MAY 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Story of Beautiful Girl, Rachel Simon

16 met at the home of Ann Ireland for our annual evening wine & cheese meeting. Many thanks to outgoing Food & Beverage Czar, Bonnie Magee, for organizing her final event for Bookers before handing the reins to Kim Nalls and we appreciate everyone who provided a wonderful spread to soak up the libations.

To Bonnie from all of us:

Farewell feels like the end of a good book, but the last chapter has yet to be written because all the characters will remain a part of your life. The cards and flowers reflect how much we will miss you and hope your new community has some of the endearing features of our beloved Pinnacle. Happy Trails to you and John…until we meet again!!

 

Speaking of farewells…we are saying sayonara, adieu, au revoir, ciao, and adios to a fantastic Year 20 of Bookers and look forward to an equally wonderful year of reading with friends when we resume in September. On behalf of the PWC, Activity Director Extraordinaire, Amy Hoff, asked if I would like to continue in my Bookers’ role, to which I thought for a nanosecond and of course, accepted…it’s just such an honor, I love our time together, and appreciate all the support! Our book selection committee already has a slate of books to review for the upcoming year so stay tuned! If you come across a possible Bookers’ book for us to consider for Year 21, please let Jane, Patty or me know. One you might enjoy for extra reading is Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. It was selected by Readers and was highly recommended by several of our “joint” members.

 

Bookers selected The Story of Beautiful Girl in January 2013. In looking back at the minutes from that meeting we paid tribute to the 20 children and 6 adults killed in the December 14, 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut – the deadliest mass shooting at an elementary school in the United States.  How could we have imagined how the number of incidents has sadly grown in a little over a decade since then?

 

About the author:

Rachel Simon had intimate knowledge of those with intellectual disabilities as her sister, Beth, only eleven months older, didn’t cry as a baby, didn’t move, or react when a doctor tossed her in the air as she tumbled back into his arms. After undergoing a battery of tests, doctors diagnosed her as retarded. Today there would be a plethora of services, but back then, there was one: institutionalization. Their father, Ben, vowed she would never spend a minute inside that type of facility. He was a child of the Depression, his mother died when he was six, and his father, unable to cope with raising two children on his own, sent his boys to an orphanage. He would later say to his own children, “When you live in an institution, you know at the bottom of your heart that you’re not really loved.” No child of his would experience that.

 

Rachel detailed her changing relationship with Beth in her 2003 bestselling memoir, Riding the Bus With My Sister, which was made into a Hallmark movie. She learned there was a secret history in our country, one a true story of a young deaf man who in 1945 was discovered wandering the alleys in Illinois. No one understood his signs, so he was sent to an institution where he was given a number, John Doe No. 24, dying there after 50 years of confinement. Her goal in writing The Story of Beautiful Girl was to give him the life he never had, his story never leaving her mind. It began as a writing exercise after she lost her job as a creative writing instructor. She wrote about a knock on the door of the schoolteacher’s house and the story just unspooled from there. When asked if she was concerned about being pigeonholed, she quoted a disability scholar who said all great literature is a disability story. Stories told through the eyes of people with disabilities are not about fixing, healing, curing, overcoming, being superhuman or supernatural…they’re regular people having their own struggles and sometimes, triumphs.

 

She made it clear that her characters and the people she researched did not have serious mental illness as defined by the DSM-V (an organization that provides clear guidelines in diagnosing mental health and brain-related conditions) but had learning disabilities, speech impediments, deafness, muteness, autism, etc…The institutions depicted in her novel were not for the serious mentally ill, but for people with disabilities considered “different.” These are the ones she feels should be shut down. (Thanks to our astute Ms. Hoff for pointing this out!)

 

Rachel tours the country speaking about disability issues, hearing countless stories about brothers and sisters who suddenly disappeared, about siblings that people never knew they had. At one conference, a bigwig seated with her on the dais told her later, sobbing, that the first time he saw his sister was when she was in her coffin. Simon stood up and put her arms around the man. “From that day on, I never sat down for a book signing…I just do them standing up.”

