The Sentence, Louise Erdrich

 

Characters
Bookstore	Others
Louise – owner, author   Tookie   Jackie Kettle – former 7th grade teacher, sent Tookie books in jail   Flora – customer, ghost haunting store   Penstemom Brown “Pen” – clerk, artist, writer   Asema – clerk   Gruen – part-time, German student    Roland Waring “Dissatisfaction” – customer, never satisfied Gary - dog	Pollux – Tookie’s husband, former tribal police Hetta – Pollux’s niece Jarvis – Hetta’s baby   Laurent – Jarvis’ father, a rugaraoo, “a wolf person who keeps coming back to life and who returns to certain places” (page 160)   Kateri Tekakwitha – Flora’s foster daughter   Danae Mara Budgie – deceased, drugs taped to body

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       What did you think of the first paragraph?   Given that “sentence” is in the title and has various meanings throughout the novel, was it a good introduction?

2.       The word “sentence” is significant for a variety of reasons.  Did this add to your understanding and enjoyment of the novel?

a.       The opening quote, “From the time of birth to the time of death, every word you utter is part of one long sentence,” Sun Yung Shin, Unbearable Splendor

b.       Tookie’s prison sentence

c.       “What I am trying to say is that a certain sentence of the book – a written sentence, a very powerful sentence – killed Flora” (page 161)

d.       “I wish I could write a sentence like that” (page 161).  Said by Louise.

3.       On page 4, Tookie tells the reader that she now “only sells words” and then states, “Books contain everything worth knowing except what ultimately matters.” This sentence is repeated on page 381 at the list of books the author recommends.  Why did the author write that and what does she mean?

4.       Discuss the character of Flora.  She was described as “an Indian wannabe” (page 36), “nice, good-natured, not just friendly, but ready to help” (page 37), and looking “younger, remarkably younger, in spite of the long refrigeration” (page 163).   Her daughter, Kateri, thought she and Tookie were best friends (page 101).  Why did she annoy Tookie so much?

5.       What did you think about Flora’s book, The Sentence, An Indian Captivity, 1862-1883?   It was handwritten in a notebook and could not be burned or cut with an ax.

6.       One bookstore customer was nicknamed “Dissatisfaction” and was one of Tookie’s favorite customers.  He was described as a “Tantalus, whose literary hunger perpetually gnaws but can never be satiated” (pages 97-98).  He hated happy endings but would not “quit even though he may come to hate it” (page 99).  Could you relate?

7.       Discuss Tookie and Hetta’s relationship.  Tookie could not help herself from worrying and asking question.  Was she acting like a typical mom?

8.       Why didn’t Tookie want to know her real name?  Pollux knew it but would not say it.

9.       How well did the author address the common feelings at the beginning of COVID in the section “February 2020” starting on page 147 and then throughout the remainder of the book?

10.   There were multiple references to reading and books.  Did you enjoy or relate to them?

a.       “Books aren’t meant to be safe.  Sadly, or heroically, depending on the way you look at it, books do kill people” (page 161).

b.       Tookie had two stacks of books she is reading, “a Lazy Stack and a Hard Stack” (page 73). 

c.       Tookie wanted the writing in her books to have “a certain mineral density.  It had to feel naturally meant, but not cynically contrived” (page 164) and she was annoyed to authors who used “winking cliff-hangers” (page 164). 

d.       Trends in book titles on page 142: “girl” or “bone” in the title for example

11.   The book addressed several current issues: sentencing disparities in general and in Native Americans and women, George Floyd, COVID.   Were all of these needed?  How did they move the story along?

12.   Did the way the author approached these situations feel true to you?  Did you gain any new insights?

13.   Do you think future readers, a generation from now, will have an accurate understanding of these events after reading this book?

14.   Did you find the resolution of the ghost story satisfying?  Did you suspect the connection between Flora and Tookie?

15.   How many of the books and authors mentioned in the novel have you read?  Did you think they were worthy of being included?  What do you think was the author’s criteria for selecting the books to include in the narrative as well as the lists in the back of the book?

