Welcome Everyone!
Spring is almost here and the time is right for...
a new book and blogging!
This selection is from the North Country Community Reads Project, http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/ncreads/consortium.php.
GTILC's new book club book and blog is for the book,
Skeletons at the Feast,
written by author Chris Bohjalian.
Please click on the flags at the left hand side to read (and hear) more about
the author and his book.
Our First f2f meeting will be held
March 18th, 2009, 4:30pm at Jefferson Lewis BOCES,
Conference Rooms A&B
Arsenal St. Watertown, NY
You will need to purchase or borrow a book to use.
Here are our first blog discussion starters before we begin...
- What inspired you to join this book club/book blog?
- What benefits do you hope to gain from this activity?
- If you could ask the author one question, what might it be?
- What do you think the hardest involvement encounter with this book club/book blog activity might be?
- Pose one question for others to reply to.
Debbie Dermady
14 comments:
I confess that I haven't had a chance to complete our reading for this section, but one thing struck me early on. On page 11 Papa says, "We may be a handful of golden raisins among eleven million, but we control Uganda's economy." That really struck me as an elitist statement that perhaps foreshadows the turmoil to come. Looking forward to reading more and blogging again! Elizabeth
hat really struck me as an elitist statement.
I must confess that I've finished reading the book. But I'm glad I was able to do so as several times I was unsure I wanted to continue reading. To answer the question posed by Pat, “yes I put myself in the position of Sabine.” It's not a conscious thing but just happens. At least that is my explanation for the anxiety and other negative emotions I felt while reading the book. I would love to meet her uncle Zully. He seems like a fun and worldly guy. I’m amazed at the author’s ability to portray his character with so few pages.
I must confess that I've finished reading the book. But I'm glad I was able to do so as several times I was unsure I wanted to continue reading. To answer the question posed by Pat, “yes I put myself in the position of Sabine.” It's not a conscious thing but just happens. At least that is my explanation for the anxiety and other negative emotions I felt while reading the book. I would love to meet her uncle Zully. He seems like a fun and worldly guy. I’m amazed at the author’s ability to portray his character with so few pages. Her mother's character is also so destinct. I guess there are mothers that don't worry so much but I certainly do and I relate to Sabine's mother. She recognizes when things are out of control.
I must confess that I've finished reading the book. But I'm glad I was able to do so as several times I was unsure I wanted to continue reading. To answer the question posed by Pat, “yes I put myself in the position of Sabine.” It's not a conscious thing but just happens. At least that is my explanation for the anxiety and other negative emotions I felt while reading the book. I would love to meet her uncle Zully. He seems like a fun and worldly guy. I’m amazed at the author’s ability to portray his character with so few pages. Sheila
Hello Everyone!
I found the hardest encounter was to keep to the pages assigned this time! I look forward to sharing once again our thoughts about what we are reading.
~Debbie
I also was struck by Papa's comments about controlling the Ugandian economy. This is my first book blog and I joined because I love to read, to talk about books, and to experience it first hand so that I can try if with my students too. It's so easy.
Sorry put last blog in wrong place.
The mixed feeling this girl goes through. pg 109, wanting to be grown up but yet wanting to be protected by her father "safe as long as she was burrowed inside Papa's protective shell."
She asks many questions- confused- why is this happening, but she always seems to be concerned for her family and her family’s help- Katana.
I think we have all felt like her “lived here all her life, yet she felt she was a stranger. Many things are and can be seen differently. In her life she lived but did not see what was going on around her.
Ruthie
I have read this second portion twice. First, as soon as I finished blogging the first assignment and then again today because I had not written my second blog and I couldn’t recall what I’d read. Truth of the matter is I relished the second reading because I could pay more attention to the fine writing since I had already enjoyed the story line.
It pleases me when I come to the place in a book which lets me know where the title came from. This time in my reading I paid much more attention when dandelions were mentioned: pages 79, 80, 93 and 95.
I don’t understand why Zena called Sabine a dandelion child. When I first saw the title of this book, I looked up the term. (Now I can’t remember where). If my memory serves me correctly, it refers to a child who flourishes as an adult (like a tough weed) in spite of a wretched home life. Maybe I got that wrong. At this point, Sabine is not characterized as having grown up in anything other than opulence.
I appreciate how well the characters are drawn in this story. Can’t you just see and hear Lalita, always acting in character?
I like the way Sabine’s character unfolds. In these chapters we see her becoming more aware of her privileged position. We know she’s gutsy, but she’s also vulnerable and deeply hurt by the spat with Zena. Still she acts according to what she thinks is right though they are now in opposite camps. She doesn’t give up hope of reconciliation (on her terms!) because Zena is still wearing the friendship bracelet on page 91.
I enjoy the sayings and the way they are worked out in the book. “Patience can cook a stone.” (Sabine’s mantra though on p. 86 “she felt like a stone that has been dropped into a well, etc.)