 

Helen Keller’s activism on behalf of the disabled prompted investigative journalist, Geraldo Rivera, to produce an exposé on Staten Island’s Willowbrook State School in 1972. The facility housed 6,200 residents in buildings meant for 4,000 – the overcrowding fostering abuse, dehumanization, and a public health crisis where researchers intentionally used residents without their permission to test the effectiveness of various vaccines. Rivera’s report confirmed what Senator Robert Kennedy discovered after paying an unannounced visit to the facility saying, thousands of residents were living in filth in rooms less comfortably than cages that house animals at the zoo. This was a pivotal development in the history of disability rights, setting important precedents for humane and ethical treatment of people with developmental disabilities living in institutions. A plaque in the Willowbrook community room paints an accurate picture reading, “I would rather live life believing there is a God, rather than die and find out there is not.”

 

John McCaa, a retired news anchor and award-winning journalist, wrote a column in the Dallas Morning News on Mother’s Day detailing his own mother’s influence on him. He highlights one incident when he and his sister watched as a young neighborhood boy with developmental disabilities passed their home. They made up stories about him because he was “different,” and their mother heard their laughter. Although furious and with tears pooling in her eyes, she calmly said, “You know those special needs kids show more love than you so-called normal children ever will. They love with their whole hearts.” She could not imagine such hurtful words coming from her own children thinking at that moment her efforts to help shape their characters had failed…but her words and reaction profoundly changed John and his sister’s lives.

Synopsis:

The Story of Beautiful Girl is a sweeping love story between a developmentally disabled woman and an African American deaf man who met at the Pennsylvania State School for the Incurable and Feebleminded in 1968. It is a tale of unconditional love and a life-long search to find each other and to locate the child they were forced to leave in the care of a retired schoolteacher. The saga was even more poignant in light of Lynnie and Homan’s disabilities, incarcerated because they were not viewed in what others deemed to be normal and able to function in society, clearly victims of the mindset in the 1960s era.

The novel is a testimonial to overcoming impossible odds, a tutorial of resilience, and how to move forward without abandoning your purpose. “There are two kinds of hope – the kind you can’t do anything about and the kind you can.” This story ends with a beginning. Can you imagine a better day. I gave it a standing ovation!

Our discussion:

Most Bookers read and finished and either loved or liked the selection – the not my cup of tea option was a no show for those in attendance. I failed to point out the meaning of the epigraph at the beginning of the novel. These are short literary devices authors use to set the tone and outline the main theme to readers. Ms. Simon included this message: “Telling our stories is holy work” which refers to the plight of the disabled and a plea for equal treatment. We discussed how two words, Hide Her, changed Martha’s life forever, not calling the authorities when she witnessed the desperation and devotion between the couple and the child. We visited the dedication of teachers but in particular those who teach special needs children and their impact on the well-being of those students. We talked about Kate breaking the rules for Lynnie because she recognized her as a person, not just an “upper division imbecile” and served as her guardian angel protecting and encouraging her artwork throughout the book. The faith-healing scene revealed Homan’s and Sam’s unwillingness to be “fixed” reverting to the numerous “snake-oil” salesmen, smooth talkers who prey on the vulnerable to garner donations to their so-called “ministries.” Julia’s lack of knowledge about her parents was discussed, our group wanting Martha to tell her the truth long before she did – but, IMHO, the storyline would have suffered. Symbolism played a role throughout the novel, starting with the floating feathers interspersed throughout including the inside and back covers – in print copies - representing virtues, hope for a better life and the courage it takes to reach higher. The red feather floated down between Lynnie and Homan during an embrace – red is the color of good fortune. The child’s arm reaching for a black feather on the back cover is supposed to mean grasping mystical wisdom that comes with spiritual evolution (according to the powers that be.) Lighthouses represent a variety of symbols including danger, strength, safety, a guiding light, hope for the lost, and vigilance as a lighthouse is never switched off. Martha’s lighthouse-man mailbox created for her by one of her students was the reason Lynnie chose her house when she, Homan, and the baby were trying to find a place to hide. A disturbing conversation between Kate and ex-guard, Clarence, now sober and atoning for his sins, revealed the horrors of his partner, Smokes, raping Lynnie. Art played a significant role throughout the book, none more significant than in the final chapter when Julia discovered the mosaic, Dreams of Hope, defined as a collaboration of artists, many with abilities, and disabilities creating art that could be appreciated by all people – learning this special piece was in fact created by her parents, Homan Wilson & Lynnie Goldberg. Some of us wanted Julia to meet them in person and the ending felt a little rushed. We also discussed the need for institutions to serve the needs of those “trapped in darkness.” Homes such as the original Buckner Orphans Home (now Buckner International) in Dallas was created in the post-Civil-War era in Texas that was filled with parentless children due to disease or hardship and Tim Tebow’s faith-based organization that caters to the hurting and marginalized people of all ages.

