The Lions of Fifth Avenue, by Fiona Davis

 

Characters
1913, 1914, 1918	1993
Laura Lyons Jack – husband, library superintendent, author Harry – son Pearl – daughter   Lions – Leo Astor and Leo Lenox   Mr. Anderson – library director   Mr. Gaillard – library detective   Thefts: Leaves of Grass – first edition Tamerlane, by Poe Two other books   Columbia Journalism School Professor Wakeman – advisor, plagiarized work   Miss Quinn – Laura’s secretary starting in 1935   Dr. Amelia Potter   Heterodoxy Club   Red Paddy – boy Harry skipping school with, steals and resells valuable books   Max Eastman – editor of “The Masses,” publish Laura’s articles giving her full editorial control	Sadie Donovan – works in library on Berg Collection Exhibit “Evergreen” Pearl – mother   Lonnie – brother, doctor LuAnn – wife Valentina – daughter Robin - nanny   Lions – Patience and Fortitude   Dr. Humphrey Hooper – library director Claude – works at library with Sadie Marlene Jenkinson – Berg Collection curator, took post in Boston Mr. Babenko – Binding and Processing Dept.   Thefts: Virginia Woolf diary – last one before death The Scarlett Letter – first edition Title page from The First Folios, by Shakespeare Jane Eyre – one volume of three   Nick Adriano – consultant about thefts   Mrs. Hillary Quinn – Laura’s former secretary, burned Laura’s papers as directed   Mr. Jones-Ebbing – library board of directors   Harry Lyons

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

Laura’s story:

1.       Did you think it was a good idea for Laura to write the story about the Heterodoxy Club for a school assignment?  Did you have a premonition about what would happen?   Should Laura have been wiser? She knew that he had stolen ideas from other students (page 234).

2.       Was it partly Laura’s fault that Harry had skipped school for two months and she did not know?

3.       Given the time period, 1913-1914, was it unrealistic for Laura to think she would be able to have her own interests and career? 

4.       Did you understand why Harry burned Jack’s manuscript?  He saw Jack grab Laura’s arm and her saying it hurt, and also her telling him, “You love that book more than any of us.  Even when Harry was sick, you still crept away to edit” (page 277).

5.       Four years after Jack’s death Laura, found Harry.  He did not know that his father was dead or what happened. When Laura asked him to come home with her, he said “I have no home” (page 318).  Was there anything she could have done or said to change his decision?

6.       How well did the author present the relationship between Amelia Potter and Laura?   Was that a little progressive for the times or just right?  What did it add to Laura’s character development?

7.       When you read the last section of Laura’ story, chapter 26, did you want to know more?

8.       Why do you think Laura had her secretary, Miss Quinn, burn all of her papers when she died?   Do you think Miss Quinn should have followed her wishes?

Sadie’s story:

9.       Do you think Sadie should have told the others at the library and Nick about her family’s past and how she was connected to the library?

10.   Did Harry’s story after the trial help you understand his actions any better?  He told Sadie, “Red Paddy – the gang leader – threatened my family if I stopped stealing books for him” (page 347). 

11.   Were you surprised with the connection between Robin and Harry?   When he had turned his life around, why do you think he teamed up with her and shared all the information about how to get around the safe guards in the library?

12.   Sadie realized “she was more willing to forgive her uncle than Robin, even though they had both done terrible things.  Yet Harry had tried to atone for his actions by fostering a love of reading in customers and kids from tough circumstances, while Robin allowed reading to bring joy to her life, and then embarked on a crime spree that would take that love away from others” (page 349).  Do you understand her reasoning and do you think she was correct?   Would others agree with her?

Both stories:

13.   Before reading this in the story, did you know how valuable manuscripts were protected and kept safe while still allowing access to them?

14.   Did you enjoy one part of the book more than the other?  Why?

15.   How was your reading experience?  Did you like the format of switching back and forth between the two stories?

****Do you know someone starting college in the fall?  Buy they First Semester Success, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, to give them the information they need for a start of their academic career.

Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano

 

Characters

Waters family: William Caroline – sister, deceased Mother and father   William’s career: 1978 undergrad student at Northwestern and on basketball team 1982 teaching assistant and doctoral student 1983 suicide attempt 1983 assistant coach at Northwestern 1989 with Chicago Bulls in player development and a physio   Padavano family: Rose and Charlie – Charlie quoted Walt Whitman Julia – married William, organizer in family Sylvie – reader, became librarian Cecilia – twin, artist, became pregnant in high school Emeline – twin, nurturer, opened day care center with Josie   Josie – Emeline’s partner   Alice – William and Julia’s daughter   Isabelle Rose Padavano “Izzy” – Cecelia’s daughter Mrs. Ceccione – took in Cecelia when pregnant   Kent – basketball player with William, became a doctor Nicole – wife, divorced   Gus and Washington – two friends from team   Arash – basketball team physical trainer   Ernie – electrician, romance with Sylvie   Dr. Dembia – William’s therapist

 

 

 

 

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

1.       Discuss Charlie and Rose’s treatment of their daughters.  Charlie always greeted them with “Hello, Beautiful (page 74).  “Sylvie and her sisters had known themselves under their father’s gaze” (page 74).  On the other hand, Sylvie felt that from Rose’s view, her “second daughter wasn’t enough, and would never be enough” (page 75).  How did their attitudes shape the girls’ personalities?

2.       When Cecelie got pregnant, Ruth told her to carry around a picture of St. Clare of Assisi for at least a week telling her it was her “scarlet letter” (page 58).  What did you think of this?

3.       What did you think of Charlie’s philosophy of life: “We’re all interconnected, and when you see that you see how beautiful life is” (page 73).  How was this evidenced throughout the novel?

4.       Discuss Julia and William’s relationship.  He felt that reading his book “had permanently damaged Julia’s opinion of him” (page 96). 

5.       Should Julia have known how unhappy William was?   Was there any way she could have prevented what he did?

6.       After his suicide attempt when William was an assistant coach at Northwestern, he found that the “impact of helping seemed to be cumulative; the more kids he helped, the more solid he felt in how own chest” (page 246).  Did you understand his feelings? 

7.       Discuss Kent.  Throughout the story he was very important to William.  While William was in the hospital after his suicide attempt, he thought of Kent that “No one had ever loved him unconditionally like this” (page 162).  Where else in the novel did you see that type of unconditional love?

8.       Arash, while not a major character, was very important to William’s development.  Through him, William’s “understanding of the physiology of the athletes was better informed now, and he was able to diagnose injuries and vulnerabilities with accuracy” (page 253).  Also, Arash wanted “to build more infrastructures of kindness” (page 253).

9.       Did William treat Alice the same way his parents treated him after his sister died?

10.   Did you understand William’s thought process when he gave up Alice?  What were the positive aspects of what he did, if any?

11.   When Cecelia became pregnant, Julia advised her to give the baby up for adoption.  She said to Cecelia, “Why should you ruin your life because of a mistake?” (page 59).   How does this fit into her feelings about William giving up Alice?

12.   What did you think about the various characters.  Did the author do a good job of describing them?  Could you understand their various personalities and motivations?   Which one would you likely be friends with?

13.   How important was the connection with the novel Little Women?  On page 41 the author described how the sisters tried to decide who was each character and on page 302 Alice was copyediting a modern adaptation of the novel.

14.   Books were an important part of the novel: William’s book about basketball, Sylvie’s book about her memories growing up, comparison to Little Women, Sylvie was a librarian and sometimes using a book as a “handy shield for when the wanted to deflect the attention of other people” (page 308).  Did this add to the story for you?