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Characters

Nick Carraway   Tom and Daisy Buchanan Pam – daughter   Jay Gatsby “James Gatz”   Henry C. Gatz – Gatsby’s father   Jordan Baker – golfer   Myrtle Wilson George – husband Catherine – sister   Meyer Wolfshiem – gambler, bootlegger   Walter Chase – Tom’s friend, partnered with Gatsby and Wolfshiem   Dan Cody – employed Gatsby as a teenager   Michaelis – witness to accident, owned coffee shop next to Wilsons   Doctor T. J. Eckleburg – billboard near Wilson’s store

 

For Discussion:

1.       Why does Gatsby call everyone “old sport?”

2.       Why didn’t anyone come to Gatsby’s funeral?

3.       What did you think of the various characters: Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Nick?   Were you able to relate to any of them?

4.       Do you think Daisy loved Gatsby?

5.       At Gatsby’s funeral, his father brought a book his son had read when he was a boy in 1906.   Inside the back cover Gatsby had outlined a plan for self-improvement including his daily schedule, what he would read, how he would save his money, etc.  (Chapter Nine).  Was this a good plan?   Do you think the plan succeeded?

6.       When Tom told Wilson who owned the car, do you think he knew Daisy was driving?  Did he suspect what Wilson would do?

7.       What was the point of the billboard in the story? After Myrtle had been killed, George looked out the window at the billboard and told Michaelis, “God sees everything” (Chapter Eight).

8.       In the end, Gatsby achieves the American Dream (success evidenced by great wealth) but is very unhappy.  Is this a positive or negative aspect of the book?

9.       According to the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (www.ala.org/advocacy) The Great Gatsby is one of the top 100 novels of the 20^th century that have been banned or challenged, mostly because of language and sexual references. Do you think this is a valid criticism?  How do you think this novel would be understood by a high school student today?

10.   In the first chapter, Tom is telling Daisy and Jordan about a book he is reading that promotes white supremacy.  This was not mentioned in many of the reasons why the book was challenged.  Do you think that would change in today’s atmosphere?

11.   This novel was written in 1925 and is considered a classic.  Is it relevant today?  Why?

 

The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

 

People
Belle’s family	Others
Belle de Costa Greene/Belle Marion Greener Genevieve – mother Richard Greener – father, first colored Harvard graduate, former president of the University of South Carolina and former dean of Harvard School of Law Russell – engineer Louise – teacher Ethel – teacher Theodora “Teddy” – 7 years younger than Belle   Grandma Fleet   Minerva – Genevieve’s sister Belleni – husband   Mozart – Genevieve’s brother Adalaide - wife	J. Pierpont Morgan Laura J. P. Jr. “Jack” Juliet Anna   Bernard Berenson – affair, wrote art book Belle read at age 10 Mary – wife   William Caxton, printer – “Le Morte Darthur” “made printed word available to the masses” [page 141)

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardbacked edition.

1.       How much different was Belle’s and Teddy’s experience passing as white?  Given their age difference, that was all Teddy knew.

2.       Discuss the interaction between Belle and the colored server at the Vanderbilt ball in May 1906.  Belle’s mother advised her not to make eye contact with colored people, but Belle looked at the server too long and she thought, “in the ephemeral connection we’ve made, I can see that she knows” (page 57).  Then “the servingwoman grins. A broad, delighted proud grin” (page 58).  Were you surprised at the woman’s reaction?

3.       Regarding Genevieve’s advice to be cautious and avoid eye contact with colored people, Belle decided to “be bold, daring to hide my differences in plain sight” (page 59).  Would her mother’s advice have been successful in Belle’s situation?

4.       Throughout their relationship, Belle often read out loud to J. P. Morgan.  Why do you think he enjoyed this?  As an adult, do you think you would enjoy being read to?  Is this the same as audio books?

5.       What did you think about Morgan and Belle’s relationship, both working and personal?  One of his mistresses told Belle in 1911 that Belle was “the most important person in his life” (page 231).

 

6.       Why do you think Anne Morgan had such negative feelings toward Belle?

7.       In March 1908, Belle’s family returned to Washington D. C. for Grandma Fleet’s funeral.  In doing so, they had to abide by the rules for colored people.  How difficult was this for the family?  Was it possible for Genevieve’s family to understand the choices she made for her children and herself?  

8.       Did you understand why Genevieve made this decision?  She stated, “I did what I had to do to give my children the best opportunities, the best life” (page 101).  Do you think it was right for her to do so?

9.       Were you surprised that when Belle and her father met in 1913, that he told her, “One day, Belle, we will be able to reach back through the decades and claim you as one of our own?  Your accomplishments will be part of history; they’ll show doubtful white people what colored people can do” (page 275).   Were you surprised that he approved of her decision to pass as white?  