On the business side:

We got a nice thank you from Steve Garwacki for our donation to Hospice in Linsey’s name. He was very grateful that we honored “his sweetheart” in this way.

 

Hope you all enjoy our summer reads, This Tender Land and The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger. September 10, 2024, will begin our 21^st year of meeting and reading. Granted it is quite a way off, but if you can host, please let me know.

 

It's never too late for a happy-ever-after ending in books and in life!

Happy Reading,

JoDee

APRIL 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson

 

“Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” Albert Camus

11 brave Bookers sloshed through the torrential rain – as if we were in the opening scene of Macbeth – to meet at the home of Jane Shaw to discuss this month’s debut novel framed around the dysfunctional Manning family set in the ego-filled literary world in New York with retreats to Long Island’s Sag Harbor, home to musicians, songwriters, artists, and authors.

The author is a practicing lawyer who lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic Tablet, and Real Simple.

The cover of A Likely Story, with its house of cards made from books, is a fitting metaphor for the insubstantial structure of the Manning family. The world according to bestselling author of nineteen books, Ward Manning, is one where his family, fans, and his publishers all rotate around him like planets around the sun. Isabelle Manning, as an aspiring writer growing up in the 1990s, lives in the shadow of her famous father, spending her life trying to make him proud. Wife and mother, Claire, could be a candidate for sainthood with her dedication to raising her child and her silent acquiescence deferring her own ambition to her controlling husband. Brian, Isabelle’s pseudo boyfriend, has more patience than good sense when it comes to her, and godmother, Glenda, with her flair, humor, and wisdom provides a breath of fresh air in a novel dotted with some unlikeable characters. The author weaves a narrative about the price of success and how secrets corrode the family from within.

Discussion:

Most except for one read, several loved/liked and for one, it was not her cup of tea. In the novel Isabelle considers her book necklace, a gift from her father, among her most precious possessions. In keeping with this spirit, we asked if anyone had a piece of jewelry or some other treasure that holds that type of personal meaning, to please bring it to share with the group. Patsy wore a pendant from her mom with her picture that reminds her of her graciousness and class and remains close to her heart. Bonnie wears and never takes off a Best Mom necklace given by her daughter; the miracle baby born at 39. She received it on her 51^st birthday along with an apology as she wanted to give it to her on her 50^th but didn’t have enough allowance at the time. Jane’s mother was the youngest of nine and when her grandmother gave birth to their first child, a boy, her grandfather placed a watch next to her plate and it still works. Mine was my Aloha necklace, a gift to me on my 30^th birthday from my parents while on a trip to Hawaii. Special memories will stay with us all for a lifetime.

Literary scandals (as in this book) are not rare. In 2020 Bookers selected The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and compared it to The Giver of Stars which was released five months after Book Woman and was surrounded by allegations of perjury. We discussed eleven-year-old, Helen Keller, who published a short story like another one, deducing it must have been read to her and she unknowingly absorbed it as her own. Confusion still lingers about whether Harper Lee’s, Go Set a Watchman, was the unpublished original manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird and Clifford Irving’s claim to have written the first authorized autobiography of Howard Hughes, even forging letters to himself from Hughes.

