A Japanese parasol opens and the story unfolds – one of innocent love set in a landscape of fear.
The Panama Hotel, also known as the home
of Kay Robinson, welcomed 24 for our June bonus meeting. In the spirit of the
novel, kimonos hung from the fireplace, a sake set and chopsticks donned the
coffee table, and our hostess served hot tea and white grape/peach juice.
Special thanks to the Freers for adding the visual for this month’s selection.
We were delighted recent Pinnacle Women’s Club member, Chris Batt, joined us
today and we hope she will become a regular at Bookers.
We
received a report on Jean Alexander with a warning for “people our age”… lose
the wedged flip-flops. Jean’s injury shows us accidents can happen even to our
own Wonder Woman. Our thoughts are with her in hopes of a speedy recovery and
with husband, Lee, to develop the patience of a saint. We recently learned
Bookers’ member, Vicca Daughetee, is moving west to Washington to be closer to
her family. At her request, she will remain on our e-mail list and will be able
to keep up with her Bookers’ friends. Good luck in your latest journey and
we’ll miss you.
Once again, we are reeling with more
news of tragic events taking the lives of the innocent and leaving behind a
path of destruction throughout Oklahoma. Tragedies of this sort hit home with
us although we might not be personally involved. Steve Blow in the Dallas
Morning News addressed the issue by quoting William Wordsworth, “The world is too much with us.” Although
the poet is lamenting modern life’s separation from nature, the passage has
come to “represent these times when life overwhelms us.” Advice from a
prominent thanatologist, “hug the cactus.” It’s a prickly process but a healthy
approach to understanding our feelings of helplessness and grief.
Pat Faherty, appropriately dressed in a
kimono, led the review of Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and
Sweet, set in Seattle during World War II detailing the trials and
tribulations of the Asian population during the time of the Japanese
internment. We learned of the “old” Henry Lee’s life in 1942 and of the “new”
Henry Lee’s life in 1986. The “hotel” the title refers to is The Panama Hotel,
standing as a gateway between Seattle’s Chinatown and Japantown – two
completely different cultures living side-by-side, but worlds apart. The tale
opens with Henry at the “Panama” witnessing the discovery of the belongings of
thirty-seven Japanese families – remnants of lives living in the basement of
the hotel for forty-five years – treasures put away for a happier time that
never came. Henry’s life hurls back to the time of forbidden love with his
American born Japanese girlfriend, Keiko. The novel is sated with fractured
hearts, families, promises, and trusts begging for the answer to the question –
is there anything too broken to fix? The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor set
in motion a shameful period in the history of our Country, hopefully, a lesson
learned. Old world prejudices clashed. A past full of promise lured the heart
back in time. All tied together within the grooves of an old 78 jazz recording,
The
Alley Cat Strut by Oscar Holden & The Midnight Blue played at the
Black Elks Club, the Club where Ray Charles had his first paid gig. The novel
successfully touches on cultural generational differences, stereotypical
bullying, racial profiling, fear, prejudices, and the inclusion and exclusion
of cultures and the acceptance of those differences all set within the borders
of a Romeo & Juliet ‘sting in the tail’ type setting.
Our discussion focused on personal
experiences with other cultures and begged an answer to how would you feel if
your child’s teacher wore the traditional Muslim burqa? Fear of the unknown
drives people’s actions and since most of us were not born during Pearl Harbor,
we could relate this experience to the feelings following 9/11. We were amazed
that so few of us were educated about the volatile history between the Chinese
and Japanese cultures and most of us were not aware of the Japanese internment
camps throughout the United States after Pearl Harbor. Those who lived during
that time voiced strong opinions even within families about this threat to our
Country – some even now boycotting car manufacturers such as Toyota. It is
important that we embrace the numerous cultural groups living within our
borders and respect their right to keep their traditions as long as the core of
our local, State, and Federal governments remains uniform to the Constitution.
In order for all groups to live under one, we need to find a way to trust putting
fear on the back burner without the need to wear a button announcing our
heritage. Improbable, most likely…but as history tells us, in reality, it’s an
unlikely universal mandate that everyone lives happily ever after in a communal
environment.
The author answered some criticism on
his references to the Internet in 1986 by saying, "I'm afraid I
have to reveal just how geeky I truly am. I was on Compuserve in 1984, with an
old coupler modem like you saw in the movie Wargames. Back when you had to pay
$100 to sign up and were charged by the hour. Just because most people weren't
online then, doesn't mean no one was. Just the few, the proud, the computer
geeks..." The Panama Hotel is real – built in 1910 by the first
Japanese-American architect in Seattle, Sabro Ozasa, and contains the last remaining
Japanese bathhouse in the United States. It’s operational today as a bed &
breakfast. Oscar Holden was the patriarch of Seattle jazz…born in Nashville in
1887 he purposely did not marry until he fled ‘Dixie’ so none of his children
would be born there – of the seven children, five pursued musical careers.
Oscar Holden continued to perform until he suffered a stroke in1966 and died in
1969. The vinyl 78 recording of the Alley Cat Strut never existed, although the
song did.
On the business side:
Sandy Molander announced a fundraiser
for the Alzheimer’s Association penned as “The Longest Day” to be held on June
21st at The Bridge Studio at Cedar Creek. Duplicate and Rubber
Bridge Games at 8:00 AM, Noon, & 4:00 PM. “How to play” lessons at 9:00 AM
and 1:00 PM at the Mabank Senior Center. A $10.00 donation is suggested and all
proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Contact Gloria Rowland,
903-451-3219 or Charles Ford (lessons) 903-498-4506
We are recommending the following 3
books for next year:
*The Misremembered Man by Christina
McKenna – set in 1976 in rural Ireland, two members
of the lonely hearts club, Jamie, a 40+ year old bachelor who grew up in a
Catholic orphanage and Lydia, a 40+ year old spinster, sheltered, school
teacher under the thumb of an overbearing mother. The alternating chapters of
his ordeal in the orphanage are difficult to read, but the storyline, writing,
humor, and character development of these two protagonists makes for a very
special read.
*The Burgess Boys, Elizabeth Strout’s
new novel (author of Olive Kitteridge) features two brothers Jim, the
successful lawyer and Bob, the legal aid attorney who escape their small hometown
of Shirley Falls Maine. Their family dynamic form the crux of the novel, then
add a sister and a nephew to the mix and we learn about the ties that bind us
to family and home. Should provide a lively discussion.
*Ordinary Grace by William Kent
Krueger, set in rural Minnesota the summer of 1961, centers around a Methodist
minister’s family. The novel covers all those who are devout and those who
struggle with faith and the reconciliation of both in face of
tragedy…wonderfully written.
This leaves March, April & May open
and we’ll continue to read some of your suggestions as follows:
Jodi Picoult – The Storyteller – Sage Singer
is a baker, a loner, estranged from her Jewish upbringing and her two sisters,
but close to her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. She befriends a beloved 95
year old – the image of everyone’s grandfather, a retired teacher, and Little
League coach. One day he asks her for a favor and reveals his secret. She’s
faced with a moral dilemma.
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
is based on an actual historical event but told
through fictional diaries of May Dodd and a
colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S.
government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne
Indians. The covert, controversial, and fictional, "Brides for
Indians" program launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is
intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man's world. Toward that
end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime. Jim Fergus
has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a
capsule in time.
The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kernin
– report from Charlene Richard – it’s so-so.
A
Constellation of Vital Phenomena, debut by Anthony Marra set in center
of the Chechen conflict of late 1990’s – 8 year old watches from the woods as
Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of the night accusing him of
aiding the Chechen rebels. From the author: One day I looked up the definition
of life in a medical dictionary and found a surprisingly poetic entry:
“A constellation of vital phenomena—organization, irritability, movement,
growth, reproduction, adaptation.” As biological life is structured as a
constellation of six phenomena, the narrative life of this novel is structured
as a constellation of six point-of-view characters.
Whiskey Beach Nora Roberts – on
NY Times bestseller’s list – a good beach read
Treading Water (book 1 of
series – sequels Marking Time, Starting Over and Coming Home--) by Marie Force
recommended by Melba. "Treading Water" Jack and Clare are going
through a rough patch in their marriage. In the midst of their struggle, Clare
is hit by a car and left in a vegetative state. Jack believes the situation is
hopeless and takes fourteen months to grieve the loss of his wife and the guilt
over his role in the downturn of their marriage. He's destroyed, grieving a
wife who isn't really gone and loving a wife who really isn't there.
Leslie Mullins sent an article on
Jeanette Walls…she has crossed over from a memoirist to a novelist with the
debut of The Silver Star, set in 1970…cast of characters include an
unstable narcissistic mother and her children…similar to her own life again,
but in a novel format…reviews are mixed but some say the fictional Jeanette
didn’t develop the characters as well as her real-life ones.
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled
Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, revolves around parents and children, brothers
and sisters, cousins and caretakers. He explores the many ways in which
families nurture, wound, honor, and sacrifice for one another and how often we
are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.
Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and
loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island
of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex
and powerful with each turning page.
COLOR CODING SYSTEMWHITE: LIGHT READ
PINK: MODERATELY CHALLENGING
RED: CHALLENGING
July/August Summer Read: A classic, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley,
considered a prophetic genius and one of the most important literary and
philosophical voices of the 20th century. The book, in essence is a
portrayal of a utopia in which there is constant prosperity, people are always
content and provided for, and have been programmed to like their society in all
respects. It asks the question: ‘What can possibly be wrong with a world in
which everybody is happy?’
September 10th: Happy 10th Birthday Bookers
Brave
New World by Aldous Huxley
RED
Home of MN Stanky
Reviewer: Penny
Barshop
*October 1st: Note: Earlier date because of the Garage Sale
The
Misremembered Man
by Christina McKenna
RED
Home
of Bonnie Magee, co-hosted by Rosemary Farmer
Reviewer:
TBA
November 12th: The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
PINK
Home
of Daryl Daniels
Reviewer:
TBA
December 10th: Ordinary Grace by William Kent
Krueger
PINK
Home
TBA
Reviewer:
TBA
January 14, 2014 The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
PINK
Home
of Beverly Dossett
Reviewer:
Melanie Prebis
February 11th: The Fault In Our Stars by
John Green
RED
Home
of Patty Evans
Reviewer:
Patty Evans
March 11th: Book TBA
Home
of Marlene Ungarean
April 8th: Book TBA
Home
of Sandy Molander
May 13th: Book TBA – regular meeting
10:00 AM
Home
of Charlotte Pechacek
It’s a
Chinese tradition to give out white envelopes at a funeral – each containing a
piece of hard candy and a quarter. The candy so everyone would leave tasting
sweetness, not bitterness, and the quarter for buying more candy on the way
home symbolizing lasting life and enduring happiness. Curl up with a good read,
open a bag of Werther’s originals, and keep your quarters handy.
Happy
Reading
JoDee
