Charlene discovered an exciting possibility for our Waukesha community! National Public Radio is hosting a book group contest for the opportunity to have a phone or video chat with Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone. If more than 10 people sign up for the discussion, we become eligible for this unique experience! Simply sign up at: http://www.meetup.com/NPR-Book-Club/Waukesha-WI/79281/t/bn2_l1/ We will meet on Friday, April 1, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. For more information about NPR's Book Club's March selection, and how to participate on facebook and in online posts, please go to: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/08/134270828/npr-book-club-for-march-cutting-for-stone If you need help signing up, just come into Martha Merrell's and Norm will help you. You will need your e-mail address to register. Here is a description of Cutting for Stone: Cutting For Stone follows twin brothers Marion and Shiva Stone, born of a secret union between an Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. They are orphaned at a young age and must learn to navigate the world together as they grow up in Ethiopia on the brink of a revolution. The twins' story swings from Addis Ababa to New York City and explores the themes of family, betrayal, health care, everyday magic and the way that two lives can forever intertwine. Cutting for Stone is on the New York Times Bestsellers list and you can buy it with substantial savingsat Martha Merrell's/ Cuddles! Buy it today! It is 667 pages long but we've been told it's a fast read. There is a reading group guide at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_c/cutting_for_stone1.asp Let's have some fun! Please sign up today and encourage your friends to sign up too! If you have any questions, please feel free to call Norm or Sally at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles! (262-547-1060) Below, are several links to videos and author interviews featuring Cutting for Stone and Abraham Verghese. They will inspire you! Looking forward to an exciting discussion!
Are you a Stieg Larsson fan who would love to talk about his characters?
Please join us in a special discussion of Stieg Larsson's second novel, The Girl Who Played With Fire: ANovel. We will meet on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. Author and psychiatrist, Ilsa J. Bick, will join us via Skype to explore why Larsson makes the choices he does in how he presents his characters. She will also answer any questions that we have. To learn more about Ilsa Bick and her newly published, award-winning paranormal mystery, DRAW THEDARK, please go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilsa_J._Bick and to her web site at: http://www.ilsajbick.com/ There is a reading group guide for The Girl Who Played With Fire at: http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_g/the_girl_who_played_with_fire1.asp Please submit questions that you would like Ilsa Bick to address to LaurieVanTuinen@gmail.com by Wednesday, February 23, 2011. For more information, please contact Martha Merrell's/Cuddles (262-547-1060) or Laurie Van Tuinen LaurieVanTuinen@gmail.com (262-544-4279).
Our next book for discussion is How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill. We will meet on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. Chris will lead the discussion.
Here is a three-minute video with the author, Michael Gill Gates:
Karen found a descriptive and informative nine-minute video with Gill:
Here is another 31-minute video with Gill:
Below is a book description followed by discussion questions.
Book Description Michael Gates Gill Author: How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else Nearing retirement, Michael Gates Gill lost it all. A Yale-educated ad exec making six figures, Gill was let go from his job (ostensibly for being old), saw his marriage disintegrate, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the age of 63, desperate and without health insurance, he found redemption and a new sense of purpose where he least expected: behind the counter of a Starbucks. Gill tells his story in How Starbucks Saved My Life, an instant bestseller that has struck a chord with a large segment of middle aged and older Americans -- and which will soon be a film, starring Tom Hanks. Late in life, unemployed, and seemingly unemployable, Michael Gates Gill, an "old, opinionated white guy," becomes a barista and sees his old world slowly fall away, for the better. In his unforgettable talks, Gill shares his uplifting tale of personal transformation and the lessons he walked away with: the inherent value of hard work; being open to new possibilities, whatever your age; learning from people who are different from you; the fact that, deep down, differences matter less than what we have in common. Gill's varied work experience -- from being a creative director at a famous ad firm to working for an hourly wage as the only older white male alongside younger African-Americans -- also gives him unique insight into many of today's hot button workplace issues: racism, ageism, classism, boomer concerns, and corporate accountability. He speaks with humility, gratitude, and good humor about his fall from grace, and the new -- better -- person he has become because of it. Gill is the son of famous New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, and, growing up, his social company included the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jacqueline Onassis. Today, he lives in a simple apartment, close to his Starbucks; he counts himself lucky and blessed: he learned what really matters, at a late age, from his new boss and colleagues, people he would never have met in his old life.
Discussion Questions
1. “Work is dignity” could be the mantra of Mike and his Starbucks co-workers. How did Crystal instill this philosophy in Mike? How do the other Partners show Mike the same example?
How does this apply to your life?
2. At first, Mike uses the chance to “detail the bathroom” as an excuse to avoid running a cash register and interacting with Guests. How does he overcome his fear of inadequacy and failure? In the book he says he “spent most of his life trying not to fail.” Who is he afraid of failing? What are some basic jobs you would be afraid to do?
3. Mike worked in advertising a long time, with the goal of inducing people to buy a product. Do you think that has affected the way he writes? Is he trying to sell something with this book? If so, do you think he has succeeded?
How much of “Starbucks’ do you think is factual, and is that important to the book or to your reading of it?