We talked about what makes a writer a writer and how the characters viewed that label – Isabelle and Ward – through a publication lens; Claire – the joy of storytelling; Glenda – a curse; Brian – the wedge between him and his love for Isabelle. The book within a book device was a unique way to take readers along the path to the ending – our take – confusing at first but deemed very creative by the end. Livia was Claire’s alter ego, but the book was published under Isabelle’s name, and we felt Claire would have written it differently. The author’s favorite character to write was Ward – his voice resonated with her. and his self-involvement challenged her to make him both egomaniac, but also sad and pathetic so he didn’t come across villainous making it impossible to hate him entirely. Did she succeed – most thought he was an odious jerk. We talked about the stereotypical Texas obsessed fan Ward visited and how she deflated his balloon when she ended the two-day fling, much to his surprise. Our favorite character was Brian – he was loyal to a fault but an endearing character that might have followed another path if he had “grown a set” and moved on from Isabelle. Claire was met with mixed feelings – loved her sacrifices and devotion to her daughter, but she should have been fed up with her blowhard husband. Godmother Glenda was a hoot – here I am…here’s what’s going to happen. Our least favorites were Ward and Darby, a phony who was a mini-Ward. We talked about whether Ward’s writer’s block was caused by an illness, or mental incapacity…he was looking for a reason why he couldn’t’ create and feared his daughter was going to outshine him removing her from his will so if she was successful, she had to make it on her own. Ward did get back on his feet in the end to write about himself and Isabelle’s book was a huge success. We discussed Claire’s high society WASPY upbringing and her quirky parents. The audio version was confusing due to the format switching back and forth and how this trend seemed to be becoming the norm for novelists.  We chatted about Miss Muffins, the obese Abyssinian cat, who was Claire’s archenemy that Isabelle stole/captured…some Bookers not pleased with this twist. A happy ending celebrated the characters’ evolving into better versions of themselves – at least most of them.

We talked about the ever-evolving presence of AI and how Microsoft is working on a state-of-the-art software where a person can talk about anything for thirty minutes and it will have the capability to translate into a book and the importance of protecting yourself and your family by creating a “safe” code word in case you receive one of those terrifying phone calls where the caller claims to have your loved one…Oh my, indeed! Stay tuned.

On the business side:

Our farewell to Year 20 will be our May 14th meeting – our annual wine & cheese evening meeting @ Ann Ireland’s home @ 5:30 p.m. We’re taking a break from meeting, not reading.

Jane & Patty have both agreed to remain on the book selection committee unless anyone else is interested in serving?

Kim Nalls has graciously agreed to assume Bonnie’s Food & Beverage Czar role for our two meetings, Christmas and our May evening wine & cheese meeting.

BookTrib will feature Bookers in their newsletter, and we provided a group photo, and I answered a questionnaire telling a little about our special group. I’ll keep you posted.

If anyone is interested in Books in Bloom set for Friday May 17^th, at the Athens Country Club, please let me know as soon as possible. It is the annual fundraiser for Henderson County. Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library. Tables for 8 are $500.00 ($62.50 each person) or individual seating at non-hosted tables are $65.00 each. Lunch is provided. Jill Beam, daughter of 92-year-old Rose-Mary Rumbley, public speaker, historian, humorist, author, and actress. Jill’s book, Growing Up Rumbley will be available. The table theme is a floral centerpiece. I’ll write one check for our group if anyone is interested, and you can reimburse me.

 

Happy reading,

JoDee

 

MARCH 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

 

“What’s past is prologue” William Shakespeare

15 Bookers met at the home of Kittie Minick to discuss this month’s selection a richly drawn historical fiction, coming-of-age, family saga spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s in London, Boston, and a magical island off the coast of Maine. Daily life in London in 1940 during World War II consisted of air raids with residents huddling in shelters as Nazi Germany conducted massive bombing strikes throughout the city. How do you as a parent of an eleven-year-old girl keep her safe? This question was answered when Reginald and Millie Thompson put their only child on a ship, sailing alone to live with the Gregorys in the United States giving readers a story of two families separated by the sea, but united in their love for this young lady…Beatrix in London…Bea in the States.