10.   As the story progressed, what did you think about Berenson?  They both were hiding their heritage.  In the end he betrayed Belle by sharing information with the Duveens, art dealers.

11.   Because Belle destroyed most of her personal papers, it is undocumented that she actually had an abortion in 1910.  In the Historical Note on the authors state that there is some evidence of this happening, “but the details are not documented” (page 326).  Should this have been included in the novel?  How did this event add to your understanding of Belle?

12.   Reflecting on Richard Greener’s statement in question 9, do you think this was one of the unexpressed reasons the authors wrote this book?

13.   In the Author’s Notes, Marie Benedict wrote, “I’d always believed myself to be a proponent of equality for all, but my conversations with Victoria (co-author) made clear how little I knew about the struggle and about myself” (page 334).  By reading this book did you gain any insights into the struggle of African Americans in our society?

The Last Green Valley, Mark Sullivan

 

Characters/People
Ukraine	Russia and Germany
Martel family: Emil Adeline Baby Waldemar – deceased Wilhelm “Will” Waldemar “Walt”   Lydia Losing “Oma” – Adeline’s mother Karl – father, taken by Russians for stealing grain 1929, returned home Malea – sister, brain injury   Karoline Martel – Emil’s mother Johann – father Theresa “Rese” – sister Wilhelm and Reinhold – sons, drafted by Germans, never heard from   Marie – Adeline’s cousin Twins – Hans and Rutgar Klaus – surgeon, in war   Mrs. Kantor – Adeline’s employer Esther “Ilse” - friend	SS Haussmann Nosske - superior   Nikolas   Corporal Gheorghe – brain injury, wants to be a bee keeper   Private Kumar   Ernst Decket – medic, SS sergeant, helped Rese with drugs   Claude Wahl – had shortwave radio   Peter and Greta Schmidt Forced to house three soldiers, Adeline and 2 boys   Captain Kharkov – boarding with Schmidt’s   Lieutenant Eloise Gerhardt – secret police

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1.       Emil kept referring to an incident with Haussmann several times, but it was never explained until page 213.  Did you like this writing device or did you keep thinking you had missed something?

2.       Discuss Emil’s mother, Karoline. When asked to watch baby Waldemar, she drank the cream for the baby when he was not drinking it.  She also blamed Rese for the accident where she lost her legs saying, “The Lord took her legs and that…sin in your hands because of her fornication” (page 163).   She also showed little emotion when Rese returned home from the hospital with her artificial legs.  Can you understand her behavior?

3.       What did you think of Lieutenant Gerhardt?   In 1946, when Adeline was working for Colonel Vasiliev, she asked her to spy on Vasiliev.   At one point in the conversation, Adeline told Gerhardt about Kharkov trying to rape her and fighting him off.  Gerhardt praised her saying, “Good for you Adeline.  I’ll make a note of that” (page 374).   Do you think she would have gotten the same reaction from a man? 

4.       Discuss Corporal Gheorghe and his outlook on life.  He told Emil our thoughts influence events.  He said, “What you seek is what you will find, but only if you hunt it with all your heart and mind” (page 335).  Do you think this is possible? 

5.       Before Adeline met Emil, she worked for Yudat Kantor in Ukraine.  Mrs. Kantor’s advice to Adeline (age 14) was “our job in life is to endure, to be kind, and to constantly put the past behind us and not dwell too much on the future” (page 86). How valid was this advice as the story unfolded over the next 18 years?

6.       Regarding the time Emil almost shot the Jewish family, Gheorghe said, “you begged God not to make you a murderer.  Then you showed courage telling the Nazi, no” (page 323).  “You did not have to kill because you did the right thing” (page 324).  This thought process relieved Emil’s guilt.  Did you agree?

7.       Discuss the choices people made in the face of war.  Did you understand the choices each person made?

a.       Adeline to help Esther (Isle)

b.       Emil to not shoot the Jewish family

c.       Ilse pretended not to be Jewish and survived as a prostitute in Poland (pages 226-227)

d.       Marie joined Russian soldiers in the truck after both her babies dies (pages 272-273)

8.       When Kharkov confronted Adeline in the church with the intent on raping her, Adeline warded him off with a knife and the words, “your young wife will know you not only as a rapist, but a cold-blooded killer on Christmas Eve” (page 313).  Were you surprised this stopped him?  Was the author showing some touch of humanity in him? 

