At the Edge of the Orchard, by Tracy Chevalier

Characters
Black Swamp, OH 1838	California 1853-1856
James Goodenough Sadie 10 Children: Robert - youngest Martha – James’ favorite Caleb Sally John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) Hattie and John Day	Robert Martha William Lobb – plant collector from England James Veitch – in England, nurseryman Billie Lapham – owned sequoia grove Nancy - wife Molly Jones Mrs. Dody Bienenstock – landlady

 For Discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1. At the beginning of the novel there was a discussion of numbers.  James felt that keeping numbers and records comforted him and “made you feel in charge” (page 7).  On the other hand, “They bothered Sadie like wasps” (page 7).  How do you feel about numbers?
2. How did you feel reading Sadie’s part of the narrative?  Did the lack of punctuation bother you?
3. Were you able to understand both James and Sadie’s view of their life in Ohio?  Do you think it would have ever been possible for them to find common ground?
4. Sadie kept hinting that Charles, James’ brother, was Robert’s father.  What did you think?  How would this make a difference?
5. Molly and Robert thought of Calaveras Grove in two different ways – Molly thought it was about the people and Robert thought it was about nature.  What did you think?  Can it be both?

6. When Molly asked Robert why he had never told her anything about his family, he said, “If I don’t tell people about it, I don’t have to think about it…” (page 238).   Molly replied, “Ain’t it better to be open about it?  Then at least you’re honest, so you don’t have it diggin’ at you, deep inside” (page 238).  Can you understand each point of view?  What are the positives and negatives of each?
7. Molly told Robert, “You can choose to be different from your past” (page 280).   Do you agree?  Can we make that choice?
8. Discuss Robert going so rapidly from his solitary life to living with Molly and Jimmy.   Were you able to relate?  Did the author do a good job describing his transition.
9. Why do you think Molly was able to connect with Dody when she didn’t seem to connect with anyone else?
10. Discuss the various characters.  What were their admirable qualities?  What did you find annoying?  Who would you want to be friends with? 
11. Did this book help you appreciate nature?
12. Discuss the author’s writing, the format of the book, and your reading experience.

*****

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 Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Characters
Spokane Indian Reservation	Reardon High School
Arnold Spirit, “Junior” Mother Father Mary Runs Away – sister Grandmother Spirit Oscar - dog Rowdy – best friend Mr. P. – geometry teacher Billionaire Ted	Penelope Earl – father Roger the Giant – basketball player Gordy – study partner

For Discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the 2007 paperback edition.

1. What is the meaning of the quote by W. B. Yeats at the beginning of the book, “There is another world, but it is in this one.”
2. On page 5 the author compared reading words and pictures and wrote that words are unpredictable and limited and that people who speak another language than the one you wrote in will not be able to understand, “But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it.”   What did the pictures add to this book for you?
3. Discuss the importance of best friends.  Arnold said that, “I think Rowdy might be the most important person in my life.  Maybe more important than my family.  Can your best friend be more important than your family?” (page 24).
4. What did you think about Mr. P and his confession that the educational system was, “…supposed to make you give up being Indian” and that “We were trying to kill Indian culture” (page 35).
5. When Arnold told Rowdy that he was leaving Wellpinit and going to Reardon to school, Rowdy reacted by becoming very angry and punched Arnold.  Is that an expected reaction?  Is there anything Arnold could have done to soften the announcement?
6. Discuss the difference between Arnold feeling that he was betraying his tribe and his desire to improve himself.
7. When Arnold first started at Reardon, Roger made a racist joke about Indians and Arnold punched him.   Arnold thought that incident may have been, “…the most important moment of my life.  Maybe I was telling the world that I was no longer a human target” (page 65).  What did you think of the incident?  What did Arnold learn from the incident?
8. Were you surprised that Roger became a good friend to Arnold?  Why do you think this happened?
9. Discuss the basketball game when the entire reservation turned their back on Arnold. Did you feel that the behavior of the people off the reservation was better than of those on the reservation?  Can you understand the motives of the reservation people?
10. How important are our expectations of others and ourselves?  Playing basketball at Wellpinit, Arnold, “…wasn’t expected to be good so I wasn’t.  But in Reardon, my coach and the other players wanted me to be good…They expected me to be good.  And so I became good” (page 180).  How important are our expectations of ourselves and other people’s expectations of us?
11. On page 189 the coach said to Arnold before the basketball game with Wellpinit that, “You can do it.”   Arnold reflected those were, “…the four hugest words in the world when they’re put together.”  Why was it so important for Arnold to hear those words?
12. Discuss the character of Gordy.  How influential was he to Arnold’s success?
13. What was the point of adding Billionaire Ted to the novel at Grandmother Spirit’s funeral?
14. Rowdy was crying and told Arnold that he, Arnold, was responsible for Mary’s death (page 211).  How do you explain Rowdy’s feelings and actions?  Should Arnold feel responsible?
15. Contrast the tribe’s actions (eating all food and getting drunk) and Rowdy’s (blaming Arnold and running away) treatment toward the grieving family with how Arnold felt when he returned to Reardon (“They were worried for me…I was important to them” [page 212].) 
16. Arnold listed all of the tribes he belonged to including basketball players, bookworms, etc. (page 217). Did this enhance or diminish his membership in the tribe of Spokane Indians?
17. How do you think a teenager would read this book compared to your reading as an adult?
18. How were the Indians portrayed in this novel?  What problems were highlighted?  What positives were displayed?
19. What messages do you think the author wants the reader to take from this novel?

