Meeting: September 10, 2015

A small group met at Nanc's house after a last minute change of venue. We all hope that Ellen has been able to help her dad make a smooth transition as he settles into his nursing home facility. Nancy French, Linda Jenkins, Annie Larkin, Judy Lee, and Jo Smith were in attendance.

View from Nanc's during the meeting

We had a good discussion on Annie's adjustment to empty nesting, and how she is trying to focus on the positive rather than what she is missing. We also talked at length about how important it is to connect with kids in the educational setting and how all the new regulations and requirements make it so much more difficult to do so. In addition, we discussed local issues including the Trempealeau Pool and the ever present scrap railroad ties.  

We did all dash out to the deck when a new riverboat passed by. None of us could figure out what boat it was in the dark.  It was not well lit and was significantly smaller than the American Queen and more the size of The Queen of the Mississippi, but it most definitely wasn't The Queen of the Mississippi. I was able to find out via a river boat tracking webpage that the boat is called The American Eagle, and that it debuted in May 2015.

The American Eagle

For the first time, we barely discussed the book. This was largely due to the subject matter that was so unpleasant. But, here's a brief recap of the book anyway.

Ruby, by Cynthia Bond, features human cruelty, rape, child molestation, religious hypocrisy, animal sacrifice, racism, and just pure evil. But sometimes tender moments or the poetic writing soften its harsh topics.  Bond makes you vividly see things; however, she is thankfully the least explicit in the moments describing the prostitution of children.

In general (as we've discussed before), books keep us reading for different reasons. For some it's the plot, for others it's the characters, and yet for others it's beautifully crafted sentences or other intrigue. None of us read the book because of intrigue.  Ruby really didn't have a plot, only an increased understanding of the characters. Bond was able to craft an understanding of human frailty and psychological pain.

Some excerpts from the book:

When Ephram first went to Ruby after she'd returned to Liberty, she realized that she'd wasted 11 years without noticing, and that she wasn't the woman who had returned from NY. 

Ephram took her hand, "But I'll tell you what.  I'm most interested in the woman you have yet to be."

After Ruby reveals the horrors of her past to Ephram he sweetly whispered to her.

I ain't going nowhere.  If you brave enough to live it, the least I can do is listen.

Spending time with Ephram gives Ruby the strength to fight the Dyboù.

I'm not meant for using! I never was! I aint never never going to be used again!

Shortly after that, Ruby reflects on the way Ephram has stood alongside her despite how the rest of the folks in Liberty behaved.

Ruby knew then that a lie could only control a person if they believed it.

After reading the book and then discovering that the author is a survivor of human trafficking and that she works with survivors of human trafficking, really gives one pause to view the book differently.  The scenes are dark, gruesome, and disturbingly traumatic.  But while the story is fictitious, the characters are based on real-life situations that countless victims have faced.

October meeting:

Book : To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Location: Annie Larkin's

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2015

Time: 6:30pm

Upcoming meetings:

November 19, 2015: Movie night to watch To Kill a Mockingbird at Jo Smith's

December 2015: Holiday gathering
January 2016: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
February 2016: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Books we've read so far:

January 2014 - Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
February 2014 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
March 2014 - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
April 2014 - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
May 2014 - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
June 2014 - Breaking Free by Marilyn Sewell
July 2014 - The Orphan Train by Kristina Baker Kline
August 2014 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
September 2014 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
October 2014 - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
November 2014 - The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
December 2014 - No book.  Holiday gathering.
January 2015 - No book.  Watched The Book Thief
February 2015 - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
March 2015 - Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne
April 2015 - The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
May 2015 - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
June 2015 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
July 2015 - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
August 2015 - The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

September 2015 - Ruby by Cynthia Bond