5a88f8cb.html
• Erdrich said the book's core story of the murder/lynching was inspired by true events. This one she specifically referenced in an interview: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18971115.2.4. I suspect this one had a role to play in her imagination as well, given the similarities of some details: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-wolf-family-murders-north-dakotas-most-brutal_us_57fbe48ae4b0b665ad818798

Miscellany

• Frybread recipe: https://thestayathomechef.com/authentic-indian-fry-bread/
• A couple of readers' attempts at making a family tree for the novel's many characters:
• https://bookclubcats.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/plague_of_doves_family_tree_.pdf
• https://prezi.com/esb8g1jvnldm/copy-of-copy-of-plague-of-doves-family-tree/
• The short story version of a chapter in this book (other parts of the book were also previously published in magazines and anthologies): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/06/28/the-plague-of-doves
• Review of Erdrich's most recently published novel: https://www.npr.org/2017/11/14/562339935/louise-erdrich-delivers-a-dystopian-feminist-thriller-in-future-home

Looking Ahead to a New Year

Please take a moment to help us pick our future book titles. Fill out our survey to decide which books we will read for January, February, and March of 2018. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YWTY8LG and will be open until November 30.

Contemplating Immortality

To kick off our fall reading, book discussion group members met at the library to discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This nonfiction text raised many questions about bioethics and the group had a lively discussion about the implications. Members also enjoyed a rice pudding, like Henrietta Lacks used to make for her family. Below are additional resources for those wishing to learn more about the book.

Author Bios & Interviews

• http://rebeccaskloot.com/about/bio/
• https://www.avclub.com/rebecca-skloot-author-of-the-immortal-life-of-henriett-1798225778
• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/magazine/rebecca-skloot-feels-indebted-to-henrietta-lacks.html
• http://www.thedailybeast.com/rebecca-skloot-how-i-write
• http://www.cc.com/video-clips/4h8104/the-colbert-report-rebecca-skloot [VIDEO]
• http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2010/04/like_father_like_daughter_rebe.html

Book Reviews

• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/books/review/Margonelli-t.html?pagewanted=all
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902147.html
• https://www.wired.com/2010/02/book-review-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks/
• http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/01/25/review-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-by-rebecca-skloot/#.WcMniYjytPY
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/7837654/The-Immortal-Life-of-Henrietta-Lacks-by-Rebecca-Skloot-review.html
• http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2010/02/the_consent_conundrum.html

Discussion Questions

• http://rebeccaskloot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/HenriettaLacks_RGG_questions.pdf
• http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/14-non-fiction/1251-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-skloot?start=3
• http://libguides.library.ncat.edu/content.php?pid=132289&sid=1180100
• http://www.losgatosca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/2813
• http://mnliteracy.org/sites/default/files/attachments/the_immortal_life_of_henrietta_lacks_book_discussion_questions_related_resources.pdf
• https://www.abss.k12.nc.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=29229&dataid=24076&FileName=HeLa_Discussion.pdf

Movie Tie-In

• http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-oprah-20170420-story.html
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2017/04/20/oprah-winfrey-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-hbo-rebecca-skloot/100653868/
• https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/04/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks/523962/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/arts/television/review-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-condensed.html?mcubz=1
• https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/weve-been-bamboozled-the-immortal-life-of-henriett.html
• http://www.npr.org/2017/04/20/524833630/tv-movie-review-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks

Miscellany

• Argument for patients' rights - https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/medical-and-genetic-privacy/henrietta-lacks-story-powerful-lesson-patients
• BBC documentary on Henrietta Lacks & HeLA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0lMrp_ySg8
• Book banning controversy - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/09/henrietta-lacks-book-rebecca-kloots-porn-allegation-tennessee-parent
• Family rift regarding the book/movie -https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-the-eve-of-an-oprah-movie-about-henrietta-lacks-an-ugly-feud-consumes-the-family/2017/03/28/d33d3418-1248-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.6cd8c78630e5
• The Henrietta Lacks Foundation - http://henriettalacksfoundation.org/
• Rolling Stone magazine article mentioned often in the book - http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-double-edged-helix-19760325

Who's Ready for Some Reading?

Here is an update on what we'll be reading this fall:

October 19 - With ComicCon rolling into New York City this month, we'll get in the spirit of things by reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. In this novel, Joe Kavalier, a young artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just pulled off his greatest feat to date: smuggling himself out of Nazi-occupied Prague. His cousin, Brooklyn's own Sammy Clay, is looking for a collaborator to create the heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit the American dreamscape: the comic book.As the shadow of Hitler falls across Europe and the world, the Golden Age of comic books has begun.