9.       There are many books about WW II.   Did they have a different perspective from this one? 

10.   Given the current situation with Russia attacking Ukraine, did you find this a difficult book to read?  Did you gain any insights?

11.   Did you see the family picture at the end of the book taken in 1947?  If you saw it before you read the book, how did that affect your reading?  If you did not see it until you finished the book, do you think your reading would have been different if you knew the family survived?

The Book of Lost Friends, Lisa Wingate

 

Characters
1874	1987
Hannie Gossett   Old Missus William Gossett Lavinia “Missy” Lyle   Gossett’s mistress Juneau Jane   Tati – one year from ownership of land from Gossett Jason and John   Mr. Washburn – advised Gossett   Moses- Elam Salter   Gus McKlatchy – white, stowaway on ship, helped Hannie get out of jail   “Lost Friends” – newspaper column	Bendetta “Bennie” Silva “Miss Pooh” – bakes pooperoos for hungry students Classroom Constitution – page 253   Christopher – former fiancé   Aunt Sarge (Donna Alston) Granny T – Cluck and Oink Aunt Dicey   Tobias Gossett – 6 years old   Nathan Gossett – descendent of William Gossett, owns Goswood Grove House Miss Robin – sister, writing book, deceased   Mrs. Gossett – school board   Lakewood Prep Academy – white school in town   Students: LaJuna Shad Michael Lil’ Ray Sabina Gibson Gus and Shad Fisher

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

1.       Did you like the format of switching back and forth between the two stories?   Were you more interested in one of the stories over the other?  If so, why do you think so?

2.       Many of the chapters ended with a teaser about what would happen when that part of the story resumed.  Did you think this strategy?

3.       As you were reading, how did you think the two story lines would connect in the end?

4.       What did you think happened to Missy Lavinia and Juneau Jane when they went to visit Mr. Washburn?  How did they end up in the trunks?   What

5.       On page 221, Benny told Nathan, “I’m trying to impress upon my students that everyone has history. Just because we’re not always happy with what’s true doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know about it.”  Would you want to know if there was something unpleasant in your family’s past?

6.       The author hinted that Benny might be related to Mussolini in her family, but this was never resolved.  Did you think that was important or just added to emphasize the statement above?

7.       Eiseley’s story about throwing starfish back into the ocean is mentioned at least twice.  Do you know this story?

8.       Benny stated that, “Every success starts with reading” (page 126).  Do you think this is a bit of an overstatement?  What about the highly successful people who are dyslexic?

9.       How do you think Benny got the students to go along with the Classroom Constitution so quickly?

10.   How did you think the problem with Mrs. Gossett, school board director, the police driving by, and the random phone calls was resolved?  It was never mentioned after page 313 and not at all in the Epilogue set in 1988.

11.   Did you think the revelation of Benny’s baby, born when she was 15 and given away for adoption, added to the story?

12.   In the author’s biography it states that she received the National Civics Award for promoting greater kindness and civility in American Life.  Does this book further that mission?  If so, how?

The Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead

 

Characters
Carney family	Criminals	Others
Ray Carney Elizabeth – wife May and John – children   Freddie – Ray’s cousin, kept getting Ray into trouble   Aunt Millie – Freddie’s mother, raised Ray after father left   Mike Carney – Ray’s father   Alma and Leland Jones – Elizabeth’s parents	Miami Joe Arthur – safe-cracker Pepper Freddie   Chink Montague – collected money for protection   Detective Munson – collected payoffs   Harvey Moskovitz, jeweler, fence   Thomas Andrew Bruce “Cheap Brucie”   Biz Dixon – drug dealer, Carney had to take care of him before Duke   Linus Van Wyck – died of overdose	Rusty – furniture store clerk   Dumas Club: Leland Jones Terrance Pierce – lawyer Franklin D. Shepard – lawyer Wilfred Duke – took $500 bribe for Ray’s membership and then he was declined   Marie – secretary at store   “Duke job” Pepper Miss Laura - prostitute Tommy Lips – surveillance Zippo - photographer

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1.       Wherever Carney went, he described and evaluated the furniture.  For example, when he went to Miss Laura’s apartment he saw “A Burlington Hall four-poster bed with tasseled mauve curtains dominated the living room, centered on a Heriz rug of lush crimson” (page 161).  Did the furniture descriptions add to your enjoyment of the book?  Did they give you any insight into Carney’s character?

