The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain

People
United States	Europe
Ernest Hemingway Hadley Richardson James – father – suicide in 1904 Florence – mother – died shortly before she met Ernest Fonnie – sister – husband, Roland Kate Smith – Hadley’s friend Kenley - brother Bumby – son Sherwood Anderson – wrote Ernest letter’s of introduction in Europe	Ezra Pound Dorothy Shakespear Gertrude Stein Alice Toklas Chink Dorman-Smith Mike Strater Bob McAlmon – paid for trip to Spain Annie Ellerman – wife – heiress Harold Loeb Kitty Cannell – girlfriend – first friend that was just Hadley’s Duff Twysden – flirted with Ernest, character in The Sun Also Rises Pauline Pfeiffer – friend of Kitty and Kate Smith from college Scott Fitzgerald Zelda
Other: Agnes – nurse Ernest loved during war Harry Hindmarsh – unfair boss at Star in Canada Paul Mowrer – Hadley’s second husband

For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.            Discuss the effect of Hadley’s childhood accident on her personality. 

2.            Discuss the Hemingway family’s negative reaction to Ernest’s first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems.

3.            Consider Hadley’s friends and their importance to her in her life:

                a.            Kate Smith – did not like Ernest. (page 52) Why?

b.            Kitty Cannell – first friend that was truly her own.  (page 184) Kitty kept pushing Hadley to let her buy things for her. Why?

4.            Playing the piano was very important to Hadley, the only thing she had that was her own.   Why did she not pursue this?

a.            Ernest referred to the piano as her “work.”  (page 107)  Hadley felt that, “He lived inside the creative sphere and I lived outside, and I didn’t know if anything would ever change that.”  Was this distinction more important to their lives than just Hadley’s self image of herself as not an artist?

                b.            Discuss being an “artist’s wife.”   (page 107)  What was required?  What was sacrificed?

5.            What was your reaction when Hadley took all of Ernest’s work on the train and then lost it?  Was she to blame?

a.            In the end this turned out to be a positive incident.    Gertrude Stein told him it was a “blessing” and that he “needed to be free.”   (page 152)  Do you agree?

6.            Why was Ernest so fascinated with the Running of the Bulls and bullfighting?  Consider his concern that it would upset Hadley and the fact that it did not, she enjoyed it.

7.            What effect did the war have on Ernest?  He had difficulty forgetting, yet when he and Hadley visited Schio, a woman they met just said “The war is over.” when Hadley told her that Ernest had been there during the war.

a.            Ernest comment was, “Chasing the past is a lousy, rotten game, isn’t it?”  Can we revisit our past?  Did it benefit him to try?

8.            Why wasn’t Hadley included in The Sun Also Rises?  Should she have taken that as a sign?

9.            Discuss the impact of the pregnancy on their marriage and life style.  Ezra Pound warned her that it would be a mistake to “domesticate” Ernest. (page 150) Was he correct?  Was Ernest ever “domesticated?”

10.          Do you think Hadley could have done anything to save the marriage?  Was she right to let Pauline become so integrated in their lives?

11.          Ernest was married four times and had many lovers.  Was his personality just too big for a regular marriage or relationship?

12.          Why did Ernest commit suicide?

13.          What was your reading experience with this book?  Did you like the author’s style?  Did you feel connected to the characters?

14.          If you have read any of Hemingway’s work, did this book change the way you thought about his writing?  Do you think the book also presented his life and art accurately?

