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Monday, May 20, 2019

MAY 2019 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens


Only when you solo dance with nature will you hear the crawdads sing.

23 Bookers armed with spirits and sustenance descended on the home of Melanie Prebis to celebrate the last meeting of Bookers’15th year. We’ll resume on September 10, 2019 with another slate of books selected by our committee, Pat Faherty, Katherine McDonald, and Melanie Prebis. Many thanks for their continual pursuit of literary excellence! As you read this summer, please pass along to them any books that might be keepers for our 16th year.

Welcome to Cindy Millweard to her first Bookers’ and to recently retired long-time Bookers’ member, Jean McSpadden (who with a little vino influence volunteered to review our summer read.) We were happy to see Kittie Minick, Jane Shaw, and Joanne Bara again.



Many thanks to Cherry for getting us into the “crawdad” mood with her table setting and cherished Dauphin Island shells. Jean Alexander, aka Marsh Girl, didn’t disappoint with her characterization and visualization of the main character with one of the most poignant scenes from the novel. Kya watches her family, one at a time, slam the door on her existence, abandoning her to fend for herself in the marsh. When Hollywood takes over, this scene will likely be produced with mournful background music, panning into Kya’s face where a lone tear trickles into the corner of her downturned mouth. Maybe Jean could consult with Ms. Witherspoon on costume design and drama!

Where the Crawdads Sing is set in the early 1950’s in the depths of an isolated marsh in North Carolina. Ten-year old Kya Clark lives alone in a shack with nothing more than an old rickety boat and the determination not unlike fictional character Rocky Balboa to survive every day against mounting odds. Delia Owens’ gift to readers was her poetic, elegant, and richly metaphorical style of writing of her “natural world.” We feel the sun, “warm as a blanket,” we see a “ballet of fireflies,” watch egrets take flight like “a line of white flags against the mounting gray clouds,” and hear the “cicadas squeal against a mean sun.” Ms. Owens tells us this novel is primarily about self-reliance, survival, and how isolation affects human behavior and the setting, a coastal marsh, is itself a major character in the novel – Kya “laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother.” The author chose this area knowing although it was a wild place, it was conceivable that Kya could survive because collectable food was bountiful, temperatures were mild, and hiding places abundant. Kya represents all of us – what “we can be when we have to be” learning Nature’s lessons to survive. Ms. Owens drew on her own isolation experience spending twenty-three years either in extreme or partial isolation, seven of those in an African desert the size of Ireland with one other person. She instilled in her fictional character how isolation can make you feel insecure and inadequate but in the end the confidence gained from self-reliance provided the strength to thrive in man’s world.

We discussed the setting and how it shaped the novel; Kya’s experience on her one day of school, and the role rejection played in her decision not to return; the characters, Jumpin’ and Mabel, their significant impact on Kya, the role of racism during this era possibly explaining why they didn’t open their home to her; the role of poetry in the novel; Kya’s observation of fireflies and how the females change their flashes to signal different things; Kya’s two loves, Tate, the “evolved human male,” strong, manly, kind, intelligent, and caring…one who loves deeply and truly, and Chase, not much different from a “buck in rut,” flashing his “secondary sexual characteristics” to attract as many females as possible; the courtroom, defined with film-like drama – dramatic, brisk, dialogue-centric scenes void of Owens’ evocative human observations from Kya’s eyes (Owens told BookPage that she majorly reworked the book’s structure to include “a bomb under the sofa” to signal something more happens in the book – starting the novel with Chase Andrew’s dead body instead of Kya’s self-reliance in the wilderness…speculation that this adjustment perhaps was a nod to Hollywood.)

When you have a book so overwhelmingly accepted by 94% of those who read and reviewed it, it’s interesting to see what drove the other 6% to rate it from one to three stars – nonsensical that a young girl is left alone in a shack – for twenty years her boat never breaks down, she never gets sick obviously equipped with the immune system of a superhero; the courtroom antics mirrored Curley’s trial in the Three Stooges; fireflies would have been called lightening bugs in that time frame; no boy in a small town in North Carolina would have been named Tate or Chase (unless it was a family name…just saying); the book was “SO SAD” I felt emotionally manipulated; stereotyped characters – Jodie, the helpful older brother who disappears, the drunken abusive dad who isn’t all bad when he’s sober, the good boy, Tate, the bad boy, Chase, the cocky police chief and his assistant, the cocky prosecutor, nature writing meets romance writing…these 6% offered their opinion on why they didn’t like the book and after all they are entitled to…but doesn’t it leave the other 94% wondering if there were two books of the same name and same author.

On the business side:
We would greatly appreciate your consideration of hosting one of Bookers’ meetings in the upcoming year. Please let me know if you are available on the following dates: September 10, October 15, November 12, December 10, January 14, 2020, February 11, March 10, April 14, or May 12.

COLOR CODING SYSTEM
WHITE:         LIGHT READ
PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING
RED:              CHALLENGING

Summer Read:  The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
                        RED
Bookers selected this novel in September 2008 in our fifth year and voted to reread this wonderful work of historical fiction set in the 12th century when education was the responsibility of the church or only available to the very wealthy. Few could read or write, people were dependent on the church for their livelihood, and freedom was almost non-existent. The novel chronicles the lives of those building magnificent cathedrals that are standing to this day without power tools or understanding of structural engineering. Melba Holt led us through the original review, and we are looking forward to Jean’s insights.
                    Discussion Leader: Jean McSpadden

Happy Reading and enjoy the sights and sounds of summer with a good book in hand.
JoDee

APRIL 2019 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen, Sarah Bird


“Here’s the first thing you need to know about Miss Cathy Williams: I am the daughter of a daughter of a queen and my mama never let me forget it."