15.   When Sylvie was writing her memories, she realized two important coincidences.  “Only in writing about them did Sylvie truly comprehend that the same day her beloved Izzy had entered the world, Charlie left.  And the day Alice was born, Rose had departed Chicago” (page 304).  Have you ever experienced such a revelation when writing in a journal or diary?  Why hadn’t anyone made the connections before?

16.   Discuss your reading experience.  Did you like the overlapping time frames?  Would you recommend the book to a friend?

Crook Manifesto, by Colson Whitehead

 

Characters

Ray Carney Elizabeth – wife, works for travel agency John May   Mike Carney – Ray’s father, Pepper used to work with him   Carney’s Furniture Marie – secretary, abused by husband (Rodney) Salesmen – Larry and Rusty

1971

Munson – detective, took weekly payments from businesses, “the pad”, Carney got involved with him trying to get Jackson 5 tickets for May Buck Webb – partner   BLA – Black Liberation Army, robbed jewelry store Notch Walker (Robert Taylor) – gangster, helping BLA Malik Jamel - BLA leader   Knapp Commission – subpoenaed Webb   Munson planning to leave – forced Carney to go along with crimes and collections: 1.       Held-up private Memorial Day poker game 2.       Beat up pimp on sidewalk 3.       Robbed bottle club 4.       Robbed bodega 5.       Robbed Chink Montague’s numbers location

1973

Blaxploitation movie – films featuring black stereotypes   Secret Agent: Nefertiti Aaron Flood “Zippo” – photographer, artistic director Lucinda Cole – Nefertiti (real name Leanne Wilkes) Roscoe Pope – comedian Pepper – security   Chick Montague – investor in movie, Lucinda’s boyfriend, changed her name   Quincy Black – drug dealer Pickles – chef

1976

Alexander Oates – running for Boro president, supported by Elizabeth and May, involved in redevelopment schemes and murdered   Albert Ruiz – son of tenant, hurt in fire   Arsonists (1/3 of fires in Harlem were deliberate): Izzy Leon Drake

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       Which characters did you like?  Were you able to relate to any of them?  Which would you have been friends with?

2.       What do you think motivated Carney to do something about the fire that hurt the Ruiz boy?

3.       Did you like the author’s writing style?  There were many characters and events.  How did you keep everything straight and determine what was important?   In the end, did everything fit together?

4.       Did you like the mix of fiction and real events?

5.       There were various, almost separate stories in the novel, for example the long section about the movie, Secret Agent: Nefertiti and the part about the two competing chicken restaurants, New Country Kitchen and Lady Betsy’s.  What was the point of including these in the novel aside from introducing Pepper as a thief who stole Lady Betsy’s secret ingredient.

6.       Did you like the descriptions of furniture?  When describing the fire at the furniture store, the author wrote, “The four recliners – real beauties, a solid representation of the kind of options out there, whether you were new to the market or looking to upgrade – ignited speedily” (page 289).  Did this add to the story?   Did it make you want to shop?

7.       The description of the book online said “Colson Whitehead’s portrait of Harlem is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time.”  Did the book meet this expectation for you?  Why or why not?  Did you learn anything new?

8.       The description also said the book “is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family.”  What different forms did “family” have in the novel?

****The first semester of college is difficult for the best students.   Give yours a head start with First Semester Sucess, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer.  It contains information about how the semester progresses as well as how learning happens.   Available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com.

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

 

Characters

Damon Fields “Demon Copperhead” Damon Woodhall – biological father “Copperhead” due to red hair Mother – Fields Stoner - stepfather   Nance Peggot “Mammaw” - neighbor Mr. Peggot “Mr. Peg” Seven children – Humvee, June (nurse, in Knoxville), Mariah (in jail) Grandchildren: Matt “Maggot” – Damon’s friend, Mariah’s son with Romeo, Mariah in jail Emmy – Humvee’s daughter, living with June   Hammer Kelly – Emmy’s ex-boyfriend   DSS caseworkers: Miss Barks – left to pursue teaching degree Baggy Eyes   Foster Home #1 Mr. Crickson – grew tobacco Boys: Tommy Waddell “Waddles” Swap-Out Sterling Ford “Fast Forward” – high school football star   Foster Home #2 Mr. and Mrs. McCobb Brayley, Hallie, and twin babies   Golly’s Market – worked there after school Landfill – Ghose “Ghost” – “Extra-Eye” from time with Stoner