2.       In Carney’s accounting class the professor, Professor Simonov, told the class that “until the advent of the light bulb, it was common to sleep in two shifts” with the break in between called the “dorvay” (page 135).  He said “it was a respite from the normal world and its demands, a hollow of private enterprise carved out of lost hours” (page 135).  What did you think about this idea?

3.       In the beginning, did Carney think he was doing anything wrong?  Early on he described the activity as a “natural flow of goods in and out and through people’s lives, from here to there, a churn of property, and Ray Carney facilitated that churn.  As a middleman.  Legit” (page 25).  Where did he actually cross the line to crime?  Could he have turned back at any point?

4.       Elizabeth’s parents thought that she had “settled” when she married Carney.  Do you think this knowledge influenced Ray and his decisions?

5.       On page 202 we read that after the pictures were published in the newspaper, Duke left town with all the money people had invested in the new bank.  Was the plan for revenge against Duke worth all the problems it caused the rest of the community? 

6.       Did the act of revenge lower Carney to Duke’s level?  Was that worth it?

7.       At the end of the novel, Carney thought about how the neighborhood was devastated by the building of the World Trade Center compared to the lesser devastation of the riots.   What did you think about this comparison?

8.       Also at the end, Carney and his family were moving to Strivers’ Row, a more affluent neighborhood.  Why did he keep fencing stolen property if things were going well financially?

9.       How would you categorize this book: crime novel, addressing racial issues, literary fiction, or something else?

10.   Whitehead won the Pulitzer Prize two years in a row for his two previous books, The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys.  If you read those books, how did this one compare?   Why was it not on the best seller lists as long as the previous two?

The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides

 

Characters
Alicia Bereson	Theo Farber Forensic psychotherapist	The Grove
Vernon – father, suicide Eva – mother, killed in car accident   Gabriel – husband   Max – Gabriel’s brother, lawyer Tanya – secretary, fiancé   “Alcestis” – painting Alicia did after Gabriel’s death   Lydia Rose – Alicia’s aunt, raised her after mother’s death Paul Rose – son   Jean-Felix Martin - gallerist	Father - abusive   Kathryn – Theo’s wife   Ruth – Theo’s counselor	Staff Lazarus Diomedes – professor, forensic psychiatry Stephanie Clarke – manager Christian West – psychiatrist, at university with Gabriel Rowena Hart – art therapist Indira Yuri   Patients Alicia Elif

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: All page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       On page 57 Alicia wrote that if she painted with a plan, nothing worked.  But “if I’m really paying attention, really aware, I sometimes hear a whispering voice pointing me in the right direction.  And if I give in to it, as an act of faith, it leads me somewhere unexpected.”   Do you think this is a good description of how are happens?

2.       As you were reading, what were you predicting would be the ending?

3.       Discuss Theo’s marriage with Kathy.  On page 102 Ruth suggested he chose Kathy “to prove that my father was correct – that I’m worthless and unlovable.”

4.       In the same vein, Alicia overheard her father, Vernon, say after Eva died in the accident, “Why did it have to be her?  Why didn’t Alicia die instead?” (page 255).  How do you think this affected Alicia?

5.       Both Theo and Alicia felt unloved by their parents.  How did this play into their separate and joint stories?

6.       When Theo was talking to Alicia, he said “We leak all kinds of information about ourselves unintentionally – by the color of my socks, or how I sit or the way I talk” (page 92).  What things do you look at in other people and then make judgements, intended or not, about that person.   What do you think about you conveys who you are?

7.       What did you think about Max, Gabriel’s brother?  In chapter thirteen of Alicia’s diary Max told her that he loved her (page 123).  Alicia then wrote, “I don’t believe that Max is in love with me.  I believe he hates Gabriel, that’s all” (page 124).  

8.       Why did Theo go to the Grove and treat Alicia when he didn’t want her to recover and tell what really happened? 

9.       In Alicia’s diary, Theo read that Christian had been treating her privately before Gabriel’s murder.  Why do you think Christian never told that to anyone at The Grove?

10.   What did you think of the ending?  Were you surprised?  Was it realistic?

11.   Would you recommend this book to a friend?

12.   In the acknowledgements of his second book, The Maidens, the author paid homage to the great female mystery writers including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, P. D. James and others.  How well did this novel compare to the classics?