November 16 -  In honor of National Native American Heritage Month, we'll be reading a novel from the vast catalog of books by Chippewa author Louise Erdrich. In The Plague of Doves, Erdrich writes about the unsolved murder of a farm family that haunts the small, white, off-reservation town of Pluto, North Dakota. The vengeance exacted for this crime and the subsequent distortions of truth transform the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation and shape the passions of both communities for the next generation.






December 21 - Winter is coming! We'll enter in the Winter Solstice by discussing The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. In this paranormal novel, nineteen-year-old Ruthie begins a search for her agoraphobic mother and discovers the century-old diary of her farmhouse's long-ago resident, a grieving mother named Sara who died under mysterious circumstances. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's fate, she discovers that she's not the only person who's desperately looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.




All book discussion meetings begin at 7pm. Light refreshments will be served at each. Please feel free to join us for any or all of these upcoming discussions!

And in case you were wondering -- no, you did not miss a survey. This time around the books were chosen by the book group's moderator. Starting in the new year, we will go back to our more democratic selection process of suggesting and voting for books as a group.

Reunions & Revelations

To wrap up the summer, book club members read The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg for the month of August. This book goes backwards and forwards in time from the present to the 1930s and 1940s, covering a wide geographic swath, including the deep South and the Midwest. Within its pages, family secrets are concealed and divulged as the main characters grow to learn more about themselves and their relatives.

The book discussion group met to discuss this book and enjoy a light snack of pepper jelly, cream cheese, and crackers alongside some coconut-flavored water. A hearty discussion surrounded this book, which was largely liked all around. Below are additional resources for those wishing to learn more.

“She had always liked cheese, especially pimento cheese sandwiches. Could that have come from her genetic background, or did she just love cheese?”

Author Bios and Interviews

• http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/fannie-flagg
• http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2010/11/a_conversation_with_alabama-bo.html
• http://www.signature-reads.com/2014/09/17-things-you-didnt-know-about-fannie-flagg-author-fried-green-tomatoes/
• https://dianerehm.org/shows/2013-11-04/fannie-flagg-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5WM7ad5WxE [VIDEO]
• http://www.southernliving.com/culture/writing-the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion

Book Reviews

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion-by-fannie-flagg/2013/11/18/5b32ac96-4af0-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html
• http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/books/book-review-fiction-the-all-girl-filling-station-s-last/article_b959d3a3-1ce7-5275-a872-1963b1fe97c0.html
• http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2013/10/fannie_flaggs_latest_novel_ano.html
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/fannie-flagg/all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion/

Discussion Questions

• http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc/2014/07/14/readers-guide-the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion-by-fannie-flagg
• https://mppl.org/check_it_out/book-discussion-questions-the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion-by-fannie-flagg/

Historical Background

• Pulaski, Wisconsin
• http://www.villageofpulaski.org/home/history/
• http://casimirpulaskiday.org/casimir-pulaski-local-history/
• http://pulaskiwihistory.com/
• http://pulaskipolkadays.com/
• 1930s-1940s Gas Stations
• http://www.phillips66gas.com/history
• http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collection/object_103.html
• http://www.industrialoutpost.com/the-phillips-66-highway-hostesses/
• http://rvtravel.com/highway-hostesses-cleaning-up-americas-gas-station-restrooms/
• http://danielwyatt.blogspot.com/2013/07/route-66.html
• Aerial Stunts 
• http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/barnstormers/EX12.htm
• http://mentalfloss.com/article/70002/day-baby-ruths-rained-down-pittsburgh
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI6STwhPCuI [VIDEO]
• http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/pangborn/EX14.htm
• 1940s Radio (shows/songs specifically mentioned in the book)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvacbi8Cp4 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOG89TrL4Vk 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnGEX72AToU 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm1wuKvrxAw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L5d6ATKCZo (1895)

• World War II
• Invasion/Occupation of Poland
• https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/world-war-ii-the-invasion-of-poland-and-the-winter-war/100094/
• https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070
• http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/germany-s-wwii-occupation-of-poland-when-we-finish-nobody-is-left-alive-a-759095.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8eAmFrPS7U [VIDEO]
• Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs)