Murder Valley, Tennessee: Betsy Woodall – grandmother, raised 11 foster girls Dick – younger brother, wheelchair Jane Ellen - #11   Kent – June’s boyfriend, drug representative, pushed Oxy Contin   Foster Home #3 Winfield – widower of one of Betsy’s girls, high school football coach, Lee High Generals Agnus “Angus” – daughter Mattie Kate – housekeeper Ryan Pyles “U-Haul” – assistant, didn’t like Demon Mr. Briggs – assistant and JV football coach   Rose Dartell – scar on lip caused by Fast Forward throwing a claw hammer at her   Mr. Armstrong – teacher and guidance counselor Ms. Annie – wife, art teacher Mr. Maldo – janitor   Dori - died after father died, drugs Mr. Vesper – father, ill   Courier newspaper: Tommy – janitor and designed ads Demon – comic strip “Red Neck”   Devils Bathtub: Fast Forward – fell and died Hammer – rifle pointed at Fast Forward, tried to help, drowned Maggot Big Bear – football teammate, yelled warning Demon

 

 

 

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       Early on his mother told Damon that “her future was me” and that he “was one hundred percent of her reason for getting sober” (page 82).  She meant this as a compliment, but Damon only found it “one more thing to worry about” (page 82).  Did she put too much pressure on him?  Was this fair?

2.       There were many issues addressed in the book including addiction, foster care, and childhood trauma.  Were you able to understand the characters even if you have not experienced any of these things?

3.       What did you think about the incident at the Devil’s Bathtub where both Fast Forward and Hammer died.  Fast Forward was saying bad things about Emmy and Hammer pointed a rifle at him.  Big Bear came along and shouted a warning to Fast Forward at the top of the falls.  When he turned to look at Big Bear, he slipped, fell and drowned.  Hammer dove in to try to save him and also drowned.  Could this have been avoided?  How did it fit into the story?

4.       What did you think about Fast Forward.  He was adopted and then unadopted by the Dartell family after he scarred Rose with the claw hammer and tried to get her brother to jump off a chair with a noose around his neck connected to the ceiling.  (See pages 328 – 329.)  Could he have been redeemed at any point?

5.       We never read about Tommy being involved with drugs, but it was mentioned several times that he read a lot of books.  When he met him, Demon said he was “the type of make the best of things, mostly by reading library books and ignoring the fact of people hating him” (page 70).  Toward the end of the novel, Demon said “Tommy had squandered his youth on library books and had zero experience with cable TV” (page 417).   Do you think this was significant in his survival?

6.       The author lives in Virginia, which she identifies as “ground zero of the opioid epidemic” (page VI).  In a forward for a Barnes and Noble edition, she identified the book being about “generational anguish, limited choices, and suffocated hopes, poverty built into a region by historical design” (pages III and IV).    How did she address these issues throughout the story?   Did it make you think about these issues and give you any insight that you did not have before?

7.       The OxyContin epidemic was a main theme.  A doctor prescribed it to one of Damon’s mother’s co-workers who shared it with her and she became one of the first casualties (pages 112 – 113).  June’s boyfriend, Kent, was a drug rep and gave free gifts to doctors who prescribed the pills.  The company said they had studies that showed there was no addiction risk (page 243) and they developed the pain scale to encourage people to take the pills to eliminate pain.  Mr. Peg even received a coupon for some pills for free.  Mrs.  Peggot refused to let him get the pills.   If she recognized the danger, why didn’t more people?