With short chapters, each one narrated by one of the eight point-of-view characters (Beatrix, Millie, Reginald, Ethan, Nancy, William, Gerald, and Rose) a window opens into their lives detailing a child’s personal growth into a woman – adjusting from her English Thompson family background of “no money in savings” to the “house-rich and dollar poor” Gregory family of Boston. A love triangle develops as the brothers, William, and Gerald, vie for Bea’s attention, realizing later the difference between youthful love and lasting love. This tale is of heartbreaking loss and unbridled joy as the characters cope with inner conflicts of grief and regret mixed with contentment as each one eventually finds their place in the world. The ending is a feel-good-satisfactory conclusion for the characters all wrapped up in a nice little bow.

Discussion:

Most read and either loved or liked the novel with only one saying the format was hard to follow between the eight POV’s and the back-and-forth timelines. Some were bothered by the author’s different stylistic approach with parts 1 and 3 written in past tense and conversations/quotes in italics buried in paragraphs as it was hard to understand who was speaking. Part 2 was written in present tense with conversations/quotes traditionally formatted with only two point-of-view characters, Bea, and William. The author purposefully did this to make the middle section stand out and be more vivid. We discussed how difficult it would be to send your child away even if it was for his or her own safety, sharing personal stories of how these types of decisions, although in the child’s best interest, were certain to cause heartache. Reginald blamed the decision to send Bea to the United States on Millie…Why? So, he could keep her favoritism toward him and keep her safe at the same time. The title of the novel was derived from a specific moment that showcased the conflict between the two parts of Bea’s life – reconciling the parts of her identity, the sea being the symbol of that division – she just finished swimming to the mainland for the first time and looks back, facing east toward the island…and beyond that, the sea…referring to London and her parents. The sea was important to William as he associated it with the best of times and memories of his childhood. He died in a car accident near the sea…could this have been purposeful? The sea then becomes a symbol of tragedy, and end to the life he was unable to recreate. There were constant comparisons between Ethan and William and Nancy and Gerald when the boys were younger. William was untamed in the conservative opinion of his father pushing the limits in everything he tried…the polar opposite of Ethan. Gerald had “little space between his head and his heart,” a trait among others he inherited from his mother…two peas in a pod. Bea’s two sets of parents were not only an ocean apart but could not have been more different – in one it was like she was living in a fairy tale full of fancy dresses, and parties while in the other, she lived a “small life” in a working-class family. The patriarchs of the Thompson and Gregory families formed an unlikely bond beyond Bea – they found similar interests talking about Churchill, Roosevelt, the German push, and Japan and playing postal chess – both men keeping their connection private from their wives. Nancy and Millie both faced the loss of their husbands, Nancy became solitary in her mourning, Millie tried multiple marriages – highlighting one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to grief – begging the question what role society should play in determining what is proper and acceptable.

The day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, they captured Singapore, the center of natural rubber products, cutting off 90% of rubber to the allied forces forcing the US to increase synthetic rubber production. We talked about the national rubber drives (this is why Gerald was collecting rubber band balls) and tin can, metal, and paper drives. We had a chuckle about how women coped with the hosiery rationing by applying nude colored makeup on their legs, drawing black seam lines with eyebrow pencil down the back of their legs to simulate the look. Fashion is fashion, war, or no war! We discussed the emotion Bea and the Gregorys felt when she was summoned home, her U.S. family upset and frantic and Bea, once she was on the ship wanted nothing more than to stay in America, bake pies with Mrs. G., play chess with Mr. G, explore with Gerald, to kiss William…to marry him and be in his family forever. Before she leaves, she tells William to move on as she knows about living across an ocean from the people you love. When the author reverted to Part 2, August 1951, Bea, and William are front and center. They are older and wiser but still in love, he vowing to keep their time together in London only in his memories. She had no regrets, although he had a baby on the way and was getting married…it felt like the right way to close things out – they had come together in order to move apart. In Part 3 – back in the 1960s William and wife, Rose, agreed every other Saturday night they would enjoy date nights, but not together. She knew he had stopped loving her a long time ago, but he was a wonderful father and divorce was not in the cards. We talked about Shakespeare’s quote from The Tempest and the meaning of “What’s past is prologue,” which is a reminder of how our history influences our present choices and future outcomes. William feels close to Rose’s family as it was like the one he had always wanted, no one was ever disappointed in him or expected him to be more than he is.

