Our November meeting will be in December! We will do the same thing that we have for the last couple of years. Because the last Friday in November is the Friday after Thanksgiving, we will meet on the first Friday of December instead (Dec. 2.) Then we will delay our next meeting until the last Friday in January. This will give us plenty of time to read the next book, hopefully, even with busy holiday schedules.
Our book for Dec. 2 is Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
I'm still trying to finish Lincoln by David Herbert Donald, that I wanted to finish first. Better get busy.
Hope you can join us on Dec 2.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A Woman Among Warlords
A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice by Malalai JoyaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
First off let me say, there have been 2 versions of this book released. I just bought it for my Kindle last week, so I have the latest edition. I did not find the writing as objectionable as some reviewers have. I'm sure as in most books there are areas where it could be improved, but it was not a distraction to me at all.
There are many extraordinary men and women in this world and this book is the story of one of them. Although Malalai Joya is a young woman, she has an important story to tell. Born into war-torn Afghanistan, she was fortunate to have a father who was educated and wanted his children to be educated as well - an estimated 80% of Afghan women are illiterate. Her father also instilled in her a love of democracy.
Malalai Joya is not her real name, but it is the name she goes by in most areas of her life in order to protect her family. Born in 1978, she has never known a time when her country was not at war. In A Woman Among Warlords, Joya describes her life in rural Afghanistan, refugee camps in both Iran and Pakistan, teaching in underground schools for girls, and finally being elected to the new Parliament only to be ejected for speaking out. Her life is constantly in danger, and although she has traveled outside of Afghanistan to speak and carry her message, she won't consider staying out of the country. Love for the real Afghanistan, the people, comes through on every page.
The book gives a brief history of Afghanistan to fill in background for the current struggle. She speaks knowledgeably about the roles other governments have played in this history and credits the research team who helped her gather this information. I have read several other books about Afghanistan and the facts are consistent with what I've read.
Although the book carries a message of hope, it is not a feel good book. She conveys a picture of the horrors that the Afghan people have had to endure and is critical of the people who have brought it about. This includes both Afghans such as the warlords and the president Hamid Karzai, but also the former Soviet Union and the current US/NATO occupation. However, just as she is able to distinguish between the Afghan government and the people of Afghanistan, she distinguishes between the people of western countries and their governments. Joya is thankful for being able to carry her message to Europe and the US, and for the help she has received from some western organizations.
The message could sound hopeless, but she doesn't see it that way. In the last chapter Joya gives suggestions to people who want to help. As an American, I have often wondered how we could leave Afghanistan with so many problems, many of which we caused, knowing that there are so many warring factions. Joya is insistent that, if democracy is to be attained in Afghanistan, it will be because the people secure it for themselves. The message I get from this book is that yes they would like our help, but from a distance.
View all my reviews
Friday, September 30, 2011
What are you interested in reading?
Do you have something that you want to read? Carolyn and I have been the only regulars for a long time and have gotten used to picking things interesting to us, but we are certainly both open to reading a lot of different types of books. So please make suggestions. Hopefully we can decide on a book by the end of October which will give us all time to get ready for the last week in November.
Eleanor and Roosevelt
Sometimes life just catches up with us and we have to adjust. So, we are currently taking a break from the bookclub. There will be no meeting in October, but I do hope we can resume in November.
In the mean time what are you reading? I have been reading in the area of US history lately, more specifically about US presidents. Within the last few months I've read biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, and Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. They were all books that I pulled off of my bookshelf or my Dad's bookshelf. Both of us have been buying at used book stores at a faster rate than we read for years. My current economic situation has required that I slow my rate of buying and as a consequence I have discovered some gems that I had overlooked.
One of these is Eleanor and Franklin by Joseph Lash. It was originally published in the 70s and based largely on Eleanor Roosevelt's correspondence. The book is dense, but fascinating. Eleanor is the focus as the author was a long time friend of hers. For this reason, it may be more forgiving than other biographies, but it is well documented. The biography covers the time from her childhood through FDR's death in 1945. You get insight into this fascinating woman who, because of her childhood, began her adult life with an intense desire to please. Where she has a desperate desire to connect intimately with other humans, she marries a man who rarely shares intimacies with anyone and brings with him a very dominating mother. Franklin's father was much older than his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, so when he died, Franklin was her life. She would dominate his life until she died, even to the point of building Eleanor and Franklin a townhouse in New York City next to her own with sliding doors on each floor connecting the two homes.
