Getting
out of your comfort zone requires bravery…like the mama eagle pulling straw
from her eaglet’s nest until the babies are balancing on the branches…it’s how
we survive…it’s called love.
22 Bookers “trekked through the woods, trippin’ over roots, dodging sinkin’ in the
mud, gazin’ up at endless treetops while birds trillin’ and fussin’ ” paving
our way not to a camper hidden in Tennessee’s Hundred Acre Wood, but to the
serenity of Rebecca Brisendine’s home set amongst a screen of trees whispering
the sounds of spring. Oh how we would love to take credit for choosing this
home as the backdrop for If You Find Me.
Many thanks to Bonnie Magee for bringing
new member, Jeanie Quintal, to the meeting. It’s always a treat to discover a
new book lover among us! And, to the birthday girl, Lee McFarlane for bringing
her lifelong friend visiting from New Orleans to meet the group. And our
thoughts and prayers go to Barbara Creach on the passing of her brother, David,
husband to past PWC member, Gloria Barrett. Applause for Barbara’s review of
this month’s selection, especially under the circumstances. Great job. Thank
You.
Jean Alexander announced that on March 22nd
at 4:30 P.M. the remainder of Lois Welch’s ashes will be scattered in the area
of the Path of Remembrance (across from the Pinnacle Driving Range) dedicated
to one of our beloved residents, made possible by donations from members of two
of her passions, Bookers and Bridge. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join
in this final tribute to a special lady who touched the hearts of everyone she
encountered.
As a resident of Henderson County, we are
painfully aware of the disparities surrounding our communities, evidenced by a
March 9th report of a two-year old and a three-year old left in a
travel trailer without water or electricity, no supervision, little food and an
open flame inside the trailer. In 2015, close to three-hundred children were
removed from their homes in our three county district with volunteers logging
in more miles than it takes to circle the equator in search of “forever
families.” Sandy Molander made an impassioned plea for the critical need for
more CASA volunteers, providing details as to the processes, time involvement,
and responsibilities that go along with volunteering. If you are interested,
please contact CASA, 903-675-7070 or email, casaleeann@embarqmail.com.
This debut author, Emily Murdoch, lives in
Arizona and runs the Morning Star Ranch, a sanctuary for slaughter-bound horses
and burros. The novel is a young adult/adult crossover, evident by some of the
writing, i.e. some metaphors and similes are directed at the younger audience,
but the plot held the story together into a riveting suspenseful tale of two
young girls left to fend for themselves in the middle of nowhere at the mercy
of their bipolar, drug addicted mother. The details of the girls journey,
centered around that “white-star” night, the night five-year old Janessa
stopped talking, spoke in a raw language as eight-year old Carey said, “Mama brought
home men…their dirty sandpaper hands rubbed me raw in the most secret, velvety
of places.” As the story unfolds, we wonder whose story is accurate – the
mother, Joelle, who hid her daughter from the abusive father, or Charlie’s…Carey’s
only memory of her father is his smell of pine and oak moss – Brut deodorant –
and he claims he never touched Carey. When he and the caseworker show up, Cary
has to choose between her fears and the safety of her little sister. There are
a number of twists and turns throughout the novel that keep the reader turning
the pages (the goal of any good book!!) and although the ending is predictable,
it’s an emotional ride that ends well. “Happiness is free”
About one-half of the group liked the
selection, although some expressed if they had known the target audience was
young adults, they would have read it differently. The major complaints were:
it was unrealistic the girls were so educated; where did Carey get all the
ammunition if they barely had enough food to survive; why did the mother write
the letter enabling CPS and the father to find them…was she in rehab and forced
to write as part of a twelve-step program, setting up a possible sequel with
“sober” Joelle; caseworkers are not as loving as Mrs. Haskell; when Carey entered
school, she wouldn’t just be let out at the front door; the reaction of Carey
when she found Delaney “entertaining” a boy at the party; the coincidence of
Ryan Shipley and Carey as childhood friends; Carey and Janessa’s new life on
the “farm” with the perfect stepmother and loving father, the only conflict was
a jealous stepsister. Having said all that, the love between the sisters was
powerful, several (and you know who you are) loved the three-legged dog Shorty,
the story showed how resilient children are, and it was difficult to put down
as the author built the narrative to keep our interest until the end. We did
have a request for a “Mary Poppins” type selection…but experience has shown us
if we select a book everyone likes and fulfills the Pollyanna in us all, our
meeting consists of happy faces and not a lot of discussion, although we
understand the need for a dash every now and again.
One thing we failed to discuss about If
You Find Me was the opening poem Spring
and Fall by Gerard Manley Hopkins addressed to a young child, “Margaret,
are you grieving/Over Goldengrove unleaving?” It’s about contrasts: age and
youth, death and life, fall and spring. But, more than that, it is about the
moment in a child’s life when she suddenly realizes that childhood doesn’t last
forever – someday, children grow up, grow old, and die. Death is a part of life
and we all need to face up to this at some point in our lives. In using this
poem, the author prophesied the life path Carey and Janessa, and all of us for
that matter, would follow.
On
the business side:
Jean Alexander recommended, the
non-fiction trilogy, A Child Called It, The Lost Boy, and A
Man Called Dave, by Dave Pelzer. Sandy Molander suggested What
I Remember Most by Cathy Lamb, fiction.
The world of literature and readers alike
mourn the deaths of Harper Lee and most recently, Pat Conroy, both who
possessed a magical way of mingling words to enable the visualization of the
human spirit. Ms. Lee tells us not to “judge people before you know them,”
while Mr. Conroy believed, “what is rare for one may not be unique to anyone
else…don’t take away the dreams of others because they are not yours.” On the
last page of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout says, “Atticus, he was real nice,”
to which he replies, “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” From The
Prince of Tides, Pat writes, “Never kill anything that’s rare.” They
left these drops of wisdom within the body of their masterpieces for us to
savor.
“LUNCH WITH LUCY”
MN, her sister Pam, and I agree Elizabeth
Strout’s latest book, My Name is Lucy Barton is a must
read, however, it’s most likely one that would not appeal to our group overall.
So, we’re planning a special Bookers’ gathering, Friday, April 8th, 11:00 A.M. at the Pinnacle Club where
we’ll lunch and talk with our mouths full about this book. We would love to see
everyone there and ask that you email me if you can join us so we can make the
reservations. The novel, although very short, is packed with emotion, to the
extent that you can “hear” the silent pauses in conversation.
We voted to table our summer reading
option until after the April 1st Books in Bloom luncheon featuring
the author of The Train to Crystal City and we’ll decide at our April
Bookers’ meeting whether to pick this or The Prince of Tides, in honor of Pat
Conroy.
COLOR CODING SYSTEM
WHITE: LIGHT READ
PINK: MODERATELY
CHALLENGING
RED: CHALLENGING
April
12th:
Winter
Garden by Kristin Hannah
PINK
Home of Kay
Robinson
Reviewer: Jean
Alexander
May
17th: Wine & Cheese
evening meeting, 6:00 P.M.
Note later date
Bonnie Magee, Food Czar
A Man
Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
PINK
Home
of: Beverly Dossett
Reviewer:
Jean McSpadden
Summer
Break: June, July, & August
Summer
Read, TBD
September
13th: Beginning of Bookers’ 12th
year
“Sometimes,
if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river
slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to
be known.”
Winnie The Pooh.
Happy Reading,
JoDee
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