Everybody's Fool, by Richard Russo

Characters
Townspeople	Officials	Locations
Beryl Peoples - high school English teacher, deceased Clive Jr. – son, started Ultimate Escape Fun Park, then left town when it failed Rub Squeers Bootsie - wife Donald Sullivan “Sully” – Rub’s best friend Will – son Peter – grandson Rub - dog Ruth – Sully’s girlfriend/friend Zach – husband, scavenger Janey – daughter Tina – Janey and Roy’s daughter Roy Purdy – Janey’s ex-husband, ex-con Cora - girlfriend Carl Roebuck – gave Sully and Rub work	Gus Moynihan – mayor Alice – wife Kurt Wright – professor, lived with Alice Douglas “Dougie” Raymer – chief of police Becka – wife, deceased Charice – receptionist Jerome – brother, affair with Becka Miller - officer	Gert’s Salon – near Morrison Arms Gert Morrison Arms – apartment building White Horse Tavern Birdie Hattie’s Diner Ruth Cemetary

For Discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers are from hardback edition of novel.

1. Discuss Rub’s father.  Why was he so mean to Rub?  What effect did this have on Rub?  His mother told his father in front of Rub, “You’re the reason he’s like this” (page 41).  Given how he treated Rub, why did his mother mourn his death when he was so mean?

2. What did you think about Sully and Rub’s friendship?  Why wasn’t Sully nicer to Rub?  Why did he name his dog “Rub?”

3. Why do you think Becka married Raymer?   Raymer remembered that she had changed everything about him (page 190) including the type of underwear he wore.  

4. Why did the townspeople vote for Raymer for Chief of Police?

5. What did Miss Beryl see in Raymer?  Why was she always giving him books?  On page 19 the author wrote, “The old woman was forever shoving books at him, and while another boy might have considered these gifts encouragement, he had wondered if they might instead be punishment for some misdeed he hadn’t noticed.”

6. On page 330 Raymer thought about the question Miss Beryl always asked him, “Who is this Douglas Raymer?”    Why did she keep asking him that question?

7. Consider Miss Beryl and Sully – why did she like him better than her own son?  Would you like to have had a teacher like Miss Beryl?

8. Early in the book, Raymer wondered, “What made him so vulnerable to the judgements of others… when others got off scot-free” (page 16).  Why was he so self-conscious?

9. On page 147, Raymer was reflecting on the people in the town and thought, “Amazing, when you thought about it, how much of human destiny was mapped out by third grade.”   Do you agree?

10. Consider Kurt Wright, the professor hired by Moynihan.  How was he able to manage and control everyone?

11. Did Roy Purdy stand a chance in life?  Even as a grown man, he could not forget the waitress’ look when he was 12 and eating at a diner with his father, who skipped out on the bill, “Like she could see his whole pitiful life stretched out before her, causing him to ball his hands into fists” (page356).  How did this comment affect him?

12. What lesson had Roy’s father been trying to teach him with the diner incident where he had to eat everything he ordered?  Roy thought, “His father was right: wanting things that weren’t worth wanting or wishing things were different was a waste of time” (page 356).  What did Roy really learn from this experience?

13. What did you think when Doug was struck by lightning at his wife’s grave and developed an alter ego “Dougie?”  Why did the author write this?
14. What did you like about this book?  Was there anything you did not like?  Were there any insights in the human character and experience in the book?  What were you able to connect to in the novel?
15. Discuss the various characters.  Which one did you sympathize with the most?   Were there any you particularly liked or disliked?  Why?
16. This author won the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls.  How does this book compare?  Does it give you a true picture of some slice of American life?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies  and  Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right  link.

The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Characters
Darlington Hall	Others
Lord Darlington – previous employer Mr. Farraday – new employer, American Mr. Stevens – Butler Mr. Stevens Sr. – father Miss Kenton 1923 Conference: Herr Karl-Heinz Bremann Mr. Lewis – American Senator M. Dupont Sir David Cardinal Reginald Cardinal – son 1936-37, Unofficial meetings at Darlington Hall: Lord Halifax, Cabinet member, foreign secretary Herr Ribbentrop – German Ambassador	Hayes Society of Butlers Mrs. Carolyn Barnet – influenced Darlington to fire any Jewish employees Mascombe: Mr. and Mrs. Taylor – took in Stevens when ran out of gas Harry Smith Various other neighbors Dr. Richard Carlisle

For Discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the paperback edition of the book.