Three months ago, in what the talk show host termed a "radical departure," Winfrey announced that "A Million Little Pieces," author James Frey's nonfiction memoir of his vomit-caked years as an alcoholic, drug addict, and criminal, was her latest selection for the world's most powerful book club. In an October 26 show entitled "The Man Who Kept Oprah Awake At Night," Winfrey hailed Frey's graphic and coarse book as "like nothing you've ever read before. Everybody at Harpo is reading it. When we were staying up late at night reading it, we'd come in the next morning saying, 'What page are you on?'" … The 36-year-old author, these documents and interviews show, wholly fabricated or wildly embellished details of his purported criminal career, jail terms, and status as an outlaw "wanted in three states."
Another book written by a reporter as an autobiography, was researched by the author as a ‘biography’ of his life, and he states that observers report on a life he led much different than the one he remembered and would have written about.
4. Gill’s children taught him a lot about diversity, values, and appreciating others. What lessons, if any, would you like for your parents to learn from you one day?
Thanks to Chris and Karen for their contributions to this post.
Wow. What a fun evening we had! Thank you Betty Scanlon for your superb book suggestions and wonderful ideas for future discussions. We will file your suggested list of books in a safe place and post it on this blog spot. Thanks also to Judy for presenting Malcolm Gladwell's biography and for the group's candor and discussion. Special welcome to our new members/guests: Chris and Joan! Our next book for discussion is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel by Helen Simonson. We will meet on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at MarthaMerrell's/Cuddles. Would anyone like to present the author's biography or lead the discussion? Reading group guides for this book are available at: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780812981223&view=rg and http://www.litlovers.com/guide_major_pettigrews_last.html May you enjoy this delightful 2:21 minute video book review by Carole Beu.
There is also a video with the author. (spoiler alert)
Book Review For Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2010: In her witty and wise debut novel, newcomer Helen Simonson introduces the unforgettable character of the widower Major Ernest Pettigrew. The Major epitomizes the Englishman with the "stiff upper lip," who clings to traditional values and has tried (in vain) to pass these along to his yuppie son, Roger. The story centers around Pettigrew's fight to keep his greedy relatives (including his son) from selling a valuable family heirloom--a pair of hunting rifles that symbolizes much of what he stands for, or at least what he thinks he does. The embattled hero discovers an unexpected ally and source of consolation in his neighbor, the Pakistani shopkeeper Jasmina Ali. On the surface, Pettigrew and Ali's backgrounds and life experiences couldn't be more different, but they discover that they have the most important things in common. This wry, yet optimistic comedy of manners with a romantic twist will appeal to grown-up readers of both sexes. Kudos to Helen Simonson, who distinguishes herself with Major Pettigrew's Last Stand as a writer with the narrative range, stylistic chops, and poise of a veteran. --Lauren Nemroff About the Author
Helen Simonson was born in England and spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. A graduate of the London School of Economics and former travel advertising executive, she has lived in America for the last two decades. A longtime resident of Brooklyn, she now lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington, D.C., area. This is her first novel.
Our next book for discussion is Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. We will meet on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. We will meet with Betty Scanlon from 6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. to selectbooks for February - June. Please bring your book suggestions with a book description printout from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Thanks Betty for offering to give us the scoop on the hottest book group books! In the next post, you will see a list of books that we generated in our previous discussions. From 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. we will discuss Outliers. Judy will present the author biography and we will use discussion questions from this reading group guide: http://www.litlovers.com/guide_outliers.html Here is a description of Outliers: Product Description In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band. Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate. About the Author Malcolm Gladwell is a staff writer for The New Yorker. He was formerly a business and science reporter at the Washington Post. There are several interesting web sites and videos featuring Malcolm Gladwell: - A 5-minute interview of Malcolm Gladwell with Anderson Cooper:
Our next book is MADE IN THE U.S.A. by Bille Letts. We will meet on Wednesday, November 10, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Martha Merrell's/Cuddles. Charlene will present the author biography and Tammy will lead the discussion. Thanks for doing this, Charlene and Tammy! There is a reading group guide for Made in the USA at: http://www.litlovers.com/guide_made_in_usa.html Here is one description of MADE IN THE U.S.A.: The bestselling author of WHERE THE HEART IS returns with a heartrending tale of two children in search of a place to call home. Lutie McFee's history has taught her to avoid attachments...to people, to places, and to almost everything. With her mother long dead and her father long gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, 15-year-old Lutie lives in the god-forsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota with her twelve-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy Satterfield, the 300-pound ex-girlfriend of her father. While Lutie shoplifts for kicks, Fate spends most of his time reading, watching weird TV shows and worrying about global warming and the endangerment of pandas. As if their life is not dismal enough, one day, while shopping in their local Wal-Mart, Floy keels over and the two motherless kids are suddenly faced with the choice of becoming wards of the state or hightailing it out of town in Floy's old Pontiac. Choosing the latter, they head off to Las Vegas in search of a father who has no known address, no phone number and, clearly, no interest in the kids he left behind. MADE IN THE U.S.A. is the alternately heartbreaking and life-affirming story of two gutsy children who must discover how cruel, unfair and frightening the world is before they come to a place they can finally call home.