8.       June said that Purdue “hand-picked targets like Lee County that were gold mines” (page 416) for their drug sales.  Demon told June “I don’t know a single person my age that’s not taking pills” (page 415).  Why did it take so long for people to understand what was happening and take action?

9.       Damon felt the low pay of the caseworkers was a reflection of the value society placed on kids like him.  Was he right?  How can we change that?

10.   At his one school the poor kids were singled out for special Christmas parties and called over the loud speaker to attend.   The organizers probably thought they were doing a very good thing, but the children were ashamed.  How could this have been done differently and better?

11.   When Damon was in fifth grade, Slam Books were popular where you wrote down your impressions of your classmates, both positive and negative.  Did you ever experience anything like that?  Do you think the teachers knew, and if so, why did they not stop it?  How does this compare to all the social media today?

12.   Who were the positive characters in the book?  Why do you think Demon survived and others did not?

13.   In chapter 62, Tommy called Demon and encouraged him to write his book about what had happened.  He said, “it’s a war. And it’s been going on the whole time, and nobody gets it, not even us” (page 522).  He felt it was all about money.  The people who lived off the land did not pay as much taxes, so therefore they did not count.  He compared Lee County to the Cherokees and Black people.   Did you understand his comparison?  Do you think he was right?

14.   Discuss your reading experience.   Did you enjoy the book?  What were your thoughts as you were reading?  Would you recommend it to a friend?  Why did it win the Pulitzer Prize?

****Looking for a gift for a future college Freshman?   First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer is available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt

 

Characters
Hampton College, Vermont	Other characters
John Richard Papen Henry Winter Charles and Camilla Macaulay - twins Frances Abernathy Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran   Julian Morrow – Greek professor   Dr. Roland – Richard worked for him at college   Marion – Bunny’s girlfriend   Judy Poovey   Cloke Rayburn – classmate, buys drugs Jack Teitelbaum – classmate   Epilogue: Richard – graduated from Hampton Henry – dead, suicide Francis – gay, marrying Priscilla to preserve inheritance Charles – ran off with married woman, living in Texas Camilla – not speaking with Charles, taking care of grandmother, turned down Richard’s marriage proposal because she still loved Henry Henry’s ghost – appeared to Richard	Harry Ray McRee – man killed by Francis, Henry, Charles, and Camilla while trying to have a bacchanal   Mack and Kathy Corcoran – Bunny’s parents Brothers   Agent Harvey Davenport – FBI   William Hundy – local businessman, spread false story   Priscilla – Francis’ fiancé at end of novel, “The Black Hole”

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition.

1.       Discuss the various main characters and how they were portrayed. 

a.       Why was Henry so generous with Bunny?  For example, after the killing, he took Bunny to Italy over semester break.

b.       At the end, why did Henry commit suicide?

c.       Regarding Bunny, once he knew something, he could not quit talking about it.  Henry said of him, “The problem is he’s just a fool, and sooner or later he’s going to say the wrong thing to the wrong person” (page 177).

d.       Why was Bunny particularly cruel to Richard.  He “picked up with rapid and unflagging instinct the traces of everything in the world I was more insecure about, all the things I was in most agony to hide” (page 219).

e.       At the end of the novel, Charles entered the room with a gun and planned to kill Henry.  Charles said to Henry, “You ruined my life.” And Henry replied, “If anyone’s to blame for your problems, it’s you” (page 533).  Who was correct or are they both to blame?

f.        Richard was the narrator.  Did he have another part in the story besides this? 

2.       Money, or lack of it, played a large part in the novel.   Why did the author put so much emphasis on who had money and the reasons why some of the main characters did not?  

3.       What did you think about the incident when Bunny invited Richard to dinner, ran up a huge bill, and then lied and said he could not pay?

4.       Could the story have been the same without the major emphasis on drugs and drinking?  Why was that such a large part of the story?