1. Discuss Mr. Stevens and his personality and demeanor as a butler.  What did you think of his reaction when his father died?
2. Given the time in which this story took place and the expectations in England, could Stevens have acted any differently?  
3. On page 48, Stevens thought that coming back to Darlington Hall would console Miss Kenton after what he deemed as a life “dominated by a sense of waste.”   Do you think Miss Kenton would agree?
4. When Stevens was trying to talk to his father about cutting back on his duties, he talked about his father in the third person (see page 64-65).  What does this tell you about their personalities and relationship?
5. On page 179 when Stevens was reflecting on conversations with Miss Kenton where their relationship deteriorated, he thought, “There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable” (page 179).  Do you think is it common that small, insignificant events have large consequences?  Can you think of any examples?
6. Consider Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton’s relationship.  For example, when she was hinting to him about his father’s slipping in his duties, was she motivated by kindness or other factors.    Had they been able to communicate better, would their relationship have been different?  More satisfying?
7. What did you think of Stevens’ assessment of Continentals?  For example, on page he thought, “…they are as a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of” (page 43).    Also, he had great difficulty with Mr. Faradays’ bantering which he thought, “…in the United States, no doubt, is a sign of a good, friendly understanding between employer and employee” (page 14).   What did you think about this description?
8. When he was visiting Moscombe and the Taylors, why did Stevens deliberately mislead them about his profession?
9. What did you think about the citizens of Moscombe?   One man, Harry Smith, had the reputation for getting people talking, and he said, “Whether people agree or disagree – and I know there’s not one soul in this room now who’d agree with everything I say – at least I’ll get them thinking” (page 190).  What did you think when you read this statement?  How does that fit in our political climate today?
10. After he left the town, Stevens had these thoughts: “Up to a point, no doubt, there is some truth in what he [Harry Smith] says: in a country such as ours, people may indeed have a certain duty to think about great affairs and form their opinions.  But life being what it is, how can ordinary people truly be expected to have ‘strong opinions’ on all manner of things…There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know…” (page 194).  What did you think about this statement?
11. There were several recurring themes throughout the novel.   What would you add?
1. Dignity:  This was very important to Stevens.  How would you define dignity? 
2. Aging:  Consider Stevens’ father.  Could you relate when he went and retraced his steps in the area where he fell and dropped the tray?  How do you think Stevens Jr. will age?
3. Knowing your place:  Both Miss Kenton and Stevens seemed to regret that their relationship did not evolve into more.  Could they have been able to step out of their “place” and connect?  What did you think when Stevens was being quizzed by Lord Darlington’s guests and he would not offer an opinion because it was “not his place.”
4. Duty:  When his father was dying, Stevens put his duty above his father.  Could he have done something different?
12. What did you think about Lord Darlington?  He worked so hard for what he thought was right only to discover he was being used by the Germans.
13. Is Stevens at fault for totally supporting Lord Darlington even when his efforts turned out to be misguided?  Should Stevens have tried to think for himself?
14. Were you able to easily follow the time line in the novel?  Did the author do a good job of helping you, the reader, follow along?
15. This author was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and this is one of his most popular books.  The Boston Globe said it was one of the best books of the decade.  Why?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester  (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.

The Far Away Brothers, by Lauren Markham

REVIEW:  This is a great book on multiple levels.   The author presented information in a non-judgmental way.  She did a great job of describing the individual, personal experience as well as the global viewpoint.  I personally learned a lot and also started to think about the immigration situation in the US in a different, more empathetic way.  I highly recommend this book!!  I think it is an important part of our immigration discussion.  I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review.  

People
El Salvador	California
Flores Family Wilbur – father Esperanza – mother Ricardo – oldest child Wilbur Jr. – went to California Maricela – 2 children Ernesto Raul Lucia Mariana Pablo Luis Graciela – Wilbur’s half sister Don Augustin – Uncle Augustin Juan Javier Gangs: MS-13 Barrio 18 Cesar – father to Maricela’s 2nd baby	Ernesto Raul Wilbur Jr. Gabby – girlfriend Rosalinda – Gabby’s mother Two children – Jose and Silvia Sandra – helped boys across border Oakland International High School (OIHS) Mr. David – math teacher Lauren Markham – author Amy Allen – attorney Sofia – Ernesto’s girlfriend Isabella - daughter

For Discussion:

Note:  Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. Discuss the positive and negative influences of Facebook for the two brothers.
2. Their family went into massive debt to send Ernesto and Raul to the United States.  What did you think about them spending money on shoes, jackets, etc. instead of sending more money home?  How was Wilbur able to pay off his debt and the twins were not?
3. Discuss the sacrifices made by the families and others for Ernesto and Raul:
1. The Flores family accrued massive debt and eventually had to sell some of their land.
2. Wilbur Jr. put his own dreams on hold and risked being identified as undocumented to help his brothers.
3. Sandra put herself at risk even though she had her own family.
4. What did you think of the incident in chapter 8 when everyone was admiring a beetle and Ernesto stomped on it and killed it.   Is this related to the murder he witnessed on his journey to the United States?  How did that affect him?
5. Was there anything that could have been done to help the boys stay in school and finish their education?
6. Two different times in the book the author described how the boys felt inferior.  On page 190 (chapter 9) the boys felt “accused …of being nothing” and on page 213 (chapter 10) she wrote, “Living on the margins of a gentrifying city only underlined to Ernesto what the twins had been told and had fought during their whole lives; that they were less than, and that they didn’t, and shouldn’t expect to, belong.”  Can you understand their feelings?  Were there any way things could have been different?
7. In the Afterword the author asks the question, “Concerning immigration, the questions we should be asking are: Why is Central America hemorrhaging people?  And what can be done to stop it at the source?” (page 268).  What do you think?
8. How well did the author present the information without expressing her own opinion?
9. Did you gain any new insights into the experiences of immigrants in America?
10. How might you change things in America after reading this book? 
11. Discuss your reading experience.  Did you like the way the book was organized with alternating sections of the story of the two brothers with more global information?

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation,com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right  link.