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand

Timeline,  Locations and People
Torrance, CA Through 1936	Zamperini Family: Louie Frank – father Louise – mother Pete – brother – 20 months older – graduated high school with 10 varsity letters Virginia – sister Sylvia – sister – married Harvey
1936 – 1940 University of Southern California	James “Jimmie” Saski – imposter, daily trips to Torrance to set up radio transmitter near power station Payton Jordan – college friend
1941 Ephrata, Washington “Super Man” B-24 plane	Russell Allen Phillips – pilot – wore pants with one leg shorter than other, preferred not to speak - Cecy – finance Stanley Pillsbury – top turret gunner Clarence Douglas – engineer Robert Mitchell – navigator and nose gunner Frank Glossman – radioman and belly gunner Ray Lambert – tail gunner Harry  Brooks – radioman and waist gunner George Moznette Jr. – copilot Charleton Hugh Cuppernell – new copilot
1943 “Green Hornet”  B-24	Louie Phil Cuppernell Enlisted man who joined at last minute Frances McNamara – tail gunner – loved sweets
Raft	Louie, Phil and Mac
1943 Kwajalein Island Ofuna – secret interrogation center	Kawamura – Christian Guard Jimmie Sasaki – on Navy ship and at Ofuna Sueharu Kitamura – medical officer – tortured prisoners – aka “The Butcher” and “The Quack” Commanders Arthur Maher and John Fitzgerald – both spoke Japanese William Harris – beaten by “The Quack” Fred Garrett – held in same cell where Louie scratched his name below 9 who died Fred Tinker – dive bomber pilot and opera singer Phil – eventually sent to Ashio
1944 Omori POW Camp	Louie, Frank Tinker 1945 – Bill Harris arrived Mutsuhiro Watanabe – “The Bird”
1945 Naoetsu POW Camp	“The Bird” August 20 – war ended, Americans dropped supplies to prisoners To Okinawa to recuperate
After the war:	Louie married Cynthia Applewhite Children:  Cissy and Luke 1949 –converted to Christianity at Billy Graham crusade 1950 – returned to Japan 1997 – Louie wrote letter forgiving “The Bird” 1/22/1998 – returned to Japan to carry torch for Olympics 2003 – “The Bird” died

For discussion:

NOTE:  All page numbers refer to the hardback edition.

 1.            Discuss Louie’s childhood, particularly his “mischief.”  How did this prepare him for the hardship to come?

 2.            When the Green Hornet crashed, Louie was trapped underwater wrapped in wires from the plane.  How do explain his sudden release and resurfacing?

3.            Discuss the incident where Mac ate all of the chocolate survival food supplies.  Were you surprised that Louie and Phil forgave him?  How did he cope with the knowledge of what he did?

4.            Who do you think Jimmie Sasaki really was?   Should suspicions have been raised earlier about his identity?

5.            Consider the relationship between “The Bird” and Louie.  Why did The Bird focus on Louie? 

6.            How can you explain all of the guards’ evil and cruel behavior toward the POWs?  According to The Bird, they were taught that the POWs had surrendered which was a shameful thing in Japan and so they only deserved to be treated as they were.  Also he stated that he, “...had a good heart, but Japan at that time had a bad heart.  In normal times I never would have done such things.”  (page 393)  (see also page 195)

7.            How were the POWs able to survive?

a.            Loss of dignity – dignity is very important to the Japanese culture.  The author stated, “This is likely one of the reasons why Japanese soldiers in World War II debased their prisoners with such zeal, seeking to take from them that which was most painful and destructive to lose.” (page 183)

b.            The triumph of subversion – the POWs did all they could to defy the guards without their knowledge. (see page 204)

8.            Discuss the experiences of the other soldiers:

                a.            Bill Harris – He chose to stay in the military and then disappeared in Korea.  What do you think happened to him?  Is there a connection to his experiences in WW II?

                b.            Russell Allen Phillips

                                1.) Why did he wear one pant leg shorter than the other?

                2.) It stated early in the book that he preferred not to speak.  How did this affect him later in life?

                3.) How did he handle Louie getting all of the attention when he lived through the same experiences?

9.            Consider the experiences of those at home, not knowing the fate of their loved ones for years.  How did they cope?  Are we as strong today?

10.          Discuss your reading experience.  How did you feel reading this book – entertained, sad, angry?
*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at wordassociation.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on link on upper right to go to Amazon page.

