“Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration
of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and
father of the University of Virginia.” He penned this message for inscription on his
tombstone. Note – he omitted his service as the President of the United States.
23 Bookers reunited after our summer break
at the home of Rokhshie Malone on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on
our country.
Welcome new members, Jane Shaw, and Tanya
Holstead to the beginning of our 15th year of Bookers. We hope you
will join us again! Many thanks to Rokhshie for hosting and to Katherine
Maxwell-McDonald for her thorough and informative discussion of our summer
read. You’ve got a permanent job if you want it!!
The majority of Bookers read and liked the
selection, as did I, but something nagged me while reading it, so I researched
more. With over three thousand reviews, only 236 were critical and that is
where I found the answer. The common thread among them was the story seemed
soap-operaish, overwritten, and over-dramatic…like a romance novel set in
colonial times. Both authors enjoy stellar credentials in background and
writing accolades, but Laura Kamoie has written thirty-five erotic romance
novels under the pen name Laura Kaye. Her “other life” might have added
credibility to some of that criticism.
The conventional definition of the
historical fiction genre is a novel that is set fifty or more years in the past
and one in which the author is writing from research rather than personal
experience. It relies on the author getting inside the head, heart, and era of
historical figures. Readers demand authenticity when telling the story from the
character’s perspective even though our modern day values likely clash with their
principles. Steeped in this story is inequality, incest, slavery, adultery,
violence against both sexes, dirty politics, betrayal, forced choices, parental
bonds, commitment to family and expectations, deathbed demands, fierce loyalty,
and forbidden romances…all wrapped up in the birth of our nation with the
contradiction of these words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are the pursuit of life, liberty, and
happiness.”
Katherine passed around photographs of the
“main players” in the novel and pulled a nickel out of her pocket to show Thomas
Jefferson’s portrait. The authors extrapolated a few items to add interest to
the book. In a blog entitled, “Five lies we told in America’s First Daughter
and How we got away with it,” they point out Patsy wasn’t actually at her
mother’s bedside when she died; we said things happened where they didn’t
happen; we made one of the Randolph sisters into a killer; made Colonel
Randolph into a nasty villain; and there is no proof William Short and Patsy
were romantically involved. We discussed if our opinion of one of our founding
fathers changed after the revelation that Thomas and Sally Hemings were a
“couple.” We talked about whether she was a willing participant in the “affair”
in order to protect her interests and secure the future of “their children.” We
spoke of the roles of “First Daughters” then and now; how much time the
entourage spent in France while the war raged on in America; why did Patsy feel
the need to protect her father – his health, his legacy, his emotional state?
Presidential scandals are nothing new – from Buchanan’s Miss Nancy and Aunt
Fancy to Harding’s trysts in the White House closet – but they were covered up until
the Nixon era, tarnishing the office of the President. We discussed the
oxymoron of the slavery issue in light of the words in the Declaration, the
role of the indentured especially on a plantation in the south – they had
shelter, food, clothing…with freedom what would they do? The ending troubled
some, as it seemed impossible for Patsy to promise her abusive/alcoholic
husband, she would never marry again…she did grow to love him and fathered
their twelve children…but still.
The authors visited both the Randolph’s
Tuckahoe and Jefferson’s Monticello digesting the stark differences in the
plantations as evidenced in their descriptions. Tuckahoe had a dark, heavy,
sad, troubled feeling in the décor of the main house and more telling was the
cemetery – laying within a totally
enclosed brick wall – no gate or door and not a single grave marked with a
headstone. Monticello on the other hand sits atop a mountain, one with nature,
with a fifty-mile view of the countryside. The presence of slavery is evident
on both plantations, and on one tour a guide was asked by a nine-year old
African-American boy, what his life would have been like to be a slave at Monticello,
prompting a young white boy of the same age to ask how a man like Jefferson
could have written, “all men are created equal.” This is a positive sign of the
awareness of our younger generation and points to the commonality we all
wrestle with – the discrepancies of our nation’s founding.
On the business side:
Thanks to the quick response to our email
requesting host homes for our
meeting. Note the October meeting has been changed to Melba Holt’s home. And, without threats or violence, you
have enthusiastically waved your hands in the air to volunteer to be a
“discussion leader.” All joking aside, my heart is full with appreciation.
There are 86,400 seconds in every day and I’d like to use a few of them to express
my appreciation to our 2018-2019 Bookers’ Book Selection committee, Pat
Faherty, Melanie Prebis, and Katherine Maxwell-McDonald for their willingness
to take on this project. I personally know how much time is involved in this
and I hope none of them required a visit to the ophthalmologist in order to
narrow the list to the choices listed below. Because of their diligence,
Bookers will begin the year with a fresh approach and all of us are eternally
grateful for their commitment. It’s
important to remember we all have our reading preferences…not all books fall
into the our cup of tea, but these were selected with the group in mind.
Bookers’ is all about the books and we hope for some lively but respectful
conversations.
Member Joanne Bara passed along a new book
some might be interested in by noted historian and political biographer, Doris
Kearns Goodwin, Leadership: In Turbulent Times – how Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt,
FDR, and LBJ found “their footing” on the job.
COLOR CODING
SYSTEM
WHITE: LIGHT READ
PINK: MODERATELY
CHALLENGING
RED: CHALLENGING
October 2: The Rent Collector by
Cameron Wright
A young mother struggles
to survive by picking through garbage in Cambodia’s largest municipal dump.
PINKISH RED
Discussion
Leader: Beverly Dossett
Home of Melba
Holt
November 13: A Prayer
for Owen Meany by John Irving
Published in 1989, it tells the story of two
best friends growing up in a small New Hampshire town during the 1950’s and
1960’s.
PINK
Discussion
Leader: Melanie Prebis
Home of Katherine Maxwell-McDonald
December 11: Mr. Dickens and His Carol
by Samantha Silva
Charming and poignant about the creation of the
most famous Christmas tale ever written.
PINKISH WHITE
Discussion
Leader: Rebecca Brisendine
Home of Bonnie Magee
Jan. 8, 2019: The
Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Set in Alaska in
1974. The ultimate test of survival for a family in crisis.
RED
Discussion
Leader: Patty Evans
Home of Daryl Daniels
February 12: The Cottingley Secret by
Hazel Gaynor
Set in 1917 England and based on a true story,
two young cousins somehow convince the world that the magic exists.
PALE
PINK
Discussion
Leader: Daryl Daniels
Home
of Beverly Dossett
March 12: Stormy Weather by
Paulette Jiles
Set in East Texas
during the depression, a story of hardship, sacrifice, and strength.
PINK
Discussion
Leader: Ann Ireland
Home
of Mary Wensel
April 9: Book TBD
Discussion Leader:
Home of Jane Shaw
May 14: Book TBD
Evening Wine & Cheese Meeting @ home of Jean Alexander
Summer Read: Book TBD
John Adams once said, “1 useless man is a shame; 2 is a law firm,
and 3 or more is a congress.”
Happy Reading
JoDee
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