21 Bookers braved our beautiful Texas Spring weather to gather at the home of Patty Evans to discuss this month’s selection led by Katherine McDonald. A big howdy to Katherine’s sister, Debbie, visiting from the Golden State who is also an avid reader. It was wonderful to see Pat Reid …we’ve missed you and hope you will join us again. We continue to receive some encouraging information on how our friend, Sheri Green, is doing and we are all so happy she is feeling like getting out a little more! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see her at Bookers! As friends and Bookers, we strive to walk in other’s shoes and sometimes those shoes are filled with struggles. We often feel helpless, but we might dwell in silence today for those in need of some positive thoughts.

This historical fiction is based on the life of former slave, Cathy Williams, the first woman to enlist in the peacetime U.S. Army, and the only to ever serve (1866-1868) with the fabled Buffalo Soldiers. This cavalry of African Americans mainly served on the Western frontier after the Civil War, their tasks included helping to control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers, protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews. Their nickname, dubbed by the Native Americans, remains a mystery, but one theory claims it arose because of the soldiers’ dark curly hair resembled the fur of a buffalo and/or because they fought so valiantly and fiercely, the Indians revered them as they did the mighty buffalo.

Cathy Williams, born into bondage on a tobacco farm in Missouri was never allowed to consider herself a slave as, according to her mother, she was a captive destined by her noble warrior blood to escape the enemy. Her chance at freedom arrived in the form of Union general Phillip Henry Sheridan and at the end of the Civil War she refuses to return to servitude, making the monumental decision to disguise herself as a man and join the Buffalo Soldiers. She’s now a woman fighting for freedom, respect, and independence inside a man’s world facing monumental daily challenges to keep her secret while vowing to search for her mother, sister, and the love of her “dying soldier.”

Katherine McDonald armed with extensive research and passion walked us through the novel with her usual flair and visuals. Thank you for your thoroughness! Ms. Bird took a little-known piece of history and created a novel around it, and as Katherine said, literary license accounted for about 97% of the narrative. The story may have never been documented unless a reporter for the St. Louis Daily News interviewed Cathy in 1876 where she offered her story to the world. Incredibly it was not until Executive Order 9981 issued by President Harry S. Truman in 1948 abolished discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in the U.S. Armed Forces. We talked about Cathy’s comment that “royal blood runs purple” through her veins and how she saw herself through the lens of her family history. The realities of a soldier’s life was vividly portrayed existing on “forty miles a day on beans and hay.” Cathy envisioned herself as a captive, not a slave – the difference being a captive is imprisoned and a slave is owned as property – and if she gave into her circumstances, she would lose the strength and magical powers of her ancestry. We talked about the villains in the camp and how she effected revenge on them…personally a rattlesnake dead or alive in my bed would prompt me to abandon army life. Cathy was a trailblazer (literally) in the same vein as women like Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, who in 1842 became the first computer programmer; the black women behind the book, Hidden Figures, who helped the space race beginning in the 1930’s; and of course my favorite, Nancy Johnson who in 1843 invented the ice cream freezer. We discussed the surprise ending of the book – whether satisfactory or heartbreaking – a little of both in my opinion. Some of the critical points, offered by other reviewers, detailed a white woman’s capacity to capture the voice of a black woman without becoming cliché; the “sex” scene with the prostitute; and Cathy as a main character with so much “grit and determination” moons over a man she spent a couple of days with while he was almost comatose. Our group as a whole read and enjoyed the story and I hope those who will be attending the Books in Bloom luncheon with the author come away with some new perspectives on Cathy and her journey.

On the business side:
Please continue to recommend books to the selection committee for consideration for next year. We talked about a few of those today and I’ll send the information to them from my notes. Many thanks to Bonnie for expressing our gratitude to the committee for their excellent choices so far this year and we look forward to another wonderful slate in the coming year.

Once again Bonnie Magee is coordinating our food for the evening May meeting. The request was sent out today so please respond directly to her with your choices.

I recently introduced Bookers to BookBub for consideration of a spotlight on their blog. I told them about us, where we live, the dynamics of our community, when we meet, and a snippet of the books we loved, the ones that surprised us, the ones creating the most debate, and the ones that disappointed. I received a response from them saying “our group sounds incredible – I love your “one rule” of not saying you didn’t like the book if you didn’t read it.” He said he would keep our information on file and be in touch regarding upcoming spotlights. You can go to https://www.bookbub.com/blog/book-clubs.com to see other spotlights.

Remember Monica Shaw, author of the debut novel The Rainwater Secret, who visited us in March of 2018. She was interviewed on Good Morning Texas last month in celebration of National Women’s History Month, the theme was Visionary Women fitting right into her factual historical fiction centered around her great aunt who as part of the Medical Missionaries of Mary devoted her life to teaching leper children in Africa. She’s worked very hard promoting her book and for an indie debut author it has paid off!

Delia Owens, author of our May selection, Where the Crawdads Sing, fascinating story on YouTube. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9KKzX6j9G8 Many thanks to Pam Davis for sending me the link. We will anticipate Jean’s presentation of this wonderful book in May.

COLOR CODING SYSTEM
WHITE:         LIGHT READ
PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING
RED:              CHALLENGING
May 14:          Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
Set in the 1950’s in very rural North Carolina revolving around a young woman named Kya Clark – celebrating strength through tragedy and the resourcefulness of a child left to fend for herself in the swamp.
PINK
Discussion Leader: Jean Alexander
Bonnie Magee will again coordinate the “menu.”
                        Evening Wine & Cheese Meeting at the home of Melanie Prebis     6:00 pm
Summer Read: The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
Happy Reading,
JoDee