5.       What did Bunny’s dad’s behavior and mourning add to the story?

6.       What did you think Julian’s back story was?

7.       Did you like the Epilogue and reading about what happened to everyone?  Was it a satisfying end?

8.       Discuss your reading experience.  Did your opinion and/or enjoyment of the novel change as you read further? 

9.       This novel was a Read with Jenna pick as well as Time Magazine’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Book of all time.   What did you think about these honors?

***Do you need a gift for a student headed off the college in the fall?  First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden Hamer provides information about how learning happens and things to consider weekly throughout the semester.  It is available on amazon.com and wordassociation.com. 

 

The Horse Whisperer, by Nicholas Evans

 

Characters
New York	Choteau
Grace Maclean Robert – father, lawyer Annie Graves – mother, magazine editor-in-chief Elsa – Jamaican nanny Pilgrim – horse   Judith – riding friend Gulliver – horse   Wayne P. Tanner – truck driver   Liz Hammond – Pilgrim’s usual vet Harry Logan – vet at scene of accident, continued to work with Pilgrim Dorothy Chen – Cornell University, worked with Pilgrim   Magazine: Crawford Gates – company president Don Farlow – lawyer Anthony – Annie’s assistant Lucy Friedman – style expert Fenimore Fiske – movie critic, let go	Tom Booker Rachel Feinerman – Tom’s wife, separated Hal – son Rimrock - horse   Frank – Tom’s twin, shared ranch, Double Divide Diane – wife Sons – Joe, Scott and Craig   Ellen – Tom and Frank’s mother Rosie – sister   Terri Carlson – physical therapist   Smokey “Smoke” – helped Tom with chores

 

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.       Annie and Robert had completely different reactions to Grace’s accident and injuries.  Robert could not stop crying, but Annie did not cry at all.  She told him, “You’ve got to stop feeling sorry for her.  Pity won’t help her at all” (page 78).  Do you think a little pity would have hurt?

2.       Discuss the family dynamics in the Maclean family.   The author wrote, “Grace loved and resented her mother in almost equal measure and often for the same thing.  For her certainty, for example, and for the way she was always so damn right” (page 152). 

3.       On the other hand, Annie reflected that to her, “Action had become a substitute for feeling.  Or at least for the expression of it” (page 158).  Can you understand her point of view?

4.       Why do you think Annie was so determined to save Pilgrim?

5.       Another major influence on Annie and Robert’s relationship was their inability to have a second child.  Robert felt that when Annie accepted the editorship of the magazine, he thought that “she’d taken it either to distract or, again, to punish herself.  Perhaps both” (page 50).

6.       The book was published in 1995.  At one point Annie felt that Diane disapproved of how much she worked and seemed to think “that Annie was much too busy to bother herself with being a mother” (page 208).   Do you think this would be addressed the same now?

7.       What was it about Tom that Grace was willing to tell him about the accident when she would not talk about it with anyone else?

8.       How well did the author help you understand a subject that you might not be familiar with, such as amputation and the feelings of someone who has lost a body part or horse training and healing?

9.       Toward the end when Tom made Pilgrim lie down, he said to Annie, “Sometimes what seems like surrender isn’t surrender at all.  It’s about…seeing clearly the way life is and accepting it and being true to it, whatever the pain, because the pain of not being true to it is far, far greater” (page 373).  He was talking about their relationship.  Was this good advice or should they have denied their feelings?

10.   When Grace found out about Tom and Annie, she felt betrayed.   Did you understand her feelings?

11.   Did Tom deliberately let the wild stallion kill him?  Why?

12.   Did you like the ending, chapter 26?  What do you think happened between Annie and Robert? 

13.   Discuss your reading experience.  Did any parts of the book make you feel uncomfortable?  Did you gain any new insights or knowledge?

***Looking for a gift for a senior heading off to college?   First Semester Success, 2nd edition, by Dr. Arden Hamer is available at amazon.com and wordassociation.com.