Kane and Abel, by Jeffrey Archer

Characters
William Kane	Wladek Koskiewicz (Baron Abel Rosnovski)
Richard – father Anne – mother Henry Osborne – step-father Two grandmothers Kate – wife Richard – son Two daughters Matthew Lester – friend Susan – Matthew’s sister Thaddeus Cohen – lawyer Companies: Kane and Cabot Lester and Company	Helena – adopted mother Josio – adopted father Five siblings including Florentyna (sister) Baron Rosnovski Leon – son Zahpia – wife Florentyna – daughter Debien – doctor at concentration camp Jerzy Nowak – George Novak Davis Leroy – hotel chain owner Melanie – daughter
Richard and Florentyna Kane William Abel Kane – son Annabel - daughter

For discussion:

1.       Which characters did you like the most?  The least?

2.       Did you think that Abel should have done more to help Helena when he returned to Poland and found her?  Could he have?

3.       Was there anything that happened in the novel that surprised you?

4.       Discuss Abel’s marriage.  Do you think Zaphia was too stereotyped?  Should Abel have worked harder at the marriage?

5.       Did Abel’s treatment of women make him a less sympathetic character?

6.       Given their backgrounds, could the two men have acted any differently?  Why or why not?

7.       Could either Kane or Abel done anything to avoid the feud?  Is so, what?

8.       Did you gain any insights into the human character through reading this novel?  What?

9.       Consider the similarities and differences between Kane and Abel in the following chart.  What else can you add?

	William Kane and Abel Rosnovski
Similarities	Birthdate Family size Business sense Ambition
Differences	Success of marriage Treatment of women Childhood

Hellhound on His Trail, by Hampton Sides

Characters
SCLC	FBI	Others
Martin Luther King Coretta – wife Ralph Abernathy Andrew Young Jesse Jackson	J. Edgar Hoover Clyde Tolson – Life-long friend and 2nd in command Cartha D. DeLoach – 3rd in command Robert Jensen – FBI agent in Memphis	Prisoner #416-J a.k.a. Eric Starvo Galt a.k.a. James Earl Ray a.k.a. Ramon George Sneyd George Wallace Memphis Sanitation Workers Alexander Eist – guard in London jail Arthur Hanes – Ray’s U.S. lawyer Ray’s family: Jimmy, Jerry and John – brothers – all felons Marjorie – burned to death playing with matches Max –mentally disabled Susie – given up for adoption Lucille –mother – cirrhosis of liver Melba – mentally ill Buzzy – died in car accident Father – recluse in Missouri

For discussion:

NOTE:  All pages refer to the paperback edition of the book.

1.      Do you think MLK had an actual premonition of his death or was just being dramatic and knew that was a possibility? (page 218)

2.      Compare Coretta King with Jackie Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy.

 3.      Considering James Earl Ray:

a.       What was his main motive in life?

b.      Discuss his skill at breaking out of prison.

c.       Why did he close his eyes in the graduation photo?

d.      Why was Galt/Ray so interested in hypnotism?

e.       Why did he have his nose redone?

f.       Given his family background, do you think anything could have been done to help him and his siblings grow up differently and be productive citizens? (pages 336 & 337)

g.      Compare Ray’s life of multigenerational poverty with MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign. (page 336)

4.      Discuss the FBI under Hoover and the tactics used to follow criminals and regular citizens.

5.      Were you surprised by the SCLC leaders’ attitude after the assassination and the fact that they were not that interested in finding the individual killer but rather about the attitude in the country that wanted MLK dead?  (page 249)

6.      Did the fact that MLK openly had mistresses affect your opinion of him and his work?

a.       Did Coretta know?   If so, how did she deal with this knowledge?

b.      Consider MLK and Coretta’s marriage.   He was never home and had not provided for his family in the event of his death.

7.      What were your thoughts while reading this book?

a.       Did you enjoy it?

b.      Was it well written?

c.       What surprised you?

d.      Did you learn anything?