The island off Maine was more than a vacation house. The characters enjoyed a less structured life, routines were abandoned, bedtimes abolished, and mealtimes were more of a free-for-all and less than a continuation of a lesson plan. They were family there, not just members of the family. When William died Rose said she should have known it was an omen when Patrick Kennedy only lived for a short time; Gerald took the lead in notifying everyone; Bea was shocked but not surprised…sensing he was not living the life he wanted, something was off. Why was it impossible for him to be happy? Rose arranged William’s Catholic service much to the chagrin of Nancy but at the gravesite, a tribute to his love of the Maine island home included guests tossing a handful of sand instead of dirt into the grave and a basket of seashells were passed around. We talked about Bea’s decision to marry Gerald and whether she was settling for second best. She finally let go of her fantasy of William and never denied loving him but realized that Gerald was better suited to marriage than William would have ever been. She still kept what happened between the two of them in London from Gerald but all she would admit was that she did love him, but they were no longer teenagers, he was getting married, and Rose was pregnant. This was the only way to hold on and protect what they had and insisted it had nothing to do with her feelings for Gerald. The author masterfully developed the character arcs for each one transitioning their traits from the beginning into a new picture of them at the end of the novel. So well done! And the finale, the epilogue, August 1977, was certain to put a smile on our faces and a warm glow inside as the Gregorys in their Maine island home represented a blend of the old with the new. Home indeed.

On the business side:

A funny and odd thing was brought to my attention by Bonnie asking me in a text how she missed my new book, A Sort of Quiet, being published. I honestly thought she’s got too much going on in her life. But as it turns out there was a 5-star review of my latest novel, posted on OnlineBookClub. It is an “enrapturing novel that dives into the intricacies of human connections, insider facts, and the force of pardoning. Set in a humble community in Texas, the story follows the existences of three ladies – Elizabeth Amelia, and Laura – whose lives converge unexpectedly…. with its lavishly drawn characters, convincing storyline, and strong subjects, the book isn’t to be missed.” I searched for the title on Amazon, Google, etc…to no avail. I didn’t want to miss out on all the royalties generated by my latest and greatest novel. LOL. I even asked AI to generate a review and “it” also provided a detailed accounting.

The donation for the PWC Women of Influence gala has been assembled and delivered. The total value came to $362.00 which included the $100.00 Bookers’ Bookish gift card. I included signed copies of my books, a signed copy of Marcus Zusak’s (author of The Book Thief) latest, Bridge of Clay, and a few other “Book” related items. Also, many thanks to MN Stanky for her donation and to author, Jim Willi, for donating a signed copy of his four novels! Their support is much appreciated.

Bonnie Magee suggested as extra reading (not for Bookers though) The Only One Left, a 2023 murder mystery/horror novel by American author Todd Ritter, writing under the pen name, Riley Sager. The plot concerns a woman who takes a job caring for an elderly invalid who was accused decades ago of murdering her parents and younger sister, slowly unraveling the truth behind the murders and a missing nurse. And several Bookers suggested reading Kristin Hannah’s latest bestseller, The Women, detailing an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time in an epic tale of a nation divided as the world is changing in 1965 when women can be heroes.  

Our next meeting will be April 9^th, 10:00 a.m. at the home of Jane Shaw, 116 White Cap. We’ll be discussing A Likely Story by Leigh McMullan Abramson.

Happy Reading,

JoDee