Novels and Nibbles

About the Author ...

2012-01-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Abraham Verghese, MD, MACP, is Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine.

Born of Indian parents who were teachers in Ethiopia, he grew up near Addis Ababa and began his medical training there. When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed, he completed his training at Madras Medical College and went to the United States for his residency as one of many foreign medical graduates. Like many others, he found only the less popular hospitals and communities open to him, an experience he described in one of his early New Yorker articles, The Cowpath to America.

From Johnson City, Tennessee, where he was a resident from 1980 to 1983, he did his fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine, working at Boston City Hospital for two years. It was here that he first saw the early signs of the HIV epidemic and later, when he returned to Johnson City as an assistant professor of medicine, he saw the second epidemic, rural AIDS, and his life took the turn for which he is most well known ? his caring for numerous AIDS patients in an era when little could be done and helping them through their early and painful deaths was often the most a physician could do.

His work with terminal patients and the insights he gained from the deep relationships he formed and the suffering he saw were intensely transformative; they became the basis for his first book, My Own Country : A Doctor's Story, written later during his years in El Paso, Texas. Such was his interest in writing that he decided to take some time away from medicine to study at the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1991. Since then, his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Texas Monthly, Atlantic, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Granta, Forbes.com, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

Following Iowa, he became professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas, where he lived for the next 11 years. In addition to writing his first book, which was one of five chosen as Best Book of the Year by Time magazine and later made into a Mira Nair movie, he also wrote a second best-selling book, The Tennis Partner : A Story of Friendship and Loss, about his friend and tennis partner?s struggle with addiction. This was a New York Times' Notable Book.

December Service Project - Blessing Bags

2012-01-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

This was a great service project for our book club. Everyone donated $20.00 (and many members tracked down donations), and everyone who participated walked away with 4 bags, packed with essentials, to hand out to the homeless in our community. We included wipes, gloves, socks, hand sanitizer, water, granola bars, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, gum, soap, t-shirts, lip balm, a pocket Bible, McDonald's coupons for free meals, Kleenex and Advil. Thanks to everyone who participated!

December Book Club - Ugly Sweaters!

2012-01-28T09:53:00.000-08:00

And the winner is ...

LFR, of course!!

Fabulous festive memories!

Our Favorites From Spring/Fall 2011

2011-12-21T14:44:00.001-08:00

1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
2. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4. Citizen Vince by Jess Walter
5. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
6. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

About the Author ...

2011-11-28T13:55:00.000-08:00

Josephine Tey was a pseudonym of Elizabeth Mackintosh (July 25, 1896–February 13, 1952). Josephine was her mother's first name and Tey the surname of an English Grandmother. As Josephine Tey, she wrote 6 mystery novels starring Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant.

Another pseudonym was Gordon Daviot, playwright.

Mackintosh also wrote plays (both one act and full length), some of which were produced during her lifetime, under the pseudonym Gordon Daviot. The district of Daviot, near her home of Inverness in Scotland, was a location her family had vacationed. The name Gordon does not appear in either her family or her history.

Elizabeth Mackintosh came of age during World War I, attending Anstey Physical Training College in Birmingham, England during the years of 1915-1918. Upon graduation, she was a physical training instructor for eight years. In 1926, her mother died and she returned home to Inverness to care for her invalid father. Busy with household duties, she turned to writing as a diversion, and was successful in creating a second career.

Miss Mackintosh never married, and died at the age of 55, in London. A shy woman, she is reported to have been somewhat of a mystery even to her intimate friends. While her death seems to have been a surprise, there is some indication she may have known she was fatally ill for some time prior to her passing.

An InVINCEable Night - Book Club Recap

2011-11-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

{OK - my camera wasn't great, and for some reason I cannot get Yota's pictures via email, but I will post what I have with the intention of getting the other ones when I can!}

Zibby, Thank you so much for hosting the best freakin book club ever! The food was amazing! Jess was amazing! I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing group of ladies. I will see you all in January.

Aloha! Yota

To THE Best Host of the BEST bookclub EVER! Boy, that Jess is soooo insightful! Brilliant author and memorable discussion (“listen”). My cup over-runeth.

-Thyra

Thanks, Lisa, for my donut fix… glad skating season has started and I will have an excuse to stop in on my way to or from Eagles!

Ladies. What an all-out pleasure.

Thank you for your candor and Anne's text to me: "Sounds like it was a blast Zibby." So I think Jess must have enjoyed himself at least A LITTLE bit!

It is a treat to be inspired by the little things in life: holding hands, bedtime stories, and prose from an author whose perspective you admire...

Here are Jess's quotes that I happened to quip:

-"I read for the same reasons kids read-- they want other worlds."

-"No one thinks their voice sounds right."

-"You can only write what you can write."

-"I try to just write the next book I want to read."

-"Musicians love to play-- and that's what I'm doing."

-"I think now in sentences. I am not afraid of any sentence."

-"I'm a born thinker and reader-- not a born writer."

-"I want to write what's worth reading- a book that transforms you."

And the books Jess referenced that I half-assed wrote down:

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion
The White Album by Joan Didion
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

And to close with a note from another dear friend, Vince: "And that's it. There is what you believe and there is what you want and these things are fine. But they're just ideas in the end. History, like any single life, is made up of actions. At some point, the thinking and beleiving and deciding fall away and all that's left is the doing...."

Cheers fellow readers and Walter admirers! Until next month.

-Zibby

Oh my. Shall I gush? What a fantastic evening. Fantastic! Thank you so much, Zibby, for all your work - the food, discussion, bribing Jess ... You get a free pass forever!

I am so thankful for all of you, and the fact I get to brag about our book club everywhere I go. Thanks again for a most memorable evening!

-Nicole

WoW! The ability to write words that flow into pages that tie in completely with other pages in a book is such a beautiful gift in and of itself. The ability to make those words interesting and emotional is on a whole different plane of talent. I found Jess to be a refreshing smack in the face. We are all indebted to you, Zibby, for giving us a great opportunity to look inside an author's head. Thank you SO much for the wonderful burgers and fries. Lisa, thank you so much for the yummy donuts.

Have a fantastic month and we'll see you here in December! I will be playing the main character of "A Daughter in Time" in a mime production for you all!

Hehe! Cheers! Sarah

Well personally, I am glad I wasn't there (silent sob) as I don't enjoy good food (sniffle), good books (catch in my throat as one tear slides down) and great, inspiring, personable, insightful authors (full melt down with tears and gasps for air)!

It is like eating all the icky things on your plate (translation: work, parent teacher conferences, wifely and motherly tasks) and not getting dessert (book club with smashing ladies).

But, I am okay. I don't like dessert anyhow (FULL DENIAL, resume tears and floor dropping tantrum). I am really glad (resentment) you all had such a great night.

Hugs and kisses....Kelly

Thank you for letting me join your book club last night. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and being able to listen to Jess talk about his life. Zibby, you outdid yourself, again! Your sliders were awesome! I felt privileged to be a part of such a famous book group!

If any of you are interested in joining my book club discussion on The Zero, please feel free to join us on the 7th. We are doing something a little different this time and meeting at the Davenport (near the fireplace) at 6pm for a no-host evening. Please let me know if you can make it and I will let you know more details as we get closer.

Thanks again for a very memorable evening!

-Kara

Thank you thank you thank you! It was so great to re-engage with my book club friends! What an amazing night - I could listen to Jess all night long. So incredible to hear how his mind works. Such a humble man & Nicole, I see why you have been listening to him at night - that voice!!!

Since Lisa admittedly lit herself on fire after starting January's book (Zibby - you have a free pass forever), maybe we should just skip along to the Financial Lives of Poets and have Jess join us for holiday cheer? Ha!

Great to see you all again and have a safe & happy Thanksgiving!

Shae

P.S. The 9:00 p.m. double donut & slider meal felt FABULOUS in my gut at about 2:00 a.m. I had my own private chuckle when I looked at the clock & it was, of course, 2:00 a.m.

I was also in love with everything Jess said. Still hilarious how he says he deals with people who point out they don't like his swearing. "F- Off." And that's he's not afraid of any sentence? I loved all his writing insights. And the story about dry toast and Tom Foley was the BEST. (I was wondering how Nethercutt pulled that off.) And his personal notes on my books?! Yea.

Zib, it was a perfect night. Please accept my half of the donuts as your hostess gift because I have no manners.

Love to all, and I was not burned while lighting myself on fire trying to listen to "The Daughter of Time," as I was wearing flame-resistant child's pajamas. Ah, Carrie Fisher what a delightful albeit bi-polar princess you are.

Sorry, people who weren't at book club and just got 6 personal "you had to be there" jokes thrown in your face.

LOVE, LISA!!!

Thank you Zibby for an amazing night! Jess was amazing and completely won me over, even though he told me to F-off!

-Kacey

Wow sounds like Mexico pales in comparison to book club! Although it was a whole lot warmer where I was! Sounds like an amazing evening! Sorry to have missed it!

-Misty

LOOK! LOOK! We made a difference for Jess Walter, too! Look what he said about us??? (this was in my second facebook message conversation--the one where I thanked him profusely)

"It was a great group and you were all so charming and smart ... the kind of readers authors dream of having. You made me rethink my book club shyness."

Isn't that awesome :)

LISA

Get Lit! Schedule

2011-11-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Get Lit! Festival Passes will gain admission into four of the five headlining events Thursday through Sunday and will cut down on the individual convenience charges from TicketsWest. There are two headliners on Saturday. The Festival Pass will only allow entry in to one of the Saturday headliner events.
Get Festival Passes Here

Individual tickets for the headlining events will go on sale in January 2012.

Info on Headliners:

Get Lit! Presents Susan Orlean and Steve Almond
(Bing Crosby Theater, Thursday 4/12) - Get Tickets Here
Orlean, the author of New York Times best seller The Orchid Thief, will read from her latest book, Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend. The book chronicles the tale of a puppy found on a WWI battlefield and how he inspired the Hollywood legacy. Steve Almond, the author of Candyfreak, is well-known for his sharp wit and humor, both in person and on the page. He will read from his latest collection of short stories, God Bless America.

An Evening with Jess Walter and Colson Whitehead (Bing Crosby Theater, Friday 4/13)
Jess Walter's critically acclaimed The Zero was a National Book Award finalist, and The Financial Lives of the Poets, which TIME called "a small masterpiece" is being made into a movie. His latest novel, Beautiful Ruins, is due out in June 2012. Colson Whitehead, author of The Intuitionist and Sag Harbor, will read from his latest work, Zone One, a post-apocalyptic novel that mixes genre conventions with literary fare.

Lois Lowry and The American Place Theatre's Literature to Life® Stage Presentation of The Giver
(Bing Crosby Theater, Saturday 4/14)
Lois Lowry has written over 30 children's and young adult books, including the Newbery Award winners Number the Stars and The Giver. She'll be reading from the latest installment of The Giver series, followed by The American Place Theatre's Literature to Life® Stage Presentation of The Giver, which promises to be a must-see event. This event is free to all youth.

Rick Bass featuring Stellarondo (The Masonic Temple, Saturday 4/14)
Rick Bass is the author of over twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including his recent novel, Nashville Chrome. Stellarondo is an all-strings band out of Montana, named for a character in Eudora Welty's short story, "Why I Live at the P.O." Together, they'll perform live music scored to Bass' short stories.

In Conversation with Ted Kooser (The Lincoln Center, Sunday 4/15)
The Pulitzer Prize winner and former Poet Laureate will offer a reading and sit for an interview exploring how he believes poetry should be accessible to all.

For more information, go to www.ewu.edu/getlit

Lonesome Dove - San Antonio

2011-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Thought of you guys today while in San Antonio on the River Walk. Got so excited when I saw this!

I had no idea what that meant, and where it led, so of course I dragged Deke down the stairs to find out what it was!

Turns out it is a room at the San Antonio Convention Center, and since they were having an event, I didn't go in, but did take a picture of the mat in front:

Was hoping for Newt and the gang, but sadly no ... Deke thought I was more crazy than normal for taking him on a wild goose chase, so I had to at least document it here! I knew you'd understand! :) Happy trails from Texas!!

About the Author ...

2011-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Jess Walter is the author of five novels and one nonfiction book. His work has been translated into more than 20 languages and his essays, short fiction, criticism and journalism have been widely published, in Details, Playboy, Newsweek, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe among many others.

His books:
The Financial Lives of the Poets, 2009.
The Zero, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award, the 2007 PEN Center Literary Award and the 2007 LA Times Book Prize and winner of the 2007 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award.
Citizen Vince, winner of the 2005 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel and a finalist for the ITW Thriller of the Year award.
Land of the Blind, 2003.
Over Tumbled Graves, a 2001 New York Times notable book
Every Knee Shall Bow (rereleased as Ruby Ridge), a finalist for the PEN USA literary nonfiction award in 1996.

Walter also writes screenplays and was the co-author of Christopher Darden’s 1996 bestseller In Contempt. He lives with his wife Anne and children, Brooklyn, Ava and Alec in his childhood home of Spokane, Washington. We are so excited to welcome Jess to our November book club meeting!

And Because I Love Harry Potter ...

2011-10-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

{and it's almost Halloween ...}

"When I’m 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I’ll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, 'After all this time?' And I will say, 'Always.'"— Alan Rickman

J.K. Rowling is genius!

Yota's Pesto Recipe

2011-10-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

4+ cups basil, patted dry
1 bulb garlic, peeled (maybe a little less)
1 cup almonds
1 1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups parmesan or romano
Salt and pepper
1 lemon, juiced

Cram peeled garlic, basil and nuts into food processor and blend until small bits. Scrape down. Add cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper, chop. Scrape down. Slowly add oil to mixture until all blended and mixed.

I taste it and sometimes add more lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Enjoy :)

NPR Back-Seat Book Club

2011-10-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

This sounds great!

Finally, NPR For YOU! For all those youngsters in the back seat who are fed a steady diet of NPR news, here's a book club just for you! Read along with us and send us questions you have for the authors.

We are starting a special project at NPR aimed at our younger listeners. We're talking about all those young people who listen to NPR programs while riding in the car or sitting at the kitchen table. We'd like you to lend us your ears and your curiosity. Beginning this October, All Things Considered is rolling out The Back-Seat Book Club for kids ages 9 to 14.

We're asking young people and their parents to join us in reading a special book each month. We also want young readers to join in the conversation with that book's author. We want to know what you think about the book. And most important, we want to give authors a chance to answer your questions.

This is a great way for All Things Considered to celebrate kids' books and to provide a special treat for all those youngsters who are fed a steady diet of NPR news.

by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

And speaking of treats ...

Since we are starting this book club in October, we couldn't resist a book that is full of tricks and treats and ghoulish adventures. Our first selection for the Back-Seat Book Club is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. (You can hear Gaiman read the whole book here.) It's the story of a little boy who escapes a terrible fate and winds up spending his childhood as the only living resident in a hillside cemetery.

You may have heard the phrase, "It takes a village." Well, in this case, it takes a graveyard to care for a young orphan. From his earliest days, the little boy named Nobody Owens is raised and nurtured by ghosts and other ghoulish creatures who live in the graveyard.

Now, there are a few things you and your parents should know about this month's book club selection: Orphaned children are prevalent in children's literature, and this book certainly falls in that category. But don't be too quick to judge this book by its first few pages. We chose The Graveyard Book because it fit well with a Halloween theme, and while the story starts on a particularly gruesome note, it's the beginning of a rich and magical journey that is well worth your time. The Graveyard Book has won numerous awards; it was the first children's novel to win both the Carnegie and Newbery medals.

We hope children and parents enjoy reading The Graveyard Book and we look forward to hearing from you. Click here to submit your thoughts and questions about The Graveyard Book. And be sure to listen to All Things Considered on Friday, Oct. 28. Just in time for Halloween, Gaiman will be on the program to chat about his book and answer some of your questions.

Happy Reading!

Henrietta Lacks Has a Headstone

2011-10-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

By Denise Watson Batts

The Virginian-Pilot
© May 30, 2010

CLOVER, Va.

While others bowed their heads Saturday as a minister prayed over Henrietta Lacks' grave, her oldest son, Lawrence, could only stare at his mother's new headstone.

He remembered the good and the sad. How cancer took her from him and his siblings in 1951 while they were children in Baltimore. How some of the diseased cells were retrieved from her body without her knowing. How they were cultivated in a lab and have led to medical breakthroughs.

Now the family was finally able to honor his mother with the headstone in her beloved Clover, where she'd rested for decades in an unmarked grave.

"She has done so much for us, her children, everyone else, in so many ways," Lawrence Lacks said.

For decades, Henrietta Lacks was known in the medical and research community as "HeLa," the name given to the first human cell line that allowed doctors to see how cells work. Since then, HeLa cells have been used to help find the vaccine for polio and treatments for leukemia, hemophilia and Parkinson's disease.

Her cells continue to multiply in labs around the globe. HeLa has become a bedrock of medical research. But she was more than that.

Before Saturday's memorial at the grave site, family, doctors and politicians gathered at Henrietta Lacks' church, St. Matthew Baptist, to pay tribute to the science, but also to "Hennie," as she was known here.

She was a friend who had a meal on the stove when people stopped by, and a caring wife and mother who moved her family from Virginia tobacco fields to Baltimore in the 1940s to give them a better life.

Two of her three sons and their children and grandchildren filled the front row and choir box of a packed church. They wore ribbons or shirts that were fire-engine red, the color Hennie used to paint her nails.

David Kroll, chairman of the department of pharmaceutical sciences at North Carolina Central University in Durham, said he wrote a thesis based on her cells.

"I want to talk to the young people in the family now. She is world famous. She is world famous!" he said as many in the crowd rose in applause.

"We talk about Obama, we talk about Franklin Roosevelt, but I'd put Henrietta Lacks up there with any of them."

Another researcher, Dr. Roland Pattillo with the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, said that in the 1960s, he'd worked with Dr. George Gey at then-Johns Hopkins Hospital. Gey grew the cells and created the HeLa cell line, looking to find a cure for cancer.

In 1996, when few had heard of Henrietta Lacks, Pattillo began holding conferences in her honor. The recent release of a book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," has catapulted her name into the spotlight.

Pattillo and his wife gave the money to Morehouse to fund Lacks' headstone. The family gathered money to buy a headstone for their sister, Elsie, who died in 1955, and that stone was dedicated Saturday along with her mother's.

Patillo quieted the church by recalling another of Henrietta's daughters, Deborah, who died last year. Deborah had worked with the author of "Immortal Life" to bring long-overdue recognition to her mother. She wanted the family to move beyond years of bewilderment and anger.

Until the 1970s, when researchers contacted them for blood samples in their attempt to figure out why HeLa cells were unique, no one in Henrietta Lacks' family knew that doctors had taken her cells in 1951 or what scientists were doing with them.

Her children struggled over the years, dealing with the loss of their mom and then boggled by the news of the cells' existence and that biomedical companies were making millions by growing and selling them.

Many in the family still don't have health insurance.

Saturday was about closure, about healing, about moving on. Family members bubbled with the news that Oprah Winfrey plans to team up with HBO to produce a movie about their Hennie.

Lawrence Lacks, who for years would not talk about his mother, said he's finally able to open up a bit about her. He wants to start a foundation to help cancer patients.

He knew how painful her death was. He remembers watching her struggle through the radiation treatments, which turned her honey-brown skin black around her stomach.

But now, he said, he believes it was all part of God's plan.

Creamy Spinach Gratin Recipe

2011-10-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Find the recipe here!

Books Removed From the List

2011-10-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone - Thanks to everyone who voted! Our new list will be distributed at book club on Thursday at Michele's house!
Here are the books that have been removed from the list due to zero votes received:

-The Elegance of the Hedgehog
-Threading the Needle
-Let's Take the Long Way Home
-The Tipping Point
-Hurry Down Sunshine
-365 Thank Yous
-SuperFreakonomics
-Sufferings in Africa

Thanks to Alison for all your tallying! See you Thursday!

2011-10-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

2011-10-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Is this as true for you as it is for me?

Hard Choices: Do Libraries Really Destroy Books?

2011-10-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

by Linda Holmes
- October 12, 2011

Yesterday, an Australian blogger named S Peter Davis wrote a piece for Cracked (the surprisingly interesting online offshoot of the old comedy print magazine) called "6 Reasons We're In Another 'Book-Burning' Period In History." It's not about the destruction of books based on content or community objections; it's about the destruction of books because libraries (and sometimes bookstores) don't know what to do with them, or don't know what to do with them that makes economic sense.

The situation as Davis describes it is basically this: Libraries have a certain amount of space and a certain amount of money. The careful culling of books is painstaking work. Perhaps the pithiest part of the discussion is where he says this:

Imagine you're the manager of a library, and some accountant tells you that you need to get rid of 100,000 books, and do it in a week. You really have two options. One, you can get a bunch of academics to scour your collection and painstakingly rate each book according to its value and importance. Then you can hire a bunch of people to take down the 100,000 least important books and painstakingly stamp and debug them, one by one. Your second option is to get the computer to spit out a list of the 100,000 least borrowed books, and hire a few people to walk down the aisles with their arms out, throwing those books in a shredding machine.

That second option is much quicker and much cheaper. Sometimes you can find a paper recycling centre that will pay you for the pulp, so destroying the books leads to a net profit. Nobody likes it, but for a librarian it's like your best friend just got bitten by a zombie and you're the only one with a gun.

That's sobering stuff. It's obviously an oversimplification, but it's a stark choice. And it created a heated discussion not only on that site, but also where I found it, at Metafilter.

When you want to talk about libraries, you talk to the American Library Association, so I spoke to Betsy Simpson, the president of the ALA's Association For Library Collections & Technical Services. She told me that while there are always choices to be made because it's simply not possible for every library to collect and retain every book, it's not as if they're throwing books in the shredder because they don't care. "Libraries really take seriously their mission to preserve the cultural record," she says.

But it's tough. Not only are there challenges that come from the limited space and the vast number of new books that come out every year (and month) (and week), but the number of functions that library users are looking for from libraries is increasing as well. "The space issue is a concern," Simpson says, "because more and more, there's a realization that our users need space to interact and collaborate and space to contemplate." When you need more space for group work, you can't pack every inch of your library with more shelves just to avoid getting rid of books.

Furthermore, there are ways other than destroying books to deal with space limitations, and libraries typically try those first. Simpson points out that libraries have book sales and, in some cases, permanent bookstores for books they don't want to keep (there's a bookstore just like that where she works, at the University of Florida). On top of that, there are growing initiatives to create "shared print repositories," where books can be stored offsite and remain available for retrieval when they're needed. It's not as convenient as keeping books on-site, but it means you can still give your users access to that book. (Here's a 2005 ALA report on this practice.)

There's also some help to be found in some of the same technologies that have sometimes been pitted against the printed book. There's a massive online library catalog called WorldCat that helps librarians (and others) know how many copies of a book other libraries are holding. It would presumably not be as big of a deal to get rid of a book 3,000 other libraries have as it is to dispose of one of the last three copies of something that remain available for borrowers.

But yes, sometimes, books are destroyed.

Now, obviously, there are absolutists who believe that any destruction of any book is inherently wrong. For them, this is agony, just knowing it's happening to any book, whether it's a classic gem or a dry manual on TV repair from the 1970s.

There always appear to be other options that could be explored. As Simpson points out, books can often be sold or donated. At the same time, doesn't it seem inevitable that a certain number of books are created for which the benefit of possession doesn't outweigh the costs of storage (even if the book is free) for any purchaser/taker the library is likely to find without making heroic efforts that they lack the resources to expend for very many volumes? There are obvious examples: outdated tech manuals, lifestyle books from trends gone by, obscure biographies. But there are also books that have been superseded by better or more current books, from atlases to science books to history books that are of little value because they're so out of date. There may truly be no reasonable likelihood that you'll find them a home.

It's easy to argue that some of these books are their own important documents, because an out-of-date atlas, for instance, may not record the world as it is, but it records the world as it was, and isn't that a better source, in fact, than a perspective we have now on the way things were then?

But if you're the library, how many of those snapshots can you keep, at what cost? Digitizing is one solution, but it doesn't at all satisfy everyone who loves paper books. On the other hand, if you can store 100 paper books or 1,000,000 digital books in the same space, what should you do?

And it's not just libraries. It sounds terrible that bookstores might destroy books when they close down rather than going to the trouble of giving them away. But when the Borders near me was closing, the sale prices went down ... and down ... and down. And a certain number of books stubbornly sat there. They were genuinely unwanted, even at next-to-nothing prices.

Aren't some books too off-the-beaten-track to save?

Maybe so. But ... but ... let me tell you something: My grandfather died many years before I was born. I've seen pictures of him, and I know he had the same face as my father and uncles and one of my cousins and one of my nephews. I call it the "Holmes face." (Creative, I know.)

But my grandfather also wrote this book, Air Conditioning In Summer And Winter. It was published in 1938. (Second edition: 1951.) There is absolutely no reason I could demand that it be kept with any degree of remove. It's a 74-year-old book about air conditioning. My father is not living off the royalties.

My parents have a copy of it on their shelf at home, so it's not as if I've never seen it. But when I saw that it was on Amazon, and that there were nine used copies for sale, I smiled. It's a thing. It's in the world. Somewhere, nine copies of Air Conditioning In Summer And Winter still exist for sale. And I clicked around to the university libraries that still have it, too. (Again: WorldCat.) I visited it. Someone is even selling it on eBay.

I would have been so sad if it had looked like my father had the only copy. I am a Kindle user, and not a noted paper-book sentimentalist, and I don't need to smell my books or lie around in bed with them. But I'm glad someone has it, and doesn't just have its picture. You can try to separate the utility of the information in a printed book from its dearness to you as an object, but you can't entirely. And my guess is that nobody knows that better than people who spend their days working in libraries, which takes you back to Betsy Simpson's request that you not picture librarians throwing out books with their cold, cold hearts.

Yes, some of it is sentiment, and sentiment is personal. Maybe finding a home for every library book would require a loving book detective to find the granddaughters of authors who know their grandpas from pictures. It's too much to ask, I know.

But hey — let me know if you're thinking about pulping a copy of Air Conditioning In Summer And Winter. I'm pretty sure I have the shelf space.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2011-10-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

About the Author ...

2011-10-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Skloot is an award winning science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; and many other publications. She specializes in narrative science writing and has explored a wide range of topics, including goldfish surgery, tissue ownership rights, race and medicine, food politics, and packs of wild dogs in Manhattan. She has worked as a correspondent for WNYC’s Radiolab and PBS’s Nova ScienceNOW. She and her father, Floyd Skloot, are co-editors of The Best American Science Writing 2011.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot's debut book, took more than a decade to research and write, and instantly became a New York Times best-seller. She has been featured on numerous television shows, including CBS Sunday Morning, The Colbert Report, Fox Business News, and others, and was named One of Five Surprising Leaders of 2010 by the Washington Post. The Immortal Life was chosen as a best book of 2010 by more than 60 media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, O the Oprah Magazine, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, People Magazine, New York Times, and U.S. News and World Report; it was named The Best Book of 2010 by Amazon.com and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick. It has won numerous awards, including the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction, the Wellcome Trust Book Prize, and two Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year and Best Debut Author of the year. It has received widespread critical acclaim, with reviews appearing in The New Yorker, Washington Post, Science, and many others. Dwight Garner of the New York Times said, "I put down Rebecca Skloot's first book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," more than once. Ten times, probably. Once to poke the fire. Once to silence a pinging BlackBerry. And eight times to chase my wife and assorted visitors around the house, to tell them I was holding one of the most graceful and moving nonfiction books I've read in a very long time …It has brains and pacing and nerve and heart.”

About the Author ...

2011-07-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Laura Hillenbrand (born 1967) is the author of the acclaimed Seabiscuit: An American Legend, a non-fiction account of the career of the great racehorse Seabiscuit, for which she won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2001. The book later became the basis of the 2003 movie Seabiscuit. Her essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Equus magazine, American Heritage, The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times, The Backstretch, Turf and Sport Digest, and many other publications. Her 1998 American Heritage article on the horse Seabiscuit won the Eclipse Award for Magazine Writing.

Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Hillenbrand studied at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, but was forced to leave before graduation when she contracted chronic fatigue syndrome, which she has struggled with ever since. She now lives in Washington, D.C.

For more information on Laura, and our next selection, Unbroken, please visit her website. Lots of photos and a map that chronicles Louie's journey.

Major Pettigrew's Recap

2011-07-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you Lisa (and Tine!) for the delicious Indian cuisine and for a wonderful night away... such a delightful sweet escape (what with the mango almond cardamom ice cream and all!)

It's so fun to be part of such a witty and wise group- similar to our dear Major, of course... and I echo the sentiments that I needed some time away from my darling 3-ring circus! Michele thanks for heading the discussion band-wagon- you did great! And as always, the tangents were equally entertaining!

Until next time!

Thanks,
Zibby

Very eloquently written Zibby, so I shall simply “ditto” it and enclose it in an embossed envelope with a wax seal. Wonderful evening, and Lisa, by virtue of your being real and honest about your hosting efforts, you truly are a great hostess because you make your guests feel welcome (unless they arrive promptly at 6:30) and comfortable (once Zibby poured the drinks). Just teasing!!! You did a fab job!

Thyra

Outtakes from Outliers

2011-06-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who made the trek up here last night, it was truly one of the most memorable book club meetings for me. GREAT book to read and discuss!!! I am sure we burned off the dessert calories laughing. I also appreciated how open we were in sharing personal experiences and religious thoughts. Here are some of the quotes that made it to the paper. Michele and I were writing as fast as we could, but wow, they just kept coming!!!

“I broke my cleanse for you” – Shae, with a glass of wine in hand greeting Chris

“It was a little bit Outlie-ing” – Lisa referring to the Jamaica story

“Well look at Rudy” – Zibby

“Don’t play the Rudy card” – Lisa

“Practical Intelligence vs IQ – Oh, I think my kids have that!” - Lisa

“Rice; it's so hard to grow, quit eating it three times a day. It should be just for Christmas!” – Thyra

“I’m a product manager, my husband is a salesman; are my kids going to say ‘where’s my rice paddy’? – Alison

“After I read this book I took some time to reflect on it… well ok, I finished the last chapter today but still.” – Shae

“You had me at Slumdog Millionaire, ya lost me at Hedonic Scale.” – Alison referring to Shae’s analogy to something that no one got.

“We are diverse in book-club” – someone, but then Zibby comes back with “Ya we are! We have one Jew and she just became one through marriage.”

“We need summers off to cultivate our barley.” – Lisa

“I use centimeters a lot in my line of work” – Zibby in response to Lisa’s comment about the US thinking they are the best and refusing to do anything that the rest of the world does ie metric, better math teaching techniques etc.

“My mom is pretend black” – Zibby, re: why the author can “cherry pick” his facts

Commenting on the value of our cultural history “it’s been de-importantalized” – Thyra

“That’s not even a word” – Alison

“Alex in on like the 5th level of Halo Reach” – Lisa

“How can we make our children Outliers?” – Kacey

“Those parents didn’t try to, it just happened. If Bill Gates mom knew he was sneaking out she’d have put a stop to it and ended his 10,000 hours.” – Kacey

“I don’t think I want my children to be Outliers.” – Tine

“Should they be called Lucky Bastards, not Outliers?” – Zibby

“You’ve gotta be exponed to these things.” – Alison

“That’s not a word Alison.” – Thyra

“What defines us? What are we passing on to our kids?” – Shae

“Cribbage – that’s some good math. Chinese math.” – Zibby

“That would have helped me like that prick.” – Lisa in sharing that no one knew her grandfather had been given the Purple Heart and Bronze Star until his funeral last week.

“I thought he survived cuz he put people in front of him.” – Lisa’s thoughts on her grandfather’s orneriness.

“I’m probably in the wrong religion then.” - Chris’s comment after Jessica shared about her religious culture and the meaning and joy it brings her.

“I don’t need to be drunk to experience God.” – Shae

“My kids are like honorary Mormons.” – Alison re her kids playing and learning from the neighbourhood children

“You can judge me, that’s alright.” – Chris

“We’ve been having an important discussion over here… help me out ladies, where was I going with it? Oh well, I’ll go off on a different tangent.” – Michele

And Th th th that’s all folks!

Winter 2010/Spring 2011 Favorites

2011-06-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

1. Room
2. Lonesome Dove
3. In the Woods
4. Promise Me
5. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

There was .05 difference in the votes between Room and Lonesome Dove, and In the Woods and Promise Me were tied for third. Some great picks this past time!

The Rise and Fall of the Confident Freshman

2011-06-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

A sincere thank you to Thyra for a great evening on a cool rainy summer night! There were enough one-liners flying that my jaw hurt, and mixed in with the humor was the poignant, thoughtful conversation that is the heart of our group.

Thank you all!

Michele

I'm still pondering our discussion this morning and laughed when I saw the article below talking about overconfidence in today's youth:

CHICAGO – Among academics who track the behavior of young adults and teens, there’s a touchy debate: Should the word “entitled” be used when talking about today’s younger people? Are they overconfident in themselves?

Jean Twenge, author of the book “Generation Me,” is in the middle of the discussion. The San Diego State University psychology professor has made a career out of finding data that she says shows that college students and others their age are more self-centered – narcissistic even – than past generations. Now she’s turned up data showing that they also feel more superior about themselves than their elders did when they were young.

“There are some advantages and some disadvantages to self-esteem, so having some degree of confidence is often a good thing,” says Twenge.

But as she sees it, there’s a growing disconnect between self-perception and reality.

“It’s not just confidence. It’s overconfidence.”

And that, she says, can pose problems, in relationships and the workplace – though others argue that it’s not so easy to generalize.

“If you actually look at the data, you can’t just condense it into a sound bite. It’s more nuanced than that,” says John Pryor, director of UCLA’s Cooperative Institutional Research program, which produces an annual national survey of hundreds of thousands of college freshman, on which Twenge and her colleagues based their latest study.

That study was recently published online in the British journal Self and Identity.

Among other things, Twenge and her colleagues found that a growing percentage of incoming college freshmen rated themselves as “above average” in several categories, compared with college freshmen who were surveyed in the 1960s.

When it came to social self-confidence, about half of freshmen questioned in 2009 said they were above average, compared to fewer than a third in 1966. Meanwhile, 60 percent in 2009 rated their intellectual self-confidence as above average, compared with 39 percent in 1966, the first year the survey was given.

In the study, the authors also argue that intellectual confidence may have been bolstered by grade inflation, noting that, in 1966, only 19 percent of college students who were surveyed earned an “A” or “A-minus” average in high school, compared with 48 percent in 2009.

“So students might be more likely to think they’re superior because they’ve been given better grades,” Twenge says.

Statements like that can set off the generational firestorm.

Young people are quick to feel picked on – and rightly so, says Kali Trzesniewski, an associate professor of human development at the University of California, Davis.

“People have been saying for generations that the next generation is crumbling the world,” Trzesniewski says. “There are quotes going back to Socrates that say that kids are terrible.”

But in her own research, she says she’s been hard-pressed to find many differences when comparing one generation to the next – and little evidence that even an increase in confidence has had a negative effect.

Many bosses and others in the workplace have long argued that recent college students often arrive with unreasonably high expectations for salary and an unwillingness to take criticism or to pay their dues.

“But a lot of them have a confidence that we wished we had,” says psychologist Jeffrey Arnett, a research professor in the psychology department at Clark University in Massachusetts. He studies “emerging adulthood,” a term that has been coined to describe the period from age 18 to 29 when many young adults are finding their footing.

Arnett doesn’t object to Twenge’s findings. But he adds: “I disagree with using those findings as a way to promote these negative stereotypes of young people, which I spend a lot of my time battling against.”

He says those stereotypes also overshadow positive trends related to young people, in the last decade or so.

“If you look at the patterns in young people’s behavior, all the news is good, pretty much. Crime is down and rates of substance abuse are down, way down. Rates of all kinds of sexual risk-taking – from abortion to sexually transmitted diseases – are down.”

You also can’t look at factors such as self-confidence and feelings of superiority without considering other findings that balance out those traits, says Pryor from UCLA. Look, for instance, at community service, he says.

In 1990, when the question was first asked in the survey, about 17 percent of college freshmen said there was a very good chance that they’d participate in public service in college. In 2010, nearly a third of freshman said the same.

In addition, in 1989, two-thirds of college freshman said they had volunteered in high school, compared with nearly 87 percent surveyed last year.

Cynics like Twenge have argued that they only do so because many high schools require it – or because they know it looks good on a college or job application.

It also should be noted that there has been relatively no change in the percentage of students who said it was important for them to help others in difficult circumstances – 69.7 percent in 1966, compared with 69.1 percent in 2010.

But Deborah Tippett, a professor at Meredith College in North Carolina, says she has definitely noticed that this generation of students is more likely to act on that wish to help – and she thinks it’s that confidence that has led many of her students to do big things.

One of them, she notes, is spending her third summer in Africa this year running a program that’s building an orphanage for children with AIDS.

That said, she also agrees that the confidence – or overconfidence – has a down side.

“They really do believe they can do it all,” says Tippett, who heads the human environmental sciences department at Meredith. “It makes them wonderful, but it also makes for some hard lessons.

“I see it now when I tell students that they aren’t doing work that’s above average or even average. It’s really hard for them to take.”

A lot of students say they’ve seen that dynamic, too.

Janelle Mills, who’ll be a junior this fall at Stetson University in Florida, says she and her peers get tired of their elders “ragging” on them about being entitled or lazy – or just labeling them in general. But she also thinks there’s something to this study about overconfidence.

“Kids are being encouraged to be the best that they can be. I think that this can create a superiority complex for those who begin to think that their best is better than everyone else’s,” she says. “Modesty and humility are no longer common and are becoming harder to find.”

Twenge has argued that the self-esteem movement – “where every kid is special” – has contributed to this. Others wonder if overconfidence is a byproduct of the super-pushy “tiger parent” syndrome, where even average parents set up music classes and sports and outside tutoring so their children can get ahead.

Tippett, at Meredith College, says we’d do our children a favor if we also better prepared them for failure, and the realization that they’re not perfect, especially when they hit the real world.

“I think that’s the real challenge with this generation: How do you help them so that they will be productive people in the workplace?” she asks.

Arnett, at Clark University, says he worries about that, too – and how this generation handles disappointment, entry-level assignments, low pay and criticism at work. “But what I see is that they don’t run screaming from the workplace and lay in the corner in the fetal position,” he says. “They adjust.”

To him, it’s all part of an emerging adult’s journey.

Twenge doesn’t disagree at all with Arnett on that point. “He’s right. As they get older, their self-beliefs will adjust with reality,” she says.

But she believes it’s still worth looking at the generational differences – and to keep overconfidence in check.

Brittany Vickers, who’ll be a junior at Ohio Wesleyan University in the fall, says older generations can help with that.

“The best teachers and coaches I’ve ever had never said I was good enough. They always told me what I could improve on,” she says. “You hate them at first, because you actually have to work hard to be successful. But, when the praise comes, it really means something.

“Sadly, they’ve been few and far between.”

About the Author ...

2011-06-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Malcolm Gladwell is a United Kingdom-born, Canadian-raised journalist now based in New York City. He is a former business and science writer at the Washington Post. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. He is best known as the author of the books The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000), Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), and Outliers: The Story of Success (2008).

About the Author ...

2011-05-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Born in Alberta, Louisiana, a sawmill town,Brown grew up in Ouachita County, Arkansas, which experienced an oil boom when he was thirteen. Brown's mother later relocated to Little Rock so he and his brother and two sisters could attend a better high school. The public library became his second home. Reading the three-volume History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark helped him develop an abiding interest in the American West. He also discovered the works of Sherwood Anderson and John Dos Passos, and later William Faulkner and Joseph Conrad. He cited these authors as those most influential on his own work.

While attending home games by the Arkansas Travelers baseball team, he became acquainted with Moses Yellowhorse, a pitcher. His kindness, and a childhood friendship with a Creek boy, caused Brown to reject the portrayals of Indian peoples as violent and backward, which dominated American popular culture at the time.

He worked as a printer and reporter in Harrison, Arkansas, and decided to continue his education at Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway, Arkansas. His mentor, history professor Dean D. McBrien, helped set him on the road to becoming a writer. They traveled west along with other students on two occasions in a Model T Ford. On campus Brown worked as editor of the student newspaper and held a student assistantship in the library. The latter convinced him that he should become a librarian. So, in the middle of the Depression, he set out for George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He worked part-time for J. Willard Marriott, took classes, and married Sally Stroud (another graduate of Arkansas State Teachers College drawn to Washington by the New Deal). Eventually he found a full-time position and became a librarian for the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1934 to 1942.

Brown's first novel was a satire of New Deal bureaucracy, but it was not published due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The publisher suggested "something patriotic" instead. He responded with Wave High the Banner, a fictionalized account of the life of Davy Crockett (who was an acquaintance of his great-grandfather). A few months after its publication, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he met Martin Schmitt; after the war they collaborated on several works.

During the war, Brown never went overseas, and worked for the United States Department of War as a librarian. From 1948 to 1972, he was an agriculture librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he had gained a master's degree in library science, became a professor, and raised a son, Mitchell, and daughter, Linda. As a part-time writer, he published nine books, three fiction and six nonfiction, by the end of the 1950s. During the 1960s, he completed eight more including The Galvanized Yankees, which Brown described as requiring more research than any of his other books and The Year of the Century: 1876, which he described as his personal favorite.

In 1971 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee became a best-seller. Many readers assumed that Brown was of Indian heritage but, in fact, he was not. He did however come from a family with deep frontier history.

In 1973, he retired in Little Rock, Arkansas and devoted his time to writing. His later works include Creek Mary's Blood, a novel telling of several generations of a family descended from one Creek woman, and Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow, which described the chicanery and romance surrounding the construction of the western railroads. His last book-length work, Way To Bright Star is a picaresque novel set during the Civil War. He never completed its sequel, which was to feature P. T. Barnum and Abraham Lincoln.

Brown died at the age of 94 in Little Rock, Arkansas. His remains are interred in Urbana, Illinois, along with those of Sally Stroud. The Central Arkansas Library System named a branch library in Little Rock, Arkansas for him.

Books Removed From the Master List

2011-04-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

The following 12 titles have been removed from our book list since they didn't receive any votes:

1. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
2. Kindred by Octavia Butler
3. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
4. The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus
5. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
6. Expecting Adam by Martha Beck
7. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan
8. Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer
9. Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
10. Lucky by Alice Sebold
11. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
12. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.

Thanks to everyone who voted! We will reveal our new titles at our meeting next Thursday!

As Library E-Books Live Long, Publisher Sets Expiration Date

2011-03-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article from the NY Times today.

About the Author ...

2011-03-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

Tana French grew up in Ireland, Italy, the US and Malawi, and has lived in Dublin since 1990. She trained as a professional actress at Trinity College, Dublin, and has worked in theater, film and voice-over.

Lonesome Dove Recap - Part Deux

2011-03-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

Zooey, Dewey & Louie - Zibby
Roscoe P. Coltrane - Nicole
She’s just not that into you - Zibby
She looked just like Mick Jagger - Sarah
The dying wish trumps the cowboy code - LFR
The Whore (which one? Piano, teacher, etc.)
The prelude to Brokeback Mountain - LFR
You had me at whore - Alison
He just couldn’t quit Gus - LFR
It’s that whole small wild west thang - Zibby
You saw ‘em comin’ and still had an hour to prepare - LFR (as she is simulating riding a horse)
GRASSHOPPERS! Zibby
What about Bob? Zibby
That’s what they say in the NICU - wimpy white boys! (Zibby in reference to Martin)
He’s the loyal moron - Zibby
Drink & whore in Ogallalla - Thyra
The doctor was probably a crack whore himself - Zibby
I’m not picturing them (Call & Gus) as gay - Zibby in reference to LFR’s Brokeback Mtn
Gus would just wake up with a magic leg - Nicole
Just like a starfish - it’d grow back - Alison
Bob in the water; Matt on the ground; Art on the wall - Zibby & Alison
It was a genre buster (Blue Duck) - LFR
Call was Bob on a horse - LFR
All this whorin’ and I’m the one that ends up with a kid - LFR
Wasn’t there a pregnant whore that kept on whorin’? - Shelley as she was bouncing her boobs
Did he (Call) get hit by a poison dart? Zibby
Linda & cwoffee tawk - Verklempt - spoiler alert! The preface is neither a pre nor a face. Discuss!! Zibby & LFR

Lonesome Dove Part 1 Recap!

2011-01-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

I'm lovin all the conversatin with dialect. Well Po Campo, those two stews you made was a real treat last night, but they're takin vengeance on me today, I God.

See yall next month.

-Lisa

Thyra THANK YOU for the explanation of the Latin phrase on that sign (and thank goodness that part of the story happened in the first 15 chapters…).

Until next time!
Poke!!

-Alison

Thanks pardners, y’all made book club last night right entertainin’! I loved how everyone was out sporting their finest duds – not to be confused with being “out, sporting duds." Nicole, thanks for the tasty vittles, disappointed in the lack of fried grasshoppers, but I’ God, the S’more Pie sent me into just the sugar-shakes that I needed for the ride back down to Texas with my trail horse Cuddles. I tip my daughter’s pink cowgirl hat to ya!

By the way, for those of you not schooled in proper Latin, this here snippet will answer your question about the sign:

What does the phrase uva uvam vivendo varia fit mean?

The Latin phrase that appears on the Hat Creek Cattle Company sign in "Lonesome Dove" is a garbled corruption, and there's no direct translation. Novelist Larry McMurtry probably intentionally misused the Latin, perhaps to make a point about Augustus McCrae's tenuous understanding of the language.

Many scholars have weighed in on the subject over the years, and most agree that the phrase generally means something along the following lines: A grape changes color (i.e.,ripens) when it sees another grape.

From there, any number of interpretations have arisen to explain why McMurtry chose to communicate that particular idea. Probably the soundest theory is that the phrase serves as a metaphor for the group's journey, as many of the story's characters go through a process of personal maturation and development. Much like grapes ripen in the presence of others.

Ah, the convenience of Google!

Lookin’ forward discussin’ the second half with y’all next month.

-Thyra

Nicole, our Fearless Texas Book Group Ranger, has done it again. Thanks for a discussion as deep and as wide as the Mississipi (none of this Rio Grande shalloweness for this group) and for the best durn grub in the west.

I needed that break from my own cow herd last night as you could probably tell since I was the LAST person out the door!

Thanks for a great evening.
Misty

I heart the studded shirt and pink rhinestone belt – my favorites for the evening. That black bean chili was dern good!!

Thanks for a great evening and lively discussion as always. I only have 39 more chapters to go before I’m caught up to last night!!

-Alison

'I god, Nicole.

You done it again.

That was the best dern grub this side of the Pecoes. And I mus' say I'm mighty lookin' forward to seein' what y'all think of the rest of this fine prose.

I'm still dreamin' of that mighty fine pie, and best be ridin' in to Ogallala for one of 'em nice bolo ties you were sportin'

Happy readin' cowpokes and thanks again. Much obliged Nicole.
Zib

Hi Y'all!,

I just loved all of your fine duds and giddy ups! Nicole thank you for that dang fine grub and drink. if it weren't for my two young varmits Ida made it through the whole chittychat.

See you in Montany.
Sarah

Thanks Nicole for the awesome book club and decorations and everything...as usual. U r amazing. Wishing I could have stayed for dessert. Sounded Yummy.

Hugs:)
Yota

Thanks ladies for a wonderful night! Nicole the food was wonderful and the discussion fabulous. Just the little mini break I needed tonight.

Thanks,
Kristin

About the Author ...

2011-01-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

• Birth—June 3, 1936
• Where—Wichita Falls, Texas, USA
• Education—B.A., North Texas State University; M.A., Rice
University; studied at Stanford University
• Awards—Pulitzer Prize, 1986
• Currently—Archer City, Texas

Back in the late 60s, the fact that Larry McMurtry was not a household name was really a thorn in the side of the writer. To illustrate his dissatisfaction with his status, he would go around wearing a T-shirt that read "Minor Regional Novelist." Well, more than thirty books, two Oscar-winning screenplays, and a Pulitzer Prize later, McMurtry is anything but a minor regional novelist.

Having worked on his father's Texas cattle ranch for a great deal of his early life, McMurtry had an inborn fascination with the West, both its fabled history and current state. However, he never saw himself as a life-long rancher and aspired to a more creative career. He achieved this at the age of 25 when he published his first novel. Horseman, Pass By was a wholly original take on the classic western. Humorous, heartbreaking, and utterly human, this story of a hedonistic cowboy in contemporary Texas was a huge hit for the young author and even spawned a major motion picture starring Paul Newman called Hud just two years after its 1961 publication. Extraordinarily, McMurtry was even allowed to write the script, a rare honor for such a novice.

With such an auspicious debut, it is hard to believe that McMurtry ever felt as though he'd been slighted by the public or marginalized as a minor talent. While all of his books may not have received equal attention, he did have a number of astounding successes early in his career. His third novel The Last Picture Show, a coming-of-age-in-the-southwest story, became a genuine classic, drawing comparisons to J. D. Salinger and James Jones. In 1971, Peter Bogdonovich's screen adaptation of the novel would score McMurtry his first Academy award for his screenplay. Three years later, he published Terms of Endearment, a critically lauded urban family drama that would become a hit movie starring Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacLaine in 1985. A sequel, Evening Star, was published in 1992 and adapted to film in 1996.

That year, McMurtry published what many believe to be his definitive novel. An expansive epic sweeping through all the legends and characters that inhabited the old west, Lonesome Dove was a masterpiece. All of the elements that made McMurtry's writing so distinguished— his skillful dialogue, richly drawn characters, and uncanny ability to establish a fully-realized setting—convened in this Pulitzer winning story of two retired Texas rangers who venture from Texas to Montana. The novel was a tremendous critical and commercial favorite, and became a popular miniseries in 1989.

Following the massive success of Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's prolificacy grew. He would publish at least one book nearly every year for the next twenty years, including Texasville, a gut-wrenching yet hilarious sequel to The Last Picture Show, Buffalo Girls, a fictionalized account of the later days of Calamity Jane, and several non-fiction titles, such as Crazy Horse.

Interestingly, McMurtry would receive his greatest notoriety in his late 60s as the co-screenwriter of Ang Lee's controversial film Brokeback Mountain. The movie would score the writer another Oscar and become one of the most critically heralded films of 2005. The following year he published his latest novel. Telegraph Days is a freewheeling comedic run-through of western folklore and surely one of McMurtry's most inventive stories and enjoyable reads. Not bad for a "minor regional novelist."

Potluck Recipes

2011-01-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

Garden Herb Cheese Spread (from Gold 'n Delicious Cookbook)

1 - 8oz. package feta cheese, crumbled
1 - 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp milk
3 large cloves garlic
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Place feta in a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. Add cream cheese and milk and blend thoroughly. Chill for 1 to 24 hours. Serve with crackers, toast rounds or pita chips.

Note: This spread can be very expensive and time consuming, especially if you try to jiggle your blender in order to coax the feta and cream cheese into a smooth, appetizing concoction. The running blender may dislodge due to the jiggling and the motor could tear up the parts on the blender bottom, sending microscopic bits of black rubber flying all over the kitchen and rendering the blender useless. I recommend the food processor, and I need a new blender!

Almost Happy New Year!
-Michele

December 2010 Book Club Recap

2011-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks ladies for the yummy, albeit not nutritionally sound cookie breakfast this morning. I am riding high this Friday morning on the energy from last night's laughter and fun. As I started reading Room, a bit of me could not reconcile the story with the joy of the Christmas season. But last night's discussion reminded me, what I will take with me from Room is the mother's legacy of love. That is perfect for this beautiful time. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Michele

Again I marvel at what an awesome group of gals I am in the company of....Thanks so much for the yummy plates of goodies that everyone sent with Alison.

Sorry to have missed out on the discussion of "Room" as I hated the premise for the story and didnt even want to read it. Alison however reminded me why I am in book club so I did read it....in about 4 days....if only all mothers in the world could and would love their children like Jack was loved!

Happy Holidays and until NEXT year!!

-Gina

A little belated, but thanks for a wonderful book club. The discussion was fabulous! Thanks for a very well presented and prepared discussion Lisa! Kelly your home is beautiful and inviting. Thanks for being a great hostess.

Merry Christmas to you all!

-Misty

Ditto what Misty said!! Thanks for a wonderful discussion and all-around terrific evening – I only wish book club happened more often but maybe I wouldn’t look forward to it as much as I do now. Just bought my copy of Lonesome Dove – I will have to get beyond the cheap novel-looking cover and dig in over the holidays.

I hope everyone has a lovely (dare I say “relaxing”?) holiday!

-Alison

January 2011 Selection

2011-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Bestselling winner of the 1986 Pulitzer Prize, Lonesome Dove is an American classic. First published in 1985, Larry McMurtry's epic novel combined flawless writing with a storyline and setting that gripped the popular imagination, and ultimately resulted in a series of four novels and an Emmy-winning television miniseries.
A love story, an adventure, an American epic, Lonesome Dove embraces all the West -- legend and fact, heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settiers -- in a novel that recreates the central American experience, the most enduring of our national myths.

Set in the late nineteenth century, Lonesome Dove is the story of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana -- and much more. It is a drive that represents for everybody involved not only a daring, even a foolhardy, adventure, but a part of the American Dream -- the attempt to carve out of the last remaining wilderness a new life.

Augustus McCrae and W. F. Call are former Texas Rangers, partners and friends who have shared hardship and danger together without ever quite understanding (or wanting to understand) each other's deepest emotions. Gus is the romantic, a reluctant rancher who has a way with women and the sense to leave well enough alone. Call is a driven, demanding man, a natural authority figure with no patience for weaknesses, and not many of his own. He is obsessed with thedream of creating his own empire, and with the need to conceal a secret sorrow of his own. The two men could hardly be more different, but both are tough, redoubtable fighters who have learned to count on each other, if nothing else.

Call's dream not only drags Gus along in its wake, but draws in a vast cast of characters:

-- Lorena, the whore with the proverbial heart of gold, whom Gus (and almost everyone else) loves, and who survives one of the most terrifying experiences any woman could have...

-- Elmira, the restless, reluctant wife of a small-time Arkansas sheriff, who runs away from the security of marriage to become part of the great Western adventure...

-- Blue Duck, the sinister Indian renegade, one of the most frightening villains in American fiction, whose steely capacity for cruelty affects the lives of everyone in the book...

-- Newt, the young cowboy for whom the long and dangerous journey from Texas to Montana is in fact a search for his own identity...

-- Jake, the dashing, womanizing ex-Ranger, a comrade-in-arms of Gus and Call, whose weakness leads him to an unexpected fate...

-- July Johnson, husband of Elmira, whose love for her draws him out of his secure life into the wilderness, and turns him into a kind of hero...

Lonesome Dove sweeps from the Rio Grande (where Gus and Call acquire the cattle for their long drive by raiding the Mexicans) to the Montana highlands (where they find themselves besieged by the last, defiant remnants of an older West).

It is an epic of love, heroism, loyalty, honor, and betrayal -- faultlessly written, unfailingly dramatic. Lonesome Dove is the novel about the West that American literature -- and the American reader -- has long been waiting for.

A Child's World of His Own

2010-12-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

An Interview with Emma Donoghue
ROOM Website
Writing Room: Why and How
Room Reading Group Guide

Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is a writer of contemporary and historical fiction whose novels include the bestselling Slammerkin, The Sealed Letter, Landing, Life Mask, Hood, and Stirfry. Her story collections are The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, Kissing the Witch, and Touchy Subjects. She also writes literary history, and plays for stage and radio. She lives in London, Ontario, with her partner and their two small children. For more information, go to: http://www.emmadonoghue.com/.

How to Sell a Book? Good Old Word of Mouth

2010-12-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

I heard this story on NPR one morning last Fall. I found it fascinating, since I really didn't know how books became "buzz-worthy" - and also because I had been hearing alot about the book they featured in the story - Room. Anyway, I thought you might find it interesting, too!

"If you think autumn is just about colorful leaves and chillier weather, then you're probably not in the book industry. Fall is the season when publishers begin to roll out their "big books" — the titles they hope people will still be buying during the all-important holiday season. With many writers vying for attention, it's important to build buzz about a book that can be heard above the fray.

Emma Donoghue's novel Room — which was shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker prize — is one example of a book with serious buzz. It was published in the U.K. in early August (it's already on the best-seller lists there) and it will be released in the U.S. on Monday.

When it comes to selling books, Heather Fain, marketing director for the publisher Little, Brown and Co., said there is one surefire weapon — and it's not brand new or high-tech.

"In a lot ways, the greatest marketing tool we have in publishing — and probably will never change — is word of mouth," Fain said.

That's not to say any publishing house expects the word to spread all by itself. Someone has to get the buzz started — and that's usually the person who reads the book first. In the case of Room, that was Little Brown executive editor Judy Clain.

"I read it almost in one sitting. I was completely overwhelmed by it," Clain said. "When I got to the end of it, I was more worried that people wouldn't love it as much as I did because I knew that it was a difficult book."

Room tells the story of a woman — being held captive by a man who kidnapped and raped her — and her son, who is the child of her captor. The child narrates the story, which begins in the only world he has ever known — a backyard shed that is their prison. Clain was convinced that Little Brown should buy the book, but first she had to pitch it to her colleagues at an editorial meeting.

"A lot of people in the room were skeptical," she said. "Then, what started to happen — which I think has pretty much never happened to me before — is that one by one, everybody who read the book, people started to come by absolutely sort of evangelical about the book."

Getting everyone within the company talking about the book is the first step in building the buzz. The next step is spreading that excitement to the outside world. So to market Room, Little Brown knew the best way to overcome any discomfort with the concept was to get people to read the whole book. Fain, the marketing director, said the publisher sent out some 6,000 advance copies of the novel — for some smaller novels, that's the number of books that get printed to go out into the marketplace total.

"We really, really have tried to make sure that every bookseller, librarian, blogger, reviewer — anyone who might possibly be interested in this book and interested in talking about it, has a copy already," Fain said.

The next step was BookExpo, the annual industry convention, when booksellers from all over the country converge on New York, and publishers compete to win their attention. They woo booksellers with parties and events where authors turn out to mix and mingle. Sara Nelson, book editor at Oprah's O magazine, said winning over booksellers is crucial.

"Even though they may be a tiny bookstore and they may only buy 10 copies of the book they've just heard discussed lovingly by the publisher — they talk to each other about it, and they get a galley and they lend the galley out and so on," Nelson said. "That's sort of where it starts."

At an event hosted by Little Brown, Room's author, Emma Donoghue, spoke to a small crowd of booksellers and members of the media. Elaine Petrocelli of Book Passage, a San Francisco-based book store, had already read her advance copy of the novel — and said she had initial reservations.

"At first when I heard it was from the point of view of a 5-year-old boy, I thought, 'Uh, I don't know,' " Petrocelli said. "But Emma Donoghue is so brilliant at the way she gets into the voice of this child and takes us into the room."

A lot of people at the convention were talking about the book, Petrocelli said. "People are curious about it … I think it's going to sell very well."

Book stores are one way to sell books — and book clubs are another. Esther Bushell of Literary Matters leads book clubs and organizes author events near her home base of Greenwich, Conn. She said she was impressed by Donoghue's charismatic personality.

"I was just entranced," Bushell said. "I was very engaged by her as a speaker, and that's part of it. I've had events and the authors were just terrible speakers. So, there's no sale there. There's no interest there. People really need to connect with an author."

Still basking in the glow of Donoghue's charm, Bushell said confidently that she would organize an event featuring the author. But just a few days ago, she said it was a hard sell because of the subject matter.

O book editor Sara Nelson attended the same event at BookExpo and was also impressed by Donoghue. Nelson can't possibly read all of the novels sent her way — but she finished Room and reviewed it favorably in her magazine. Still, Nelson said, no matter what a publisher does to build the buzz, there's never a guarantee that the book will take off with the public or with reviewers.

"It's a tricky thing for publishers, too," she said, "because I think you can sell too hard. And I think a lot times, books that get sold very hard or get a lot of press beforehand, there's a backlash waiting to happen."

There are plenty of stories of books that got hyped and went nowhere. At this point, editor Judy Clain said, everyone at Little Brown is just holding their breath.

"Everyone's nervous," she said. "I mean, not nervous so much as just hoping. ... We can only say 'so far so good,' and that along the way we've had the right signs. I would be surprised if it just doesn't work at all."

Fain said that as the publicists wait for the book's official U.S. release Monday, it's a little like that half-hour before the party you are hosting gets under way.

"You've done everything you can," Fain said. "You've sent out the invitations, the food looks beautiful on the table, and then you're like, 'I hope people come to my party.' So, now we're just hoping the readers come to our party."

It won't be long before they know just how many guests will accept the invitation.

Cookie Recipes

2010-12-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

Double Peanut Butter Cups - Kelly

½ c. butter
½ c. crunchy peanut butter
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 ½ c. flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
40-48 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

In a large bowl cream butters then gradually add in sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Mix flour, soda and salt in separate bowl. Gradually add into butter/sugar/egg mixture. Chill for one-hour.

Shape into 1” balls. Place in mini muffin pans. Bake at 350° for ten minutes. Remove and press one PB cup into each while still hot. Let cool before removing.

Sees Caramels - Kristin

Make sure you follow the soft ball stage and not go with a candy thermometer, unless you are positive yours is right on. Mine wasn't thus the harder candy.
2 sticks Butter
2 cups Sugar
2 cups Karo corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter, add corn syrup, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. (Be careful not to burn the butter, and avoid bringing to boil over high heat as you will get chunks of burnt sugar floating in the caramel.) Bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until you reach “chewy ball” stage. (Chewy ball: When you can pour a little of the mixture into a cup of cold water and roll it into a ball that is soft and pliable, but not sticky or hard.)

Remove from heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Keep stirring until caramel starts to cool and darken. It will get thicker and harder to stir - the more air you get in through stirring, the creamier the caramel. Pour into a buttered jelly pan or any cookie sheet with a border, so the caramel wont’t roll off. Let cool and harden. Cut into squares and wrap with wax paper.

Homemade Oreo Cookies - Shelley

Ingredients

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/4 C. unsalted butter
1 - 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 - 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined.
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

Note: Do not bake the cookies to a crisp; they are meant to be soft and chewy.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar.

Make frosting. Frost one cookie and top it with another cookie. You can add food coloring or sprinkles to the frosting to decorate the cookies.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherries - Nicole

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 T. cherry juice*
2 T. sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 - 8 oz. jars maraschino cherries with stems, drained*
1 package semisweet chocolate chips
1 package milk chocolate chips
2 chunks almond bark

Directions

1. Drain cherries and freeze overnight on a cookie sheet.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, cherry juice and extract; mix well.
3. Wrap dough around frozen cherries and lightly roll in hands.
4. Place (with stem up) on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Cover loosely and freeze for a few hours.
5. Melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl. Holding onto the stem of the cherry, dip cherries in chocolate and set in individual candy cups to harden.
6. Store in a covered container. Refrigerate 1-2 weeks before serving. The longer the candies sit, the juicier the center will be.

Yield: About 3 dozen cherries

Our Summer/Fall Favorites

2010-12-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

1. The Power of One
2. Still Alice
3. Life of Pi
4. Half-Broke Horses
5. The Omnivore's Dilemma
6. Look Again

Cookie Exchange!

2010-12-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

We will hold our first holiday cookie/candy exchange on Thursday, December 16th at Kelly's. Please arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 PM for set-up. We will start the exchange at 6:00 PM and then begin our regular book club meeting at 6:30 PM.

At the request of some of our members, there are a few ground rules:

1. No store bought or "pop in the oven"-type cookies - only homemade items, please!
2. Please provide at least one recipe card for what you are bringing to share. This is important, as we have some families who may have allergies and would like to know ingredients before deciding to take your cookies! If you're really ambitious, you can email me your recipe and I will post them all on the blog so we will have access to all your holiday goodness!
3. Please bring 7 dozen treats, pre-packaged in half dozen increments (14 packages total). Please label your treats so we know what we're enjoying. We have 14 members that wish to participate:

-Nicole (Chocolate Covered Cherries)
-Sarah (White Chocolate Macaroons and Espresso Thumbprints)
-Michele (Tender Crisp Sugar Cookies)
-Shae
-Lisa
-Laura (Toffee or Lemon Meltaway Cookies)
-Chris
-Julie
-Alison (Speculaas)
-Gina (Iced Gingerbread Orange Stars)
-Kelly (Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies)
-Yota (Nana's Ginger Snaps)
-Kristin (Caramels or Oatmeal Lace Cookies)
-Shelley (Homemade OREOs or Cherry Tea Cakes)

There are five members that have told me they don't wish to participate due to other commitments:

-Thyra
-Kacey
-Zibby
-Jessica
-Misty

I think I have everyone accounted for correctly, but if you decide differently, please let me know, as this will change the amount that each person needs to bring!
-Bring something to transport your cookies home (probably what you will bring your cookies IN)! I don't think this year we will actually decorate the boxes/plates like Martha suggests. Maybe we'll be more ambitious in 2011? This year we'll just trade cookies and you can go home and put your own plates together (or hide in your bedroom and eat them all yourself). Or maybe that's just me?
-Email me what you plan to bring so that we don't duplicate treats. I will add those to the blog as you do so.

See you in two weeks with cookies!

Life of Pi Recap

2010-11-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

While eating a piece of my mom's leg this morning, I must say I was dreaming about last night's food..so amazing. Thank you, Alison, for all of your hard work and fresh ingredients. I can see after our eye-opening (in in the case of Zibby and I, jaw-dropping) discussion why this book is popular..still thinking about the debate--thanks for the lesson on higher level analyzation of fiction. Just didn't want to make that leap, or didn't have time to interpret. Not really sure yet. Long live Richard Parker. Tigers are REAL!!!!

Love, Lisa

Thanks for the amazing discussion! And special thanks to my wife for the oh so amazing Indian food! You rock!

Gina

I had such a great time with you ladies last night! I am still laughing over some of the comments! Anytime that I feel bi-polar, ashamed of my actions and/or having an out of body experience, I will utter the words forever imprinted in my mind.....RICHARD PARKER!!! Alison - the food was fantastic - even the feces ball - nothing a meerkat bone can't take care of :) Kelly & Misty - thank you so much for such a great discussion. The more I reflect, the more this book is becoming one of my favorites....I need to re-read some parts.

Take care & have a wonderful Thanksgiving - hopefully traditional in the sense of turkey, stuffing, etc. rather than turtles.

Shae

I....am still baffled.
No, really-- Baffled.
And stubborn. Because unlike those of you who embraced Pi and his amazing fortitude and compartmentalizing and survival (and yes I know we're talking fiction here) I still don't get it. The book. The story- okay, now I get it. Brilliant writing? not sure about that... but talented writer weaving a difficult tale- now that I buy.

And last night there were definitely two camps: (camp 1) We understood the symbolism and anthropomorphizing and think this is a Man-Booker piece of prize-winning fiction, and (camp 2) Eye of the Tiger... and I was so busy catching up with camp 1 that I couldn't voice my frustration with this whole Pi experience- so if you care....

... a word from camp 2:
(Insert here background music: du...du-du.du.......du. d..duu.. du...du....duuuuuuuuu Eye of the Tiger)

I think the thing for me is that every story needs to be told, right? According to the author. There's a purpose. Regardless of whether it's fiction or non-fiction. And I understand the whole "Do we shape our reality? or does our reality shape us?" of Philosophy 101... and this is nothing new- and it will continue to beg the question for generations to come. But it doesn't really seem the main premise of what Yann was trying to really delve into. And I think that's why I am still sitting here with my brow knit and jaw open as Lisa so succinctly pointed out... I just don't get what the author was trying to say... What was he trying to delve into with this story????? In either version- Tigers or eating cooks for lunch- Why go through the agonizing details of turtle and zebra dismemberment and slurping algae on meerkat island-- to get me where? Where am I supposed to go from reading this????? Most books- whether you like them or not- the author takes you there- or rather leads you on some journey of self discovery. Right? I am still not there. I wasn't moved. A bit. I wanted to be- but no. This was just like a bad version of the hokey-pokey for me. Turned all around- and that's what it's all about.

So I finally feel better. I recognize it. We didn't connect. The ManBooker and I.

BUT, I really would have unfairly chastised this book without the wisdom and discussion that you ladies imparted. And The food- and company- as always divine. Praise Jesus, Allah and all the rest of them for that....

You ladies are awesome.
Zibby

You all make me laugh. Ahh book club, to bring up discussion, questions, the hokey pokey, and honey sweetened tiger feces.

I think the one thing we can ALL agree on is that the food was undeniably AMAZING!

why I loved the book, because we are all STILL thinking and talking about it! Love a book that gets me to think, then think some more then question why I see my mother as a Chimp and where is the Richard Parker lurking in me? Why was I duped into thinking the whole time that this was a true story, only to find out it was story of survivial on all levels, physical and mental.

Thank you Kelly for being our fearless discussion leader and taking us into unchartered waters. And thanks for letting me get my two cents in as well. Mission accomplished!

Love that we can agree to disagree and laugh our way through it!

Til next month and a cheery December discussion. Love you all!
Misty

WHISTLE!!!
Zib--You used so many big words you have proven you are still smart in spite of your reluctance/alleged inability to delve. Re-reading selected excerpts for deeper meaning-even though you didn't even like it the first time-would really show that you are "rising up to the challenge of our rivals." Thanks a lot. Now that song will be stuck in my head for hours !!

Lisa

December 2010 Selection

2010-11-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

The Age of Alzheimer's

2010-11-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Found this Op-Ed in the New York Times and thought it was timely.

The Age of Alzheimer’s
By SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR, STANLEY PRUSINER and KEN DYCHTWALD
Published: October 27, 2010

OUR government is ignoring what is likely to become the single greatest threat to the health of Americans: Alzheimer’s disease, an illness that is 100 percent incurable and 100 percent fatal. It attacks rich and poor, white-collar and blue, and women and men, without regard to party. A degenerative disease, it steadily robs its victims of memory, judgment and dignity, leaves them unable to care for themselves and destroys their brain and their identity — often depleting their caregivers and families both emotionally and financially.

Starting on Jan. 1, our 79-million-strong baby boom generation will be turning 65 at the rate of one every eight seconds. That means more than 10,000 people per day, or more than four million per year, for the next 19 years facing an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Although the symptoms of this disease and other forms of dementia seldom appear before middle age, the likelihood of their appearance doubles every five years after age 65. Among people over 85 (the fastest-growing segment of the American population), dementia afflicts one in two. It is estimated that 13.5 million Americans will be stricken with Alzheimer’s by 2050 — up from five million today.

Just as President John F. Kennedy, in 1961, dedicated the United States to landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade, we must now set a goal of stopping Alzheimer’s by 2020. We must deploy sufficient resources, scientific talent and problem-solving technologies to save our collective future.

As things stand today, for each penny the National Institutes of Health spends on Alzheimer’s research, we spend more than $3.50 on caring for people with the condition. This explains why the financial cost of not conducting adequate research is so high. The United States spends $172 billion a year to care for people with Alzheimer’s. By 2020 the cumulative price tag, in current dollars, will be $2 trillion, and by 2050, $20 trillion.

If we could simply postpone the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by five years, a large share of nursing home beds in the United States would empty. And if we could eliminate it, as Jonas Salk wiped out polio with his vaccine, we would greatly expand the potential of all Americans to live long, healthy and productive lives — and save trillions of dollars doing it.

Experience has taught us that we cannot avoid Alzheimer’s disease by having regular medical checkups, by being involved in nourishing relationships or by going to the gym or filling in crossword puzzles. Ronald Reagan suffered the ravages of this disease for a decade despite the support of his loving family, the extraordinary stimulation of his work, his access to the best medical care and his high level of physical fitness. What’s needed are new medicines that attack the causes of the disease directly.

So far, only a handful of medications have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat Alzheimer’s, and these can only slightly and temporarily modify symptoms like forgetfulness, disorientation and confusion. None actually slows the underlying neurodegeneration.

In the mid-1980s, when our country finally made a commitment to fight AIDS, it took roughly 10 years of sustained investment (and about $10 billion) to create the antiretroviral therapies that made AIDS a manageable disease. These medicines also added $1.4 trillion to the American economy. The National Institutes of Health still spend about $3 billion a year on AIDS research, while Alzheimer’s, with five times as many victims, receives a mere $469 million.

Most of the medical researchers who study Alzheimer’s agree on what they have to understand in order to create effective drugs: They must find out how the aberrant proteins associated with the disease develop in the brain. They need to model the progression of the illness so they can pinpoint drug targets. And ultimately they must learn how to get drugs to move safely from the blood into the brain.

A breakthrough is possible by 2020, leading Alzheimer’s scientists agree, with a well-designed and adequately financed national strategic plan. Congress has before it legislation that would raise the annual federal investment in Alzheimer’s research to $2 billion, and require that the president designate an official whose sole job would be to develop and execute a strategy against Alzheimer’s. If lawmakers could pass this legislation in their coming lame-duck session, they would take a serious first step toward meeting the 2020 goal.

Medical science has the capacity to relegate Alzheimer’s to the list of formerly intractable diseases like typhoid, polio and many childhood cancers. But unless we get to work now, any breakthrough will come too late to benefit the baby boomers. Whether the aging of America turns out to be a triumph or a tragedy will depend on our ability to fight this horrific disease and beat it before it beats us.

Sandra Day O’Connor is a retired associate justice of the Supreme Court. Stanley Prusiner, who received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Medicine, is the director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. Ken Dychtwald, a psychologist and gerontologist, is the chief executive of a company that consults with businesses about the aging world population.

Recipes from September Book Club

2010-11-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here are Kacey's recipes from our September book club meeting:

Black Bean Mushroom Burgers

Grilled Fruit Skewers with Sweet Yogurt Sauce

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato

And here is Kacey's Best Berry Ice Cream recipe:

(Kacey notes that she used huckleberries this time but she's done it with all kinds of mixtures of berries).

2-3 cups of berries
2 cups sugar

Mix and let set.

Juice of one lemon
Pinch of salt
1 pint whipping cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Enough whole milk to fill ice cream freezer to 3/4 full.

Mix all ingredients together and let sit in fridge for 1/2 an hour. Run freezer according to directions.

Still Alice Recap

2010-10-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Girls! What a pleasure it is to share in the company of such a brilliant group of women! You are such an amazing diverse group and I am so lucky and proud to be a part of book club!

Nicole, thank you so much for all of the thoughtful things that you do! The anniversary book that you made is amazing and such a treasure!

Shae, thank you for the awesome hospitality and for opening up your home to us.

Misty, I so enjoyed the discussion! One of my favorites to date.

To Lisa and Sarah, thank you for the courage to share such personal feelings and perspectives on the book.

Looking forward to more amazing times! Thank you for enriching my life!

-Gina

Gina said it so well! I LOVE book group!!! That quote that Nicole put at the beginning of our fabulous anniversary book sums it all up! Really, you don't get much better than sharing amazing books with amazing women! You all are incredible.

Thank you to Shae, dinner was incredible, the hospitality even better

Thank you to Nicole for keeping us improving and flourishing these past 5 years. We all owe this amazing group to your organization and leadership.

I echo Gina... Lisa and Sarah that took amazing courage to share your personal stories of how your lives have been touched by this disease. Thank you for adding the reality to the story.

Love you all!

-Misty

Ditto on Misty and Gina,

What a powerful meeting! You women are the best! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

-Thyra

November 2010 Selection

2010-10-24T18:26:00.001-07:00

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Yann Martel's second novel, Life of Pi, appeared in Canada in 2001 to enthusiastic reviews and moderate sales. A year later, it came out of nowhere to win the Booker Prize and became an international publishing phenomenon (and Amazon.ca's first blockbuster). In a wonderful display of storytelling verve, Martel takes a distinctly unpromising premise--a "story that will make you believe in God" about a boy trapped on a lifeboat with an enormous tiger--and pulls it off with complete and winning confidence.

Titles Removed From Our List

2010-10-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the titles that did not receive any votes this time around. We'll see you Thursday with our new reading list!

Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker - Alison
The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares - Yota
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos - Kristin
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - Nicole
Austenland by Shannon Hale - Kristin
Ten Thousand Lovers (Tel Aviv Trilogy #1) by Edeet Ravel - Zibby
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See - Michele
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See - Alison
Rain of Gold by Victor Villasenor - Jessica
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert - Gina/Shelley
Aspire!: Discovering Your Purpose Through the Power of Words by Kevin Hall - Misty
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen - Laura
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland Indiana by Haven Kimmel - Kristin
Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure and the Man Who Dared to See by Robert Kurson - Shelley
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre - Misty
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows - Kristin
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - Alison
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - Kacey
The Known World by Edward P. Jones - Kacey
The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer - Zibby
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx - Alison
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - Gina/Alison
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - Alison
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - Alison
Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories by Elizabeth Strout - Chris

Out of 67 titles to choose from, 42 titles received votes, and will remain on the list. Thanks to everyone who voted! See you Thursday!

Keeping Kids Safe From the Wrong Dangers

2010-09-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Read this in the NY Times. It quotes Lenore Skenazy so I thought I would pop it up on the blog for your reading pleasure!

By LISA BELKIN
Published: September 18, 2010

You read the news about that poor football player, right? The University of Pennsylvania lineman who killed himself? And the autopsy, which showed that his head had been rattled by all those blows over the years? And the fact that the damage may have caused depression and lack of impulse control, which may have resulted in his suicide?

Now, what do you do with this information?

Whether the growing attention to concussions in young athletes will lead to an exodus from the football field (or the basketball court, or the hockey rink) will say a lot about how we humans process risk. Which means it’s anybody’s guess.

If history is any guide, we seem to veer between overreaction and underreaction — all while defining our own response as “moderate.” There is an inherent hypocrisy in our attempts to control our odds — putting the organic veggies (there is no actual data proving that organic foods increase longevity) in the trunk of our car (researchers tell us there is “evidence” but not “proof” that car emissions accelerate heart disease), then checking our e-mail on our cellphone at the next red light (2,600 traffic deaths a year are caused by drivers using cellphones, according to a Harvard study).

And while we certainly make constant (mis)calculations in our adult lives, we seem all the more determined yet befuddled when it comes to the safety of our children. For instance, the five things most likely to cause injury to children up to age 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are: car accidents, homicide (usually at the hands of someone they know), child abuse, suicide or drowning. And what are the five things that parents are most worried about (according to surveys by the Mayo Clinic)? Kidnapping, school snipers, terrorists, dangerous strangers and drugs.

“Parents are just bad at risk assessment,” said Christie Barnes, a mother of four and the author of “The Paranoid Parents Guide.” “We are constantly overestimating rare dangers while underestimating common ones.”

We probably do this because our brains are not designed to process abstract or long-term risk. We were built to hear a sound, determine whether it is the growl of a saber-tooth, and then decide to run or go back to sleep. But in a world where you can hear the roar of what may or may not be a tiger (or a kidnapped child) in Montana while you are sitting in your kitchen in Florida, it’s tough to assess personal danger. With worst-case scenarios being thrown our way hourly on TV and the Internet, our sense of proportion and ratio becomes muddled.

“The least safe thing you can do with your child, statistically, is drive them somewhere,” said Lenore Skenazy, author of “Free-Range Kids,” a manifesto preaching a return to the day when children were allowed to roam on their own. “Yet every time we put them in the car we don’t think, ‘Oh God, maybe I should take public transportation instead, because if something happened to my kid on the way to the orthodontist I could never forgive myself.’ ”

So we put them in that car and we drive — to the orthodontist, to school, to their friend’s house two blocks away — because “if I let them walk and they were abducted I would never forgive myself.” This despite the fact that the British writer Warwick Cairns, author of “How to Live Dangerously,” has calculated that if you wanted to guarantee that your child would be snatched off the street, he or she would have to stand outside alone for 750,000 hours. And while we are busy inflating some risks, we tend not to focus on others — like the obesity and diabetes that result when children are driven someplace when they could walk, or when they play video games inside instead of playing in the park.

Perversely, our worry seems to be increasing at a time when actual risk is decreasing. “Homicide is down, kidnapping is down, traffic deaths are down,” Ms. Barnes said. What is up, however, is measurement. It seems as if there’s a statistic for everything, and many of the numbers change from one study to the next. This means we are increasingly being asked to be expert in areas where even the experts aren’t certain.

The onslaught of numbers also leads us to whittle risk into tiny increments. “A kid growing up has to go through seven different changes of car seat by law in some states,” said Dr. Daniel Perl, a professor of pathology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., the medical school for the United States military, “and what that prevents in terms of injuries or deaths are probably a couple of handfuls. Yet we have over four million kids playing football. Moms will take their 7-year-olds in the car, in a state-of-the-art car seat, to go and play football.”

Which brings us back to the beginning.

There is no question that children get hurt playing football. The sport accounts for 22 percent of all concussions among 8- to 19-year-olds; 27 percent of football players ages 12 through 17 have had a least one concussion. That will not be news to any mother who has squinted through her fingers as her son is tackled on a Saturday afternoon. What will be news, though, is last week’s link between teenage football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is what Boston University researchers found in the brain of Owen Thomas, 21, the Penn student who killed himself in April.

So far, there is only one case. Still, what is a parent to do? “Some people may look at this study and say, ‘That’s it, Johnny; you’re taking up chess,’ ” said Dr. Perl, who stressed that he was speaking as an experienced neuropathologist and not on behalf of the Department of Defense.

On the other hand, he notes, the existing data on athletes with C.T.E. consists of 51 autopsies, most of those on boxers, not football players. And there are benefits to football — the feeling of belonging to a team, the physical exercise, the potential college scholarship, perhaps the pride in carrying on a family tradition — that will outweigh the risks for some families, assuming those risks can ever actually be quantified.

“Right now I don’t know that it’s calculable, but it’s estimatable,” Dr. Perl said, adding that he wouldn’t venture to make an estimate. “And you can’t really make a recommendation based on one case. So it’s up to a young player’s parents to decide.”

The Power of One Recap

2010-09-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you ~Thank you~ Absoloodle~~ to our fabulous Kacey for a delicious night.

Not only the graciously grilled dinner and homemade ice cream (I heart nutella! AND huckleberries!) but the delicious dish on the Power of One. (Yay! to our discussion leader Jessica!)

I feel so blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of women. And I love how our conversations make me appreciate the nuances of the books that much more.

And I look forward to the vote for the books we talked-up. Can't wait to meet Peekay's girlfriend... and the welterweight championship, no? I knew it was coming!!!

I understand that we all make sacrifices to be there- (that's sometimes an understatement!!) So thank you for the gift of your time and company, ladies!

And sharing your beautiful home, Kacey!

Zibby and the nibbles gang.

P.S. Best of luck to Julie for her delivery!! You look amazing. I'll send good vibes your way with Dr. Nice :)

October 2010 Selection

2010-09-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she's a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life - and her relationship with her family and world - forever.

We will be meeting on October 21st at 6:30 PM. Our hostess is Shae and our discussion leader is Misty.

The Power of One - Chapter 24

2010-09-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Summary
Working on the grizzly, in spite of its dangers, becomes routine for Peekay. Since Peekay's grizzly component has not suffered any accidents in the nine months he has been working, the black men with whom he works believe that it is a "juju" or "mystically protected gang." Instead of believing in the logic of increasing odds (that something will go wrong), they believe that Peekay must be charmed. Peekay starts to believe that he is invincible and he plans to stay on the grizzly for another three months in order to have raised enough money for three years of study at Oxford. Peekay's reasons stem further than this, however. He is still plagued by his five-year-old experiences with the Judge and his work on the mines is an attempt to come to terms with himself and his fear.

Peekay suggests that humans always claim to have foreseen a disaster after it occurs. The night before Peekay almost dies working on the grizzly, he dreams that the fuse he is holding turns into the black mamba snake of the crystal cave of Africa. In his dream, he explodes into pieces. The following day in the mines a running fuse occurs-a running fuse is when a fuse appears not to be lit, but actually has lit in the inside. This is an extremely rare occurrence, and Peekay only knows how to spot it since he has read his text books cover to cover. Moreover, while he was lighting the fuse, the black mamba appeared yet again in his mind's eye. Peekay leaps away from the rock where the running fuse is about to light the charge, with his "number one boy" (first assistant) in tow. They survive, and Peekay feels elated at his timely discovery. The black men touch Peekay as though he is a magician. The Tadpole Angel has returned. Peekay now feels even more indomitable and he resumes work, even though a "hang-up"-a dangerous build up of rock-has formed. As Peekay works, the hang-up crashes down, and he is buried underneath the avalanche of rocks, unconscious. News of the accident spreads and Rasputin comes to his rescue. The giant man works almost single-handedly while the miners bet on whether he will survive the rescue operation or not. Rasputin, with his stomach red and raw from where the rock has ripped off his skin, eventually hears Peekay groan. He holds Peekay in his arms and blood runs from where his index finger was sliced off by a sharp edge of rock. Rasputin dies from his efforts, but Peekay survives. Peekay spends a week in hospital recovering from shock. Then he finds a tombstone for Rasputin's grave, on which he engraves: "Rasputin, Maker of excellent rabbit stew, who gave his life for his friend." Rasputin's papers show that he has left one thousand pounds for Peekay in his will. Peekay is also given a check for five hundred pounds as his "accident compo." With this money, he can now finance all three years at Oxford.

Peekay is almost a welterweight. He has been exercising in addition to the mining work. After the accident, however, he takes three weeks of sick leave. He writes letters to his friends at home. Singe 'n' Burn has already arranged for him to attend Magdalen College at Oxford. Peekay takes Rasputin's leftover brandy to The Crud Bar to raffle it off. Fritz Three warns Peekay that Botha, Peekay's diamond driller, has gone crazy from a "powder headache" (from the mines) and wants to kill Peekay. Peekay suddenly sees the black mamba snake once again. Then Botha enters, huge and menacing. As Botha hurls himself at Peekay, Peekay notices the swastika tattoo on Botha's arm. He realizes that this is Jaapie Botha, "the Judge" who tormented him in his youth. Peekay feels anger grip his body. He suddenly knows that "all of Geel Piet's footwork had been designed for this moment." Peekay begins to fight the Judge, dancing around the lumbering man. He ducks the Judge's punch and the Judge's knuckles split open as his fist hits the wall. His hand and wrist are broken. The Judge grabs a bottle with his other hand and smashes it against the counter. Peekay steps in to deliver a Geel Piet eight-punch combination and knocks the Judge to the floor. The Judge is now covered in "brandy, blood, and vomit." Peekay uses a Solly Goldman thirteen-punch combination to knock the Judge unconscious. Then he uses Doc's Joseph Rogers pocketknife to carve a Union Jack and the letters "PK" over the Judge's swastika tattoo. He rubs a mixture of blood and vomit into the cicatrix to cause an infection to hold the Union Jack and "PK" forever. Peekay's hate has been extinguished. Peekay leaves the bar. There is a full moon outside. The loneliness birds have left him.

Analysis
Even though Chapter Twenty-Four is the concluding chapter of The Power of One, it describes a number of surprising reversals. The protagonist Peekay, who has not previously been able to feel abhorrence, now becomes consumed with hatred on being confronted once again with his childhood nemesis the Judge (Jaapie Botha). The final paragraph of the chapter restores a sense of calm, by returning to two of the novel's motifs-that of the full moon, and the loneliness birds. However, it is a false sense of calm. The reader is ultimately left with the horrific images of Peekay's destruction of the Judge-of the graphic mess of "brandy, blood, and vomit." Peekay's ambition to become the welterweight champion of the world seems irrelevant compared to this fight-the most important fight of his life. He even claims that Geel Piet's eight- punch combination was intended exactly for this moment. He coalesces the advice of Hoppie, Geel Piet, and Solly Goldman in order to win the fight. The Judge, half crazy from his powder headache, is no match for Peekay. The lesson left with the reader, however, is not only that brains can beat brawn, that small can beat large, but also that English can beat Afrikaner. In a confusing moment at the end of the chapter, Peekay-who has previously been hailed as the leader of British, Boers, and blacks-carves a Union Jack over the Judge's swastika tattoo.

While we cannot equate the swastika-the symbol only of the radical Afrikaners- with all Afrikaners, it seems that Bryce Courtenay intends for us to do so. The novel, structurally and thematically, has come full circle. Peekay's action makes the reader recall his horrific childhood experiences in the Afrikaans boarding school, and this final gesture of his seems to indicate his retribution on all Afrikaners. Perhaps Peekay can be acquitted, however, through the style in which he describes the fight. It is almost as though he has sloughed his seventeen-year-old skin and become a five-year-old again. For example, he relates that inside his body a "small child's voice" cries "You killed Granpa Chook!" Moreover, instead of calling his enemy and antagonist by his adult name, Botha, he calls him "the Judge" throughout the episode, thereby reawakening all his early feelings of animosity towards the bully. Yet if The Power of One is a bildungsroman, where does this leave the protagonist? Has he moved forward into maturity, or has his experience of hatred taken him backwards? Many of the characters throughout the novel have stressed the necessity for hate-even Big Hettie and Morrie. Bryce Courtenay certainly seems to be suggesting that "the power of one" has something to do with acknowledging-and acting on- one's hatred. Yet he also suggests that, once revenge has been accomplished, the hatred should disappear. Peekay's compassion for all people returns as the hatred drains away, and he can pity the Judge as a "Poor bastard." The fact that many of the novel's themes are neatly tied up in this final chapter also combats the uneasiness caused by Peekay's outrage. For instance, the theme Hoppie introduces to Peekay's life-head before heart-determines Peekay's actions in the novel's dying moments.

The Power of One - Chapter 23

2010-09-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Summary
In 1951 Peekay wins the South African schools featherweight championship and the Prince of Wales School wins the championship for the third time. Overall, Peekay has an extremely successful school career, having been awarded his colors for rugby and three times for boxing, becoming head prefect, and being recognized as a very good musician. He says that he is on the road to becoming a "Renaissance man," Singe 'n' Burn's desire for his students. However, Peekay realizes that he has put his own individual desires aside in order to win prizes and acclaim from his peers. The only ambition of his own is his desire to become welterweight champion of the world.

Peekay reviews his financial situation during his school years and points out that his and Morrie's invention of "The Boarder's Bank" had provided him with pocket money and, thus, dignity. Peekay acknowledges his and Morrie's firm friendship-he feels guilty, though, since secretly he knows that he chose Morrie for a friend in the first form because he realized that Morrie could help him to "survive the system."

Singe 'n' Burn escorts Peekay to his interview for the Rhodes scholarship. Peekay wants nothing more than to attend Oxford. Morrie's family have offered to pay his fees, but Peekay cannot accept this. Morrie wants to become law partners with Peekay after Oxford, but Peekay firmly sticks to his boxing goals-Morrie tells him they can make much more money through law. Peekay cannot explain to Morrie the importance of boxing in his life-indeed, its source is really a dead chicken. In the Rhodes interview, the three male interviewers test Peekay on his Latin poetry, through which Peekay breezes. Then they focus on his desire to become a "professional pugilist." Peekay reminds them that Lord Byron was a "pugilist." Peekay is one of the final five candidates and sits for the Oxford entrance examination. Peekay returns to Barberton for the Christmas holidays and he is the town hero-everyone is convinced that he is bound for Oxford. Peekay does not win a Rhodes scholarship, however. Peekay's friends in Barberton are distressed in spite of the fact that Peekay wins scholarships to the prestigious South African universities, Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch. It is only Peekay's Granpa who does not seem at all bothered. He tells Peekay that his brother went to Oxford and died "rich and lonely." Peekay and Morrie talk over the phone-Morrie wishes to delay his degree at Oxford until he and Peekay can go together. Peekay tells Morrie he needs to consult Doc-or rather, Doc's spirit.

Peekay closes his eyes and journeys to the night country. Then he visits the crystal cave of Africa, where he finds Doc. He explains to Doc his fear of succumbing to the power of others and losing the power of one. Peekay senses that he will have to undergo one final test before achieving the power of one. Suddenly a black mamba snake appears in front of him. He knows that Doc has sent him a sign, a symbol. Although not naturally hostile, the snake will seek revenge if its partner is killed.

Peekay decides to take a year off between school and university in order to work in the mines in Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe). No one feels happy about his decision. He also decides to take a break from boxing-he has fought and won 116 fights. Peekay found out about the dangerous, but lucrative job of becoming a "grizzly man" on the mines from Gert's brother, who is a diamond driller (the grizzly men work for the drillers). A grizzly man is highly paid since he works with dangerous explosives and has a high chance of being killed in the mines. Peekay at first feels isolated in Northern Rhodesia since he does not speak the black Rhodesians' language, Ki-Swahili. Peekay watches with compassion the loads of black men being shipped into the mining camp against their will. Peekay lives in a very basic "rondavel" (a round African hut with an iron roof). It is a tough lifestyle, and the miners are crude-when they are not occupied with Belgian prostitutes, Peekay fears that they will attempt to gang rape him. Peekay begins classes at the school of mines, and finds himself under the instruction of a Welshman, Dai Thomas, a remorseless, harsh man. Peekay's lessons involve two hours of theoretical work and eight hours of practical training underground every day. Peekay finishes reading all the assigned text books in his first week and thus manages to outwit Thomas. He begins to teach the other men and becomes known as "Professor Peekay." After three months, he becomes the first student in seven years to acquire an international blasting license. He is also selected for the miners' first rugby team. Although Peekay does not drink alcohol because of his boxing training regimen, he visits the local mining bar, The Crud Bar. Three German barmen, all by the name of Fritz, run the bar.

Peekay provides a technical explanation of the work of a grizzly man. In short, the grizzly man is responsible for blasting away rock so that the diamond drillers can do their job. He spends much of his time lighting fuses while clinging on to rock faces fifteen feet above metal bars. If he falls, he dies, and may be buried under the exploding rock. In Peekay's year working as a grizzly, five of the twenty grizzlies die. At the end of each month, the diamond driller for whom the grizzly works sends him a case of brandy. It is against mining protocol for the diamond driller and the grizzly man to meet in person, however. All that Peekay knows is that his diamond driller is a man called Botha. Since Peekay does not drink, he gives this brandy to Rasputin, a Georgian (Russian) man who lives next door to him. Rasputin and Peekay cannot communicate verbally, so they sit together listening to Rasputin's Tchaikovsky. Rasputin, a gigantic, burly man, whittles wooden balls by wielding a very large axe. He builds a stash of these balls in one corner of his "rondavel"-they are his calendar. Rasputin makes Russian stew for Peekay-only after eating it does Peekay realize that Rasputin made the stew with a dead cat. At Wednesday western nights, Rasputin buy sweets for all the children.

Peekay has finished his three-month spell as a grizzly when he is recalled and asked to do another three months. Flattered, he agrees, in spite of the dangers.

Analysis
Chapter Twenty-Three, the first chapter of Book Three and the second last of the novel, follows Peekay into a completely new territory: out of South Africa and into the harsh world of the Northern Rhodesian mines. (Rhodesia became 'Zimbabwe' in the 1970s, during the liberation movement.) It thus serves as a conduit between worlds-it summarizes the final events of Peekay's South African life, and introduces the scenes and characters of his Northern Rhodesian life. Peekay is now seventeen and his voice within the novel has almost caught up to his voice without the novel-that is, his voice as narrator. The author has succeeded in gradually changing Peekay's perceptions so that the reader has a sense of his maturation-the seventeen-year-old Peekay, aware of the world of "whores" and "pack-rape," is leagues away from the five-year-old Peekay, who did not even know what a drinking problem was. Bryce Courtenay has subtly constructed his bildungsroman-rather than telling us how Peekay's mind has changed, he allows Peekay's burgeoning intellect to speak for itself. As always, Peekay quickly adapts to his new environment and excels-his Rhodes scholarship disappointment, the first real "failure" of his life, does not hamper his need to win, but rather fuels it. Peekay achieves the best results in his mining exams, he is selected for the miners' first rugby team, and his altruism leads him to give lessons to the other miners to help them pass their exams. Peekay is almost perfect. Bryce Courtenay himself has said that his protagonist is supposed to be "larger than life." Indeed, Peekay lives up to the People's legend of the Tadpole Angel-he has the aura of a legend, a hero, a fairy tale character. Yet his modesty and his sense of humor keep him human and make him accessible to readers. Chapter Twenty-Three concludes with Peekay almost laughing at himself after realizing that he has eaten a cat.

By extending the novel's scope beyond the South African borders, Courtenay highlights the fact that oppression is an international phenomenon. The black Rhodesians are treated almost as badly as the black South Africans. Moreover, his depressing portrayal of the Belgian prostitutes with their "constantly opening legs" reminds us that oppression of women is as much a reality as racial oppression. Interestingly, although many women play important roles in Peekay's life-such as Nanny, Mrs. Boxall, and Miss Bornstein-women are generally sidelined. Peekay's most important mentors are men-Hoppie, Geel Piet, and Doc. Moreover, while Peekay briefly addresses issues of puberty and sex in the novel, this is very different from a conventional "coming-of-age" novel. There is no love interest in the novel; the only explicit love relationship is the friendship between Peekay and Doc. The introduction of the character of Rasputin witnesses the arrival of yet another male friend into Peekay's life. Peekay and Rasputin's silent relationship provides a touching example of the idiosyncrasies of friendship-Peekay has learnt that intellectual conversation (such as he enjoyed with Morrie) does not have to play a role in a relationship. Indeed, Peekay's very decision to refuse Morrie's offer to pay for Oxford and to work on the mines symbolizes a return to his working-class roots: thus, Courtenay has taken on the issue of class structure as well.

It is uncertain whether Peekay actually journeys to the crystal cave of Africa or whether this journey takes place simply within his mind. His description moves from the metaphorical "night country" to a literal description of being stranded on the cave ledge and confronted by the black mamba snake, which he self-consciously points out to be a symbol. It no longer matters which world- real or imaginary-Peekay inhabits, however. By causing a blend of the two through his writing style, Peekay acknowledges the importance of both reality and imagination in everyone's lives.

The Power of One - Chapter 22

2010-09-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Summary
Peekay returns to Barberton where everyone is a frenzy about where Doc has disappeared to. Only Gert realizes that Peekay knows where Doc is-he tells Peekay that he understands why he does not want to make Doc's whereabouts public knowledge. Pastor Mulvery holds a funeral without Doc's corpse-he says that Doc is now in heaven, surrounded by pansies and sweetpeas. Mrs. Boxall says Doc would rather be in hell than surrounded by pansies. Marie convinces herself that Doc became a born-again Christian before his death. Peekay feels paralyzed-he finds it difficult to interact with others. The only kinds of death he has experienced have been cruel, deliberate deaths-he does not know how to confront this peaceful passing away. He compares the kind of pain he feels to the pain a boxer feels when punched just below the heart. He says: "the bell had gone, but I couldn't find the strength and the will to come out for the next round on my own." Peekay sees Mr. Bornstein and Miss Bornstein at Doc's funeral, and is again paralyzed by Miss Bornstein's beauty. He notices the other women's jealousy and bitterness towards her. Captain Smit and Kommandant van Zyl are also there.

Doc has bequeathed all his belongings to Peekay, including his Steinway piano. To Dum and Dee he has left a modest insurance policy. Peekay allows Dum and Dee to live in Doc's cottage, under the cover of them being its caretakers. Doc has been gone for four days. Peekay sets out for the crystal cave of Africa and finds signs that Doc was in the site where they had previously camped. However, he finds no trace of Doc on the ledge leading to the cave and this worries him-he fervently hopes that Doc did not fall into the forest below. Peekay knows, with his remarkable intuition, that Doc would not have wanted him to enter the cave and witness his corpse. He searches the rock face outside the cave for some missive from Doc. He notices a dark stripe of rock and within it he finds Doc's beloved Joseph Rogers pocket-knife. Around the pocket-knife Doc has folded the score for a composition he has written, and a note telling Peekay how much he values their friendship. Peekay removes the rope handrail along the ledge to leave Doc's resting place hidden. At home he sightreads Doc's composition and, with surprise, realizes it is the chant of the Tadpole Angel, which Doc had never heard.

Peekay returns to the Prince of Wales School. Morrie has devised a plan with Mr. Nguni to bring twenty young black boxers for training at Solly's gym. Gideon Mandoma and Peekay grow to be firm friends. Gideon asks Peekay to teach him English, inspiring the idea in Peekay to start a night school for the black boxers. They approach Singe 'n' Burn about it, but he is worried about the reaction of the Nationalist government. Morrie says that they need to make Singe 'n' Burn feel guilty-not intellectually guilty, but soul guilty. Morrie speaks with fervor about how he had never known black people before attending Peekay's boxing matches-he had only known his black cook and black butler at home. He tells Peekay that the black people's "generosity of spirit" at the boxing match in Sophiatown made him feel ashamed to be white. Morrie's plan, therefore, is to introduce Singe 'n' Burn to Gideon. Peekay writes an eloquent speech in Zulu for Gideon, which Gideon learns off by heart. Then Peekay translates this speech to Singe 'n' Burn as Gideon speaks. It works. Miss Bornstein helps the boys design a curriculum and they begin the classes. Many of the students volunteer to become teachers. A newspaper called The Rand Daily Mail does an article on the school, and the following Saturday night the police raid the school. Fortunately their search warrant has the wrong school's name on it. Captain Swanepoel, from the South African police, comes to the Prince of Wales school and tries to intimidate Peekay and Morrie. He refers to the new Group Areas Act. The boys decide they cannot safely continue with the school. Morrie is distraught for the People. For the first time in his life, he has come up against something that cannot be solved with money or connections. Soon they begin Miss Bornstein's Correspondence School, however, which Peekay intimates will become a huge success.

Analysis
The events of Chapter Twenty-Two unite the personal and the political elements of the novel. The first half of the chapter concentrates on Doc's death and Peekay's reaction to it. The surprising fact that Peekay does not know how to cope with a peaceful, non-brutal death subtly points to the perverse reversals that occurred due to racism in South Africa. It is Doc's death more than any other event that seems to have forced the author to conclude Book Two at the end of Chapter Twenty-Two: Doc is undoubtedly the most important person in Peekay's life, and is the second most important character in the novel.

In this chapter, Peekay struggles to define his love for Doc-he simply says that he does not know where he begins and Doc ends. They are almost one person, one spirit. The second half of the chapter focuses on wider, political issues. The policeman, Captain Swanepoel, who comes to warn Peekay and Morrie to stop their nightschool alludes to a recently passed government act called the "Group Areas Act." The Nationalist government in South Africa created this in 1950 and its basic premise was to segregate the races in residential areas. From this point forwards, the South African police ruthlessly ousted black people from their homes if land was suddenly declared to be under white control. Many non-white people were removed from pieces of land they had lived on for generations. Peekay and Morrie's desire to start a night school for black people stems from the fact that education for black people during apartheid was atrociously poor. A system called "Bantu education" was instigated, and Afrikaans was made the official language of instruction. "Bantu education" was in fact designed to be a failure-the white government hoped to reduce black people to the level of animals. This kind of behavior is clearly visible in parts of The Power of One. For instance, in the Barberton prison, the warders constantly demean the black prisoners by making them declare that they are animals, or that they eat each other's feces. Much later, in the 1970s, a twenty-two year old black man called Steve Biko began the "Black Consciousness Movement" to try to combat the abject educational system provided for black South Africans. The Power of One is set in the profoundly difficult time when racist behavior was being consolidated into laws. Peekay's first consciousness of apartheid-the workshop sign in Chapter Four that says "BLACKS ONLY"-is actually pre-apartheid. Such signs existed prior to 1948, but it was only after 1948 that they were legally justified. For example, it was only in 1953 that the Separate Amenities Act was introduced, which separated whites and blacks from using the same hospitals, schools, shops, and even restrooms. Singe 'n' Burn's initial attitude to Peekay and Morrie's idea to open a school for black people indicates the tricky position many whites found themselves in-unhappy with the situation, but unwilling to challenge the government's authority.

The Power of One - Chapter 21

2010-09-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Summary
It is 1948, a "great year in South Africa's history." Princess Elizabeth visits the country, and white bread arrives. D.F. Malan, an Afrikaner, leads the Nationalist party to victory in the elections. Peekay says that the struggle between the Afrikaners and English was not an ideological one, but based on the simple fact of bread-the Nationalists promised, in their campaigns, to replace wholegrain bread with white bread. In summary, Peekay says that "Ninetween forty-eight was the year South Africa lost all hope of joining the brotherhood of man." He foreshadows that it will not be until 1952 that the black and "colored" people would protest, under Chief Lutuli of the ANC and Dr. Monty Naiker of the Indian Congress. Peekay says, however, that it is easy to remain oblivious to politics in the shelter of the privileged white boarding school environment.

In 1949, Peekay spends Passover with Morrie, and they pay Solly Goldman extra money for holiday training sessions. One day Solly tells Peekay that a young black bantamweight, Gideon Mandoma, who has recently turned professional has challenged him to a fight in Sophiatown, a nearby township. Morrie objects, on the grounds that Peekay is only fifteen years old, and an amateur. Solly, however, says that the black boxer is himself only sixteen years old. Morrie asks Solly his reasons for insisting on the fight, and Solly eventually admits that a man called Mr. Nguni has called for the fight. He is a promoter and basically runs boxing in the townships. Solly needs his support. Peekay asks whether the man is Zulu, since his nanny's name was Mandoma. Morrie wonders what Mr. Nguni's motives are, but Peekay has already worked it out-"the People" want the fight. Outside, in the parking lot, the boys come face to face with Mr. Nguni, whom Peekay recognizes as the black man who would lead the chanters at his boxing matches. He and Mr. Nguni converse in the Zulu manner. Peekay introduces Mr. Nguni to Morrie, but Mr. Nguni tells Peekay in Zulu that his friend does not show much courtesy. Mr. Nguni explains to the boys that a woman has thrown bones which have forecast that the Onoshobishobi Ingelosi is a chief of the People. Peekay must fight against Gideon Mandoma, the great-great-grandson of Cetshwayo, to see whether he is the true Onoshobishobi Ingelosi. Morrie does not think Peekay should agree to the fight, but Peekay explains to Morrie that the Tadpole Angel is a symbol of hope. Peekay tells Mr. Nguni that he accepts the challenge, as a sign of his honoring his commitment to the People. Peekay's main, private concern about the fight is that he does not have any records on Mandoma.

Peekay and Morrie arrive in Sophiatown that Saturday. There are ten thousand spectators at the school grounds where the fight is being held. Peekay walks over to introduce himself to Gideon Mandoma, and asks Gideon whether he knows his nanny, Mary Mandoma. Gideon looks shocked-he says that she is his mother. Peekay, too, is shocked as he realizes that he is about to fight against his nanny's son, the son whom she could not look after because she was raising Peekay. For the first time in his life, Peekay feels afraid of the boxing match. Gideon has a better reason to want to win than he does. It is also the first six-round match he has ever played.

Before the match, the crowd sings the African national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' i Afrika, and the People roar for both Gideon and Peekay. Peekay says that as the people chant Onoshobishobi Ingelosi, it is the most amazing moment of his life. The fight, he says, is not a test between white and black, but of the African spirit itself. The fight begins and Peekay is ahead on points by the end of the second round. Gideon knocks Peekay down in the third and fourth rounds. During the fifth round, Peekay has the opportunity for a knockout, but does not take it. Morrie and Solly are angry with him, but Peekay is following a Geel Piet plan-dancing on his feet. Peekay wins the fight, however, with the Solly Goldman thirteen-punch combination. Mandoma congratulates Peekay, holds up his hand, and says that they are brothers. As Peekay leaves the rink, black people touch him as though he is "a talisman." In the showers, however, Peekay spontaneously bursts into tears-he can see the horrific future of South Africa. He also sees Doc walking into the crystal cave of Africa; he knows that Doc has died. That night Mrs. Boxall phones Peekay to tell him that Doc has disappeared.

Analysis
Peekay's description of the year 1948 is ironic, declaring it to be a "great" year for South Africa. Before addressing the birth of apartheid he ironically discusses the irrelevant events of Princess Elizabeth's visit to South Africa, and white bread. His criticism of D.F. Malan's institution of apartheid remains perspicacious rather than forthright. Indeed, writing The Power of One in 1989, during the complicated dismantling of apartheid, Bryce Courtenay had to be careful of the manner in which he voiced his judgment. His quiet introduction of the concept also seems to reflect how disturbingly easy it was for such a system to inveigle its way into being: so difficult to remove, but so easy to begin. The apartheid era lasted for fifty years, from 1948 until 1989. It was initiated when D.F. Malan and his Nationalist Party won the elections, ousting Prime Minister Jan Smuts and his United Party, in power during World War II. D.F. Malan himself invented the term "apartheid" (meaning "apartness" in Afrikaans), in it bringing together his personal scientific and religious beliefs. The explanation of apartheid given to the world was that it was a system whereby each race could develop independently, but in reality it was a system which simply allowed for white supremacy and racism.

Although the climax of Chapter Twenty-One is the fight between Peekay and Gideon Mandoma, Nanny's son, Peekay himself says that this is not a struggle between black and white, but rather a probing of the African spirit. By winning the fight, Peekay assumes the magical mantle of the Onoshobishobi Ingelosi-it is of no concern anymore whether or not Peekay was the Tadpole Angel, he now is the Tadpole Angel. Peekay, always a self- conscious narrator, analyzes the myth of the Tadpole Angel for Morrie. He explains it as a "symbol of hope." The chapter's beginning, representing Peekay's greatest moment of his life, is juxtaposed with the chapter's ending, where Peekay breaks down as he gains foresight of the atrocities to come. Towards the end of the chapter even the grammatical structure of the sentences begins to unravel as Peekay becomes consumed by his emotions. It is ironic that earlier in the chapter Peekay speaks proudly of his theory of "winning" and of how accustomed he has grown to winning-by the end of the novel, after the greatest boxing victory of his life thus far, individual victory means nothing. Yet there is a certain security the reader feels in knowing that Peekay survives-since Peekay is narrating from some point in the future, the reader knows that he ultimately emerges from all of his adventures unscathed.

Chapter Twenty-One also works to dispel the myth that there was no contact between whites and blacks during apartheid. Even though black people were confined to rough, cordoned-off areas called "townships" (such as Sophiatown), some mixing of races did occur. There were no laws under apartheid that banned blacks and whites from competing together on sports teams, although this was greatly discouraged by the Nationalist government. Because of their dominance over the country's resources, however, it became very difficult to black people to have access to adequate training equipment and facilities. Solly Goldman's mixed race gymnasium, therefore, is a rarity but not an impossibility. Such details are a sign of the book's authenticity, and of its educational worth.

The Power of One - Chapter 20

2010-09-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Summary
Peekay's second term of form three begins at the Prince of Wales School in Johannesburg. Singe 'n' Burn's tutorials for his "Sinjun's People" occupies much of Peekay and Morrie's time. Morrie tells Peekay that he has already spoken to Solly Goldman, the best boxing trainer in South Africa, and Solly has agreed to meet with Peekay. Peekay asks why Solly, who only coaches professionals, would consent to giving him a lessons for free. Morrie admits that Solly will charge-but he tells Peekay that he wants to pay. Peekay refuses, saying that he cannot ever again "forfeit" his "independence." Morrie at first looks hurt, but then promises to devise a way for them to make enough money to pay for the coaching lessons.

Peekay, Atherton, and Cunning-Spider all play in the school's under- fifteen rugby team. They have suffered four losses against the Helpmekaar team, for which Jannie Geldenhuis plays, but Peekay has won all five boxing bouts against Jannie. Morrie has a plan to revive gambling at the school-he convinces Peekay to visit Jannie at Helpmekaar with him. On the journey to the school, Morrie outlines his idea: he believes they could make a huge profit by getting all the Helpmekaar boys to bet on Helpmekaar winning the next rugby match. They arrive at Helpmekaar and are surrounded by swarms of Afrikaans boys. Peekay tells Jannie he was afraid they were going to be lynched, but Jannie says that Peekay is a hero at the school. Behind the school toilets Morrie lays down the deal-the odds are three to one on Prince of Wales winning the rugby match. Jannie thinks that they are crazy and wonders how they are going to pay. Peekay, previously worried on the same account, does a quick calculation in his head and realizes that he and Morrie have just enough assets. He decides to take the risk and signs the contract. Morrie offers Jannie fifty pounds up front or twenty percent of the winnings. Jannie cannot resist the fifty pounds. Before Jannie lets them leave, however, he lays down two conditions for going ahead with the bet-he does not want to deal with Morrie, whom he calls a "Jewboy," and he wants to box Peekay in the school gym. Peekay has to agree to the deal. Morrie cleverly bets Jannie fifty pounds that Peekay will beat him.

The gym is packed with Helpmekaar students. Peekay wins the first round with Geel Piet's eight-punch combination. Peekay changes to a southpaw (left- handed) stance in the second round, but at the end of the round he knows that he has lost on points. In the third round, Peekay moves into attack mode, something that Jannie does not expect-he has only known Peekay as a "back foot boxer." Peekay wins the match on his first "absolute knockout" of his life. He wins a standing ovation from the Helpmekaar crowd. They all place their bets on the rugby game. Peekay know realizes how cunning Morrie was-Morrie contrived the boxing match in order to get the Helpmekaar kids riled up for the rugby match. The Prince of Wales School ends up winning the rugby match, and Peekay and Morrie walk away with 487 pounds. Peekay now has enough money to pay Solly Goldman for two and a half years. Solly Goldman trains white and black boxers. The only sign of apartheid in his gym is a separate locker room for "non- Europeans." Peekay spars against a young black boxer in order for Solly to observe his style. Solly compliments Peekay, but has a mouthful of advice as well. Peekay is delighted that, within minutes, Solly has been able to analyze his game.

Peekay heads home for the Christmas holidays and wins the Eastern Transvaal Championships in Nelspruit. Gert drives Peekay home to Barberton and tells him that Doc has been suffering from pneumonia. Peekay discovers that Dum and Dee have been looking after Doc. Before seeing anyone else, Peekay heads to Doc's cottage. He embraces Doc and begs him not to die. Doc comforts and Peekay and tells him it is not yet time for the crystal cave of Africa. He says that on Christmas day he will turn eighty-seven. Doc's strength improves over the summer.

Analysis
The majority of Chapter Twenty is sports commentary, as Peekay describes in detail the first absolute knockout of his life. He also describes and the rugby match which allows him to buy boxing lessons from Solly Goldman. Only one rugby match is described in the entire novel-rugby is the national sport of South Africa, and Peekay has to prove the worth of boxing to almost everyone he meets. His greatest ambition becomes something that others cannot understand- indeed, it almost prevented Peekay from becoming one of "Sinjun's People." Yet the author seems purposely to have chosen a more obscure sport for Peekay as a way of stressing that this dream is his and only his-it encapsulates and upholds "the power of one" since it is Peekay's private dream. Moreover, it is a dream for which Peekay wishes to take full responsibility-he will not accept Morrie's money, but resolves to make his own. Peekay reminds the reader that he feels a fundamental "aloneness" caused by the scars left from the Judge's treatment of him. Yet this loneliness is tempered structurally by Peekay's revelation, at the end of the chapter, of the "fierce" love he and Doc have for one another. The chapter concludes with the juxtaposition of old and new- Peekay meets Solly Goldman for the first time, but then returns home to Barberton, where he finds that Doc's health is rapidly fading. With Doc's imminent death the novel's tone becomes somber and subdued: love cannot protect Peekay from loss, and that loss will bring further loneliness.

The Power of One - Chapter 19

2010-09-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Summary
During the Easter holiday of Peekay's form three year, Doc suggests a twenty mile hike across the mountains. Peekay is anxious about Doc's health, since the man is already past eighty. Doc diverts Peekay's fears by informing him that he believes there may be some limestone in the cliffs that could afford some geological splendors. They pack blankets, billy cans, a hurricane lamp, metal spikes, a "torch" (flashlight), and food. They hike all day and pitch camp in a "kloof" for the night. That night Doc expounds on the inability of music to capture the essence of Africa-only drums can duplicate its rhythm. Peekay wakes at dawn the following day and makes coffee for Doc. He enjoys the sights and sounds of the forest-the mists, and the barking of baboons. They continue to climb and Doc notices the rock striations and gets excited about the prospect of finding limestone and, with it, a cave. They climb for three hours, until the path will not allow them to proceed any further. They find dolomite and water, signs that there should be a cave. Peekay slides along a ledge on the cliff-face in order to search, and he peers directly into a cave. Doc is very pleased with himself. They use their metal spikes to make a rope handrail to work their way across the ledge and into the cave. At the back of the cave they discover a giant chamber of crystal stalactites and stalagmites which looks "like an illustration from a fairy tale." Doc points out that the crystal formations must have taken at least three hundred thousand years to form. He intimates that he would like to be buried in the cave to become a part of the "crystal cave of Africa." Peekay does not like Doc talking about his death. Death, in his experience, is a "brutal accident."

Doc was calm and reason and order, and the kind of death I knew had no part in the expectations for our relationship.

Doc makes Peekay promise not to tell anyone about the cave. As they return to their camp, Peekay watches the full moon rise above the De Kaap Valley.

Analysis
With Doc and Peekay's disappearance into the natural world, the African bush, Peekay's narrative style becomes less linear and more lyrical. He spends much of the chapter vividly describing the scenery and sounds of the valleys and mountains. His illustrations of the "giant tree ferns smudged and then blackened into darkness" is complemented by Doc's monologue about the music of Africa. Africa clearly has an unfathomable aura for Doc-he admits in this chapter that although he composed the "Concerto of the Great Southland," it is not his music but the music of "the People." Chapter Nineteen slows the pace of the novel and shows the simple pleasures of life-Peekay roasting sweet potatoes for dessert, or stirring condensed milk into a steaming cup of coffee. The theme of the many faces of death is central to the chapter. It becomes a sign of the perverse nature of apartheid that Peekay has become so accustomed to brutal deaths that he cannot accept the idea of Doc's natural death.

The Power of One - Chapter 18

2010-09-16T13:01:00.002-07:00

Summary
Peekay says that returning to Barberton every holiday feels like "sloughing a skin." He enjoys the constancy of his life in the small town-the fact that nothing ever seems to change. Mrs. Boxall has started a school for the Barberton prisoners and their progress is rewarded with King Georgies (cigarettes). Due to Mrs. Boxall's efforts, many inmates leave the prison literate. Klipkop has been transferred to Johannesburg and Gert has become Lieutenant Smit's assistant. Peekay longs for Geel Piet whom he calls an "artist." He realizes that if he wants to accomplish his dream to become welterweight champion of the world, he will need to find a coach to take him beyond the schoolboy boxing scope. Peekay's holiday daily routine rotates through boxing practice, breakfast, hiking with Doc, piano lessons, and chess matches against Mr. Bornstein. Peekay has joined the jazz band at school and he tries to shock Doc by playing "St. Louis Blues." To Peekay's surprise, Doc knows a great deal about jazz-he used to play at a cathouse in New Orleans. He tells Peekay that jazz must be played from the soul, not from the head. Miss Bornstein has decided that Peekay must win a Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford. She thus gives Peekay additional tuition each day. Peekay spends time with his old friends, but he has begun to discover that "intellect separates men." All that they have in common is rugby, cricket, and girls. Morrie, on the other hand, fulfills Peekay's intellectual needs.

Analysis
Chapter Eighteen is one of the novel's shortest chapters-it mirrors its subject matter (Peekay's holidays at home) in that it provides a "breather," a little detour before returning to the main plot. The chapter allows Peekay the space to summarize his ambitions for the reader. His desire to become welterweight champion of the world is still his first priority, but Miss Bornstein has added a new goal for Peekay which is to shape the remainder of the novel-a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford. At the beginning of the chapter Peekay invokes the symbol of the "snake" by describing his return trips home as "sloughing a skin." Variation between constants and uncertainties has become a theme in Peekay's life, and the world of Barberton has come to represent the constant. It is not without change, however-Peekay begins to feel somewhat distanced from his old Barberton friends and appreciates Morrie's friendship even more.

The Power of One - Chapter 17

2010-09-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

Summary
Peekay's boxing wins have made him a hero amongst the first form hostel boys, who have won money from betting on him. Morrie and Peekay have begun to keep records of every boxer the Prince of Wales School encounters for future boxing and betting reference. After Peekay's first year, however, he is still unbeaten and no one wants to bet against him. Morrie says they should stop their betting business. He advises Peekay on the two most important principles of business-knowing when to get in, and knowing when to get out. Since Peekay needs the pocket money they begin to devise new money-making ventures. They open a loan bank at school which they call the "Boarder's Bank," although both boarders and day boys use it. It is an immediate success.

Peekay has begun to grow and now, at fifteen, he is boxing as a bantamweight. Every one of his fights is attended by "the People," although at the very racist Afrikaans schools, the blacks are separated from the whites. The People chant for their "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi" and one black man, who was present at Peekay's first fight in Johannesburg, raises his fist. Morrie organizes for Peekay's fights to be first on the schedule since, according to the Pass Laws, the black people have to be back in the townships by the nine o' clock curfew.

It was at one of these out-of-town Afrikaans schools that I first heard the word "apartheid" used to describe the place where the black spectators were allowed to sit…

Peekay thinks constantly about becoming the welterweight champion of the world. He also reviews what he has learnt from all of his mentors-Doc, Mrs. Boxall, Geel Piet, and Hoppie. Puberty hits, however, and for a while Peekay can think of nothing except sex. Peekay's maturing body begins to change his mind too. He begins to ask more probing questions about his own life and realizes that his future is being mapped out for him by others. He realizes that in training to become a "spiