"O wonder!
“How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world”
“How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world”
William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Happy 10th Birthday Bookers
Happy 110th Birthday Crayola
It all began September 14, 2004. Bookers
met at the home of MN Stanky. Our first selection was a classic,
Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns. 25 avid readers returned not only to
the site, but to where our quest began – to solidify with each other our mutual
love of the written word – to learn, grow, and discover what lies deep inside
the covers of a book and within us. Amongst birthday balloons, cake, and
mimosas (we told you it was a celebration!) we each chose a crayon (what does
your choice of color reveal about yourself?) and we raised our glasses in a
toast to Bookers and to Crayola (and silently to those who celebrate Patriot
Day, etc...on September 11th)
“We
can learn a great deal from crayons. Some are sharp; some are pretty; some are
dull; some have weird names. All are different colors, but, they all have to
live in the same box.”
Then, Pat Faherty hijacked our well-planned
out agenda, and on behalf of all the co-conspirators, showered MN and I with a
wonderful poem, red roses, cards, and
presents. What a wonderfully unnecessary treat…but, Oh my we both do love
presents. Our Dreams Come True garden art is poignant and timely on so many levels.
In the words of Little Bee, “a bee flew in from the sea, touched down on a pale
flower, flew off without any fuss, but left the flower beautiful.” You’ve
pollinated our lives with your support and enthusiasm. You all are our “bees.”
Thank you! buzzzzzzzzzzz…………..
Our gang has officially read 88 books.
Additionally, we’ve studied happiness and the Amish, ‘typed’ our personalities,
and enjoyed a classic played out on stage. We dressed in character and created rooms from books, traveled the world,
and discovered the depths within each other. A Holocaust survivor accounting
the horrors of her detention silenced us as she softy spoke of her ordeal, void
of malice and laced with hope. Stories from our own World War II veterans
flooded us with patriotism. We munched and imbibed our way through our annual
evening meetings, sharing books, triumphs, joys, and heartaches. We’ve oooo’d
and aaaaah’d, cried both inside and out, passed the tissues, and sometimes
belly laughed (only to again pass the tissues)… we’ve discussed and maybe
mildly cussed. MN and I are grateful for the opportunity to be part of this
amazing group of women for the past nine years and here’s to the start of a new
decade.
Advances in science and technology since
the 1930’s have enabled us to move from coal oil lamps to electricity,
horse-drawn buggies to the automobile, battery-powered radios to high
definition televisions, rotary phones to smart phones, and because of our
understanding of the atom, we see success stories such as Google, Twitter, and
Facebook. What’s next on the horizon? Stem cell therapies and genetic
engineering procedures replacing damaged and aging organs; nanorobotics
installed in countertop replicator machines providing household necessities
such as food, medicine, clothing, and appliances; tiny nanorobots swimming
through our bodies, inspecting cells and making repairs to faulty DNA,
eliminating nearly every disease; non-biological body parts could be developed
– immune to disease, accidents, and violence – but should a fatal disaster
occur, mind and memories could be transferred to a new “housing unit” allowing
life to continue – patients would wake up in their new body not even realizing
they had died; and by 2150 there will be more humans living in space than on
earth. Talk about another “new world”…Rest assured there’s another Huxley in
the wings ready to take us on this journey!
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley, raised in a family of
scientists, writers, and teachers, was an intellectual who had mastered the use
of the English language but also knew about cutting-edge developments in
science and other fields. Most of his earlier works focused on conflicts
between the interests of individuals and society, these themes reaching their
zenith in Brave New World where he combined satire with his fascination
with science creating a world in which a totalitarian government controlled
society by use of science and technology. He was an ardent pacifist,
experimented with hallucinogenic drugs, was interested in occult phenomena such
as hypnotism and séances, and wrote several books about these experiences
making a profound impact on the sixties counterculture. The Doors of Perception
influenced singer Jim Morrison whose band, The Doors, was named. Huxley died on
November 22, 1963.
Penny Barshop, our reviewer for Brave
New World, captured the attention of our “elder AP English class” as
she deftly walked us through the nuances of this 1932 classic – somehow fitting
a two-hour review into thirty minutes. Bravo Penny!! The author, considered a
prophetic genius and one of the most important literary voices of the twentieth
century, used the blueprint of Shakespeare’s The Tempest to create this
satirical look at a utopian (idyllic) or dystopian (utopia gone bad) world. The
society was prosperous and full of contented people always provided for and
programmed to like their life in all aspects.
The setting is future Earth, 632 years
after “Ford” (Henry that is) where the citizens of the World State are mass
produced on an assembly line and conditioned for lives in a rigid caste system
featuring the Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons, all united under one
government, ‘under Ford.’ Huxley opens the book by allowing us to eavesdrop on
a tour of the Fertilizing Room of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning
Centre, where the high-tech reproduction takes place, rigidly controlled
through technological and medical interventions. An authoritarian system
sterilizes two-thirds of the women, requires the rest to use contraceptives, and
surgically removes ovaries when needed to produce new ‘humans.’ The act of sex
is controlled by a system of social rewards for promiscuity and lack of
commitment. Individuals, or ‘production products,’ view happiness as the
ability to satisfy needs, and success as a society equates with economic growth
and prosperity. They do everything possible to avoid facing truth about their
own situations. Willful self-delusion produced by use of their happy pill,
Soma, is a tool for promoting social stability. They believe they are better
off with happiness or instant gratification than with human truths such as
love, friendship, and personal connection. The very will to search for these
truths are deadly to a communal society that maintains control by making its citizens
so happy and specifically fulfilled they don’t care about their personal
freedoms. In Brave New World the consequences of state control are loss of
dignity, morals, values, and emotions – in short, where humanity becomes a
commodity.
Huxley’s cast of main characters
includes a mix of an Alpha male, Bernard Marx, who fails to fit in because of
his small physical stature and an Alpha lecturer in the College of Emotional
Engineering, Helmholtz Watson, a perfect caste fit, except he longs to use his
writing abilities for something more meaningful. The Resident World Controller
of Western Europe, Mustapha Mond, whose name means world, was a young ambitious
scientist forced to choose between his science and a life of exile because he
was caught conducting illicit research. And, John, the savage, the consummate
outsider and only major character to have grown up outside the World State,
raised on a New Mexico Savage Reservation – his entire worldview based on his
knowledge of Shakespeare’s plays. By providing traits of a few individuals who
don’t entirely fit into the molded world, Huxley explores the alternatives to
his invented society’s promotion of mindless satisfaction with the help of John
and Shakespeare and he reveals some disturbing secrets underneath the bright,
shiny façade of his contrived society. What can possibly be wrong with a world
in which everybody is happy? If we can make ourselves superficially content and
never have to suffer a moment of desperation or uncertainty, why not just do
that? Should we favor perpetual happiness void of art, deep thought, and
emotion? Are attempts to find deeper meaning silly and self-defeating, as we
will all meet the same fate in the end?
This book is a classic, but why? Every generation for the past eighty years
since the book’s publication has witnessed oppression by a government or at the
hands of a controller. This book makes us think about our technology-driven
world. Are we losing our individual identities to the lure of a faceless world?
High school students are still reading Brave New World. What kind of an
impact does John’s guilt driven suicide to close the book send to our young
adults? It seems to tie a sex and drug culture to loss of identity. In the
animal kingdom the caste system flourishes – everyone has a job to do – they
all work together for a common good – so is that all bad? For us, living in a
brave new world without freedom of choice would be an oxymoron. No thanks!
Bookers business:
Bonnie Magee reported Judy Lee
appreciates all the cards and support she is receiving. She is making progress
every day and we wish her a speedy recovery from her injuries.
Shayne Parkinson, author of Sentence
of Marriage, left this comment on bookers-online.blogspot.com: “What a
wonderful setting you created with your photographs and memorabilia. And what
insightful and thoughtful comments. Thank you so much for discussing Sentence
of Marriage.”
East Texas Book Exchange, 408 North
Prairieville, Athens (two blocks north of the Courthouse) is open for business,
Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Bruce and Mary Jo Gallager buy and trade
books and this establishment is reportedly “the most organized book store on
the planet.”
Sandy Molander announced bridge lessons
will begin the first Thursday in October at the Bridge Studio in Gun Barrel.
Cost is $55.00, which includes the book. For those who’ve never played bridge,
there are two free sessions the last two Thursdays in September. Direct any
questions to Sandy.
Movie night at Mike & Patsy Dehn’s
house on Friday, September 13th featuring “42” the Jackie Robinson
story. Everyone is welcome. The movie will begin around 8:00 PM.