This author knows how to create an ever-growing sense of doom insofar as the non-Africans are concerned with both the ticking clock and her word choices: p. 62 “Sabine’s family sat in the sitting room unusually silent. (I love the alliteration.) p. 98 …the red rainwater streams made the land appear to be bleeding.” p. 100 “ …workers’ mud huts stuck out like brown pustules…”
What a powerful book!
_Hope
Sabine is opening up to her world. In her confusion over losing Zena's friendship, she asks Mzee to drive her to find Zena's brother, Ssekore. We larn that she does not even know the real name of this long time family employee, or that he has "five boys, three girls, thirteen grandchildren." The shiny silver roofs that have meant the slum of Mengo to her as she passes them in the distance, turn out to be filthy and replusive up close. So much so that she flees the reality.
Sabine is turned off by her mother's nervous habits and gloomy outlook, and yet the father's optimism may lead the family into more trouble than Sabine realizes at this time.
I just returned from visiting a cousin who has returned to the family home (after 40 years away) in order to sort and organize her parents belongings before putting the home up for sale. She said, wistfully, that we think we know who are parents are because they are our parents - what we don't often realize is who they are to the rest of their friends, what their standing is in the adult world that they live in. I thought that Sabine is coming into this realization - just who is her father - and her mother.
I was also struck by the rationalzations that go on. Daily they are reminded that all non-Ugandans must leave. And yet there are constant comments that "they don't mean us." The parallels to the Jews under German control in WW II are frequent. And yet how often we, ourselves, watch or listen to unfavorable descriptions of thoughtless Americans and think: Right on! - but I'm not like that."
Sorry if I've read farther than I should have. This stopping to blog is new to me.
Jan
July 16- Blog comments for p.57-108
I had written most of this yesterday, but added some. I noticed from reading others writings, such as Jan that my thoughts went to the Germans and Jews, also.
Starting in the Little India chapter, you begin to see where Zena’s allegiance lies , when she says, “I’m glad Dada Amin is weeding out the foreign Indian’s. At this point, Sabine agrees with her but with some reserve, when she thinks about how polite Mr. Singh has been on previous visits with Mama.
The very close friendship of Zena and Sabine begins to take a turn with interference of prejudice and politics. The encounter with the soldiers at the Teahouse with Lalita gave rise to a new found courage of Sabine’s . She gives the feather the glory of the outcome of the soldiers leaving. However, Sabine’s quick thinking and bravery are the true heroes.
Zena is appalled by her taking sides for Lalita. It is the part of the story where we see Zena and Sabine’s friendship begin to part.
Sabine’s discomfort over Zena’s reaction was described as “like mango fibers rapped between her teeth.” Has anyone had this experience? I have never eaten a mango. Would it be something like the fibers of an orange being trapped between your teeth and be so aggravating until a toothpick relieves it. Was this what Sabine was experiencing with her friend, aggravation?
The comment by Zena on p. 93 seems to summarize the theme of the book. “The weeds must be uprooted. What can I do? You are the child of dandelions.” This brings to mind Hitler and the Holocaust and also, brings to mind the segregation of black people in America and other scenarios in history. People who are loyal to their leaders take on their prejudices, believing them to be the answer to a better world. We should learn from history that cultures have different beliefs and I don’t think we are going to make them all one. We need to get along together and accept differences. This is much easier said than done.
Sabine has progressed more into an adult life and away from the protection of childhood innocence as the story progresses. She becomes the comforter of Mother and the one to make things better. You can sense the tenseness in their lives with the changes that are happening around them. I do believe you can feel this tenseness very clearly, so the author has done her job in portraying this through words and events.
How could a young girl like Sabine find her Uncle? Actually, I have read ahead,but what would your thoughts have been at this point of what her intentions were?
I, too am re-reading to do the writings. It takes a little longer to get my thoughts together to respond. Pat
This is a test to see if my comments will post to the sight. Sheila
Hi Everyone! I was late starting the book, but when I did start reading I read the whole novel. It is hard for me to imagine a young girl having to experience such a twist of life. It was interesting for me to see this part of the turmoil of Africa. I had learned mostly of the tribal warfares. The title of the novel struck me as very fitting- the references to weeds and being easily pulled and destroyed. It was a heart filled moment for me when Sabine said(pg 95)- " I am not a weed." After reading the novel I feel like I have just had a history lesson that I truly felt I experienced through the eyes and thoughts of Sabine and Zena. Good book! Mary
I have completed reading the book which is a big accomplishment for me as I didn't like the anxiety I felt while reading. I cannot imagine the terror that Sabine felt during the incident when she was riding with her uncle and the soldiers stopped them. It's amazing to me that she could keep it a secret from her parents. I wonder what sort of deep psychological scars that incident and the others must have left on her. Do those scars parallel the scars that some children we teach may have (say those that may have been abused) that we don't know about?
I did not have such an easy time with the foreign words as Hope did. My powers of deduction are not as great and I found it annoying when I couldn't figure out exactly what the author was saying. Sheila
This is Sheila at a blog workshop and demonstrating a blog to my SED contact/
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