• https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1942&_f=md056279
• http://www.wstthemovie.com/
• http://waspmuseum.org/
• http://wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp/tribute.htm
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-wasps-flew-for-their-country-in-world-war-ii-now-theyre-hoping-for-a-rose-bowl-float/2013/11/06/f4067e60-464b-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html
• http://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p214coll2
• http://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/123773525/female-wwii-pilots-the-original-fly-girls
• https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/689318/wasp-pursued-love-of-flying-fought-for-women-vets-recognition/
• Female pilots officially become part of the U.S. military in the 1970s
• https://www.womenofaviationweek.org/u-s-women-of-military-aviation-history-since-world-war-i/
• https://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/rr/s01/cw/students/leeann/historyandcollections/history/lrnmre1970s.html
• Planes of WWII/1940s
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_J-3_Cub
• http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/100years/stories/p-38.html
• https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=82
• http://acepilots.com/planes/p47_thunderbolt.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk5S2SyZxXQ [VIDEO]
• http://www.aviation-history.com/consolidated/b24.html
• http://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2015/11/15-things-you-never-knew-about-the-b-17-flying-fortress/

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

For the month of July, SRPL book discussion members read the memoir The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. The book covers correspondence between the mother-and-son authors, in which they discuss important events that affected their lives and careers over the years.

Members had a lively discussion and enjoyed a rainbow-layered cake. Below are resources for those wishing to learn more about the book.

Author Interviews

• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/fashion/anderson-cooper-gloria-vanderbilt.html
• http://people.com/books/why-anderson-cooper-and-gloria-vanderbilt-wrote-the-rainbow-comes-and-goes/ [includes video]
• https://dianerehm.org/shows/2016-03-31/anderson-cooper-and-gloria-vanderbilt-the-rainbow-comes-and-goes [includes audio]
• http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/gloria-vanderbilt-anderson-cooper-talk-loss-joy-in-hbo-documentary/article_d726db7d-3447-56df-ae61-fc0de15b9ef7.html
• http://www.vogue.com/article/anderson-cooper-gloria-vanderbilt-documentary-nothing-left-unsaid-hbo
• http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-april-14-2016-1.3535150/anderson-cooper-reflects-on-love-loss-and-his-relationship-with-mom-gloria-vanderbilt-1.3535191

Book Reviews

• http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/25/book-review-the-rainbow-comes-and-goes-a-mother-an/
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anderson-cooper/the-rainbow-comes-and-goes/
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-245494-2
• http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-2016/gloria-vanderbilt-anderson-cooper-book-review.html#slide1

Discussion Questions

• http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-rainbow-comes-and-goes-a-mother-and-son-on-life-love-and-loss/guide

Gloria Vanderbilt: Oh hell, please don’t label me a hopeless optimist. We all have moments when we die a little, or a lot. But stay calm. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. No crying, please. These moments can be the beginning of a rebirth, another chance to reinvent yourself. “The rainbow comes and goes,” Wordsworth wrote, and boy, was he right.

Miscellany

• HBO documentary: http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/nothing-left-unsaid-gloria-vanderbilt-and-anderson-cooper/synopsis/about.html 
• Brief article about Gloria Vanderbilt's 2001 art exhibit: http://observer.com/2012/09/gloria-vanderbilt-paints-the-town-exhibits-60-years-of-artworks-at-1stdibs/
• Photos of Vanderbilt and her homes over the years: http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/gloria-vanderbilt-homes-photography
• Wordsworth poem containing the title line: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45536/ode-intimations-of-immortality-from-recollections-of-early-childhood

Lakeside Reading

Summer is here and the South River Book Discussion Group met to discuss the "beach read" The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman. Members enjoyed some maple and sea salt caramel fudges in honor of the book's character Lolly, who works in a fudge shop. Also, thanks to one group member's generosity, we were able to make and take our own charm bracelets!

Additional resources about the book can be found below.

Author Bios & Interviews

• http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com/2016/03/viola-shipmans-charm-bracelet.html
• http://dailycatch.coastalliving.com/2016/04/08/8-questions-with-the-author-of-the-charm-bracelet/
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/69311-lucky-charms-wade-rouse.html
• http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/arts/memoirist-wade-rouse-finds-charm-in-fiction/article_92e86166-3817-5598-a5f9-5dc45aee22f2.html
• http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/wade-rouse
• http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/open-author-interview-wade-rouse-author-of-im-not-the-biggest-b-in-this-relationship

Book Reviews

• https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-07132-3
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/viola-shipman/the-charm-bracelet-shipman/
• http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-charm-bracelet

Discussion Questions

• http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/10958-charm-bracelet-shipman?start=3

Miscellany

• Book two in the series coming soon: http://violashipman.com/violas-books/the-hope-chest/
• Essay by the author about his father's fatal illness: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a43239/my-fathers-caregiver-family/