The garage sale is approaching and we
are begging for boutique clothes and jewelry. Contact Jean Alexander if you can
help.
Summer reading recap
It’s been requested that MN and I “rate”
the books we’ve read to provide a clearer assessment of what WE think of them. Disclaimer: These
opinions are our own and do not reflect the view of our book club as a whole –
how’s that for following the letter of the law. HA! We’ll incorporate the
following guidelines:
5 Stars: Order Now. Expedited shipping
worthy. Include in your will.
4 Stars: Borders on Little Bee
3 Stars: Beach Read
2 Stars: Borrow don’t buy
1 Star: Put
your money back in the piggy bank
MN: read all
Gillian Flynn books, Gone Girl,(4) Dark Places & Sharp
Objects;(3+) Defending Jacob by William Landay,(4); Treading Waters series by Marie Force (3) The Ocean at the End of the
Lane by Neil Gaiman,(4) Spitfire
Puffin Cove1by Carla Doolin (2)
Me
Before You by JoJo Moyes (4)
Whiskey
Beach by Nora Roberts (3) This
summer’s Gone Girl, The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison,(3+) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold
Fry by Rachel Joyce (5); The
Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
(4+)
JoDee: A
Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Anthony Marra (4); Eleanor & Park by
Rainbow Rowell, (2); The
Storyteller by Jodi Picoult…I tried three times and just couldn’t get
beyond the first one hundred pages…not sure why – no rating. Me Before
You by JoJo Moyes, (4+) One
Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus (2)
And, of course our ta da novel…I loved Harold! (5)
What’s New
Kathleen Kent, author of The
Outcasts will be appearing Tuesday, September 24th at Barnes &
Noble, Lincoln Park, Dallas 7 PM – 7700 West Northwest Highway (southwest
corner of Northwest Highway and I-75 – directly across from NorthPark Mall –
book available that day. 214-739-1124 It's the 19th century on the
Gulf Coast, a time of opportunity and lawlessness. After escaping the Texas
brothel where she'd been a virtual prisoner, Lucinda Carter heads for Middle
Bayou to meet her lover, who has a plan to make them both rich, chasing rumors
of a pirate's buried treasure.
Making noise on the NY Times Bestsellers
list – readers can’t get enough of series books, romance, crime, and erotica. The
Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowlings) is a crime
mystery. 50 Shades fans will enjoy Complete Me, the last in the erotica
trilogy series, preceded by Claim Me and Release Me or The
Highway by C.J. Box a series full of gore and language. You can’t argue
with success. Finding a book that will sell is the goal of the publisher. But it’s also why we search “beyond the
lists” for a quality read for Bookers!
Coming in the fall is Pat Conroy’s
latest, a non-fiction, The Death of Santini, a story of a
father and a son. John Grisham will be releasing Sycamore Row returning us
to the Clanton, Mississippi courthouse, and Jake Brigance, 25 years after the
release of A Time to Kill. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat,
Pray, Love, has written a novel, The Signature of All Things, about a
globe-trotting family set in 18th * 19th centuries.
Movies on horizon – Fault in Our Stars is filming.
Willem Dafoe is cast as Peter Van Houton. Angelina Jolie is directing Unbroken.
COLOR CODING SYSTEM
WHITE: LIGHT READ
PINK: MODERATELY
CHALLENGING
RED: CHALLENGING
*October
15th: Note: LATER date because of the Garage Sale
The
Misremembered Man
by Christina McKenna
RED
Home
of Bonnie Magee, co-hosted by Leslie Mullins
Reviewer: Barbara Creech
November 12th: The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
PINK
Home
of Daryl Daniels
Reviewer: Pat Faherty
December 10th: Ordinary Grace by William Kent
Krueger
PINK
Home of Jean Alexander
Reviewer: TBA
Food
Czar Bonnie Magee will coordinate light fare & champagne
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: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold
Fry by Rachel Joyce
PINK
Home
of Marlene Ungarean
Reviewer:
Jean McSpadden
April 8th: Book TBA
Home
of Sandy Molander
May 13th: Book TBA – regular meeting 10:00
AM
Home
of Charlotte Pechacek
“Words
can be like X-rays, if you use them properly – they’ll go through anything. You
read and you’re pierced.”
Happy Reading,
JoDee
