Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The group had a controversial discussion about The Secret Scripture. Some liked the book, while others disliked it. Some found it too depressing. The book tells the story of Roseanne McNulty who is sent to an insane asylum in Ireland in the 1940's. She was sent there by Father Gaunt, who earlier had already accused her of being a nymphomaniac. He finally decided to send her when she had a child out of wedlock. At about the age of 100, Rosanne decides to write her life history, for her own peace of mind. This is during the same time that the asylum is going to close, and Dr. Grene, the psychiatrist, is trying to determine if she should be sent to another asylum or set free. Some people felt the story was a mystery, trying to find out what happened to Rosanne's son who was taken from her and sent to an orphanage. Some people liked the poetic style of writing. There was a debate going on whether Rosanne was really altogether there or marginalized. Someone claimed her bad choices showed there was something wrong with her mentally. Others thought she just made bad choices like all human beings do. Most people thought the priest, Father Gaunt, had it in for her and her family, and that the priest was evil. She was committed unjustly. One person brought out that this happened even in the United States, even in Belcherton, Massachusetts. Someone brought up the question if Rosanne's story is tragic or triumphant. Some people thought tragic; others thought triumphant. Everyone thought she was a survivor. Overall, a great book for lively discussion.

Night Bookers Book Club's Discussion of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The group had a fun discussion about Bill Bryson's book A Walk in the Woods, which describes his experience in hiking different sections of the Appalachian Trail. Bill Bryson is a great humorist, and he had an amusing walking companion, Stephen Katz. Most women enjoyed the book. One woman said her husband had already read the book, and that he wants to re-read it. One woman had read it before when her stepson hiked the trail. She liked it even more the second time around. Someone commented that a lot of men they knew had already read the book. One person said she became bored when he digressed and talked about plant life, etc. She wanted to get back to the hiking. When Bryson hiked alone for a while, without Katz, people agreed the book slowed down. Katz is an out of shape recovering alcoholic, who is very funny, funnier than Bryson. One of the members of the group has hiked the Appalachian Trail in New England and parts of Georgia. She said the book was true to her experience, even down to shelters, (open on one side). The group thought that Bryson is an environmentalist. There was some criticism of him and Katz, too. They thought sometimes Bryson was too insulting and put people into boxes. They thought he was very harsh on the people who run the National Parks. They questioned if it was right for Katz to steal the Ralph Loren shoelaces from a group that treated them badly on the trail. The group overall thought what happened in the book was true, although it may have been embellished. Overall, a very enjoyable discussion.

New Books Purchased in April

Here are the new books purchased in April: Adult, Children's, Teens.

Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird

The group had a controversial discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird. Some people loved the book, and thought Atticus was a hero. One person discussed it with her granddaughter, who was reading it the same time she was. One person had a hard time getting through it. She then watched the movie and understood it better. Others thought Atticus was a reluctant hero, or not a hero at all. In the book, set in the 1930's Alabama, Atticus defends an African American, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman. Some thought Atticus defended him to the best of his ability. Others thought the defense he gave was not enough, and the portrayal of African Americans in the novel was poor. One person said, "what would it be like to be black and read this book?" One person thought the book was a morality play. The group also discussed Scout, the daughter of Atticus, and the narrator of the book. People did like that Atticus explained everything to his children. People thought Scout was mature for her age. (She is between the ages of 6-8 throughout the book). Jem, her brother ran free, probably because he lost his mother at a young age. Scout lost her mother, too, but she had Calpurnia, the African American housekeeper, who mothered her. Overall, a very lively discussion.

New Books Purchased in March

Here are the new books purchased in March: Adult, Children's, Teens.

Night Bookers Book Club's Discussion of The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The group was divided on their impressions of the Poisonwood Bible. Some loved the book, while others disliked it. Some of the people who disliked the book found it too, wordy, and some were unable to finish it. People who liked the book liked the characters and description of life in Africa, as well as the African people. The book is set in 1959 Congo (later renamed Zaire), and tells the story of an American Baptist missionary family, a father, mother, and their four daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. People liked the development of the mother and daughters and their voices. The father is not given a voice. Everybody disliked the father for his arrogance, his abusive treatment of his children and wife, and his mission to convert the African people. The father held back baptizing his own child Ruth May, because he wanted her baptized with the African children. He cannot deal with the fact later on when his own child dies unbaptized when she is killed by a snake. The group believed the father was doomed to failure because of his own ego. One person suggested he was a representation of the United States. People felt sorry for the mother. She raising these four daughters with no help from an abusive husband. When the person who helped her around her hut quit, she tried to cook and provide for her family, much more difficult in Africa than in the United States. Someone loved Barbara Kingsolver's style as a writer. Someone else thought some of the writing in the book was beautiful. An example is the scene where Ruth May died and the mother washed the body; Ruth May's sister Rachel has a flashback when her mother washed Ruth May as a baby. The group thought one of the purposes of the book was to expose the harm the United States has had on Africa, politically, socially, and economically. Also, how the U. S. tries to change this area, it does not change what is going on at a local, village level. A very lively, thought provoking discussion.

Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Uncommon Reader

The group had an enjoyable discussion of The Uncommon Reader, the book about the Queen of England discovering the pleasures of reading. Everyone loved the book. The first person wished she wrote down all the books the Queen was reading. Another person commented how people assume things about you when you change something about yourself. The staff at Buckingham Palace thought the Queen was showing signs of Alzheimer's disease because of her lack of interest in things before such as meticulous appearance and dress. They had been replaced by her interest in reading. One person laughed that even the dogs were jealous of the Queen's reading. After all, she said, reading is a selfish pleasure. Another person commented that she thought the title should have been the Queen's metamorphosis. One person observed that this book explains why people read, and the benefits of reading. Another person commented that the Queen the more the Queen read the more human she became, more common. Someone observed what the real Queen thinks about this fictionalized account of the Queen's life. One person said that writing makes you aware of how words should go together. Another person stated that the Queen slowly changed with books. One person it took her a while to realize the book was humorous and that the author created a caricature of the Queen. Everyone felt the Queen was insular and mechanical before she started reading books. There was a long, controversial discussion about a scene on eavesdropping on the Queen and whether this is ever appropriate or not. There was no resolution to this discussion. On another note, people commented on the real Queen and indicated that they felt sorry for her in her isolation. Going back to discussing the book, no one in the group predicated the surprise ending (which shall remain a surprise for those who want to read the book)! It was a very lively, interesting discussion.