*****
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 Lauras, by Sara Taylor

REVIEW:  I have mixed thoughts about this book.  The author did an outstanding job presenting Alex’s conflict about gender roles and choices.  I thought it was very insightful that Ma and Alex had no conflict, it was the rest of the world that felt the need to assign everyone to a specific designation.  While the character of Ma was excellent in how she dealt with Alex’s sexuality, I thought she was irresponsible in the lifestyle she included Alex in, including changing school so often and extensive lack of supervision.  Keeping in mind that this is fiction and some rules can be bent, the story line at times seemed unrealistic.  (Of course, my background colored my reading.  This story may well resonate with others.)  All that said, I did enjoy my reading experience and wanted to keep reading to find out how everything was resolved.  In the end, isn’t that what we want in a book - to enjoy the reading experience and maybe gain some new or deeper understanding in the human experience?  This book fulfilled that expectation.  I received a complimentary copy of this book for this review.

Characters

Travels

Alex – 14 when novel begins Ma Father First Laura – friends with Ma, ages 9 – 12 Second Laura – group home in New Jersey, age 14 Third Laura – group home in PA, age 15 Man in car - molested Alex Fletcher – owned Tattoo Parlor and club Fourth Laura – artist, gave Ma Cadillac Fifth Laura – Hood College, Maryland Mr. Panagopoulos – Anthony’s grandfather Anthony – from foster home, Ma sprinkled ashes in ocean Marisol Deceased infant daughter Margaret-Mary Rue Anna-Maria – daughter, ran away with Ma’s help Simon – met Alex when he was working at Cojones, drag club Carla – Sixth Lara, Ma’s daughter given up for adoption when she was a teenager Final Laura - Canada

West Virginia – waitress Florida - waitressing in two bars Harrison County, Mississippi Texas – rescued Anna-Maria Reno -bartending Alex attacked at school California Canada – end of Ma’s Quest Alex – back to Virginia to see father

 For discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. Did it bother you that the first three Laura’s were presented out of order (1^st, 3^rd, 2^nd)?  Why do you think the author did that?
2. In chapter VII (page 81-81), did you understand the explanation of why all the women in the stories Ma told Alex were all called Laura?
3. In chapter VIII (page 93), Alex thought that “There were stories that she couldn’t tell.  Everyone has then; most people pretend that they’ve been forgotten.”  Do you think most people have hidden stories?
4. What did you think about Ma dragging Alex with her on the Quest?  Did you wonder why she didn’t leave Alex with his father?
5. Discuss the long-term effect on Alex of the molestation by the man in the car while Alex was hitchhiking home from sending a post card to the father (chapter V).
6. In chapter XVIII there was a story about how the mother and father differed in their approach to Alex getting in trouble (Ma yelling and then Dad taking Alex for a ride to talk and buying a milkshake).  Was one more effective than the other?  Did they work well together?
7. Discuss how you felt about Alex and Ma as their stories unraveled.  Did your thoughts and your sympathies change?
8. In chapter XVIII Alex worked at Cojones, a drag club.  Should Ma have been more vigilant and allowed Alex to do this?
9. Who did you think the final Laura in Canada was?  Any of the previous ones?
10. Did the author do a good job describing Alex’s feelings of asexuality?  Was that important to the story?  As you were discussing or thinking about the book, did you have a hard time not referring to Alex as either “he” or “she?”
11. Did the author do a good job of explaining and describing Ma’s and Alex’s restlessness?  Were you able to empathize with how they felt?  Given how young Alex was, do you think Ma should have been so permissive?
12. The book dedication is, “To Laura, who left a hole in me.”   How did you interpret this?
13. Could this story have been real?

*****

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.