In the book, Lash shows how Eleanor evolves through time, gradually freeing herself from the influence of Sara and to a degree from Franklin. By the time they are in the White House, Eleanor has become a force independent of Franklin. The transformation began with her discovery of his affair with Lucy Mercer. Although they stayed together, in many ways Eleanor was set free from that time. She was still his partner in and always sensitive to not wanting to hinder his political success, in fact wanting to enhance it. She kept him in the public eye, after he was struck down by polio, when he couldn't do it himself.
While FDR was focused on his health, Eleanor began to get involved more and more with politics. She made new friends, learned about social issues, and developed skills in speaking and writing. Eleanor and Franklin tells the story of how Eleanor discovered her own causes, how she influenced FDR, and how she couldn't influence him. She was in many ways an idealist, where he was a realist, but she was also often his conscience.
Lash has written another book about Eleanor's life, Eleanor: The Years Alone. Fortunately, my Dad has it, so I may have to raid his book shelf again.
In the mean time what are you reading? I have been reading in the area of US history lately, more specifically about US presidents. Within the last few months I've read biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, and Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. They were all books that I pulled off of my bookshelf or my Dad's bookshelf. Both of us have been buying at used book stores at a faster rate than we read for years. My current economic situation has required that I slow my rate of buying and as a consequence I have discovered some gems that I had overlooked.
One of these is Eleanor and Franklin by Joseph Lash. It was originally published in the 70s and based largely on Eleanor Roosevelt's correspondence. The book is dense, but fascinating. Eleanor is the focus as the author was a long time friend of hers. For this reason, it may be more forgiving than other biographies, but it is well documented. The biography covers the time from her childhood through FDR's death in 1945. You get insight into this fascinating woman who, because of her childhood, began her adult life with an intense desire to please. Where she has a desperate desire to connect intimately with other humans, she marries a man who rarely shares intimacies with anyone and brings with him a very dominating mother. Franklin's father was much older than his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, so when he died, Franklin was her life. She would dominate his life until she died, even to the point of building Eleanor and Franklin a townhouse in New York City next to her own with sliding doors on each floor connecting the two homes.
In the book, Lash shows how Eleanor evolves through time, gradually freeing herself from the influence of Sara and to a degree from Franklin. By the time they are in the White House, Eleanor has become a force independent of Franklin. The transformation began with her discovery of his affair with Lucy Mercer. Although they stayed together, in many ways Eleanor was set free from that time. She was still his partner in and always sensitive to not wanting to hinder his political success, in fact wanting to enhance it. She kept him in the public eye, after he was struck down by polio, when he couldn't do it himself.
While FDR was focused on his health, Eleanor began to get involved more and more with politics. She made new friends, learned about social issues, and developed skills in speaking and writing. Eleanor and Franklin tells the story of how Eleanor discovered her own causes, how she influenced FDR, and how she couldn't influence him. She was in many ways an idealist, where he was a realist, but she was also often his conscience.
Lash has written another book about Eleanor's life, Eleanor: The Years Alone. Fortunately, my Dad has it, so I may have to raid his book shelf again.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Well, we've neglected this blog for quite a while even though the bookclub is still running. Over the next week or so I'll try to update books we have read, etc. We've dwindled down to 2 or 3 members, but still publish the book to read in the church newsletter each month.
The fact that only 2 of us are regulars may account for a more narrow selection of books and therefore less interest from others. However, we are definitely open to suggestions from others, so here's your chance. Hopefully with a little prodding we can get some others interested and expand our choices for books over the next few months.
If you happen to stumble upon this blog and have any suggestions, please leave a comment. We're always open to new ideas.
The fact that only 2 of us are regulars may account for a more narrow selection of books and therefore less interest from others. However, we are definitely open to suggestions from others, so here's your chance. Hopefully with a little prodding we can get some others interested and expand our choices for books over the next few months.
If you happen to stumble upon this blog and have any suggestions, please leave a comment. We're always open to new ideas.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
March Selection: Stones Into Schools
Since everyone loved, "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, we decided to do the sequel. Carlolyn Lowder has read it and highly recommended it. If you haven't got your copy, Amazon has used ones for pretty cheap. Happy Reading!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The World Is Flat
Great discussion on Ophelia! --missed Susan O. :(
This month we are reading: The World is Flat: A brief history of the 21st century by Thomas L. Friedman and for November: Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Get your copies now and get started reading. Walden Books in the mall has them both and the Borders e-coupon is a 25% off any item---
This month we are reading: The World is Flat: A brief history of the 21st century by Thomas L. Friedman and for November: Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Get your copies now and get started reading. Walden Books in the mall has them both and the Borders e-coupon is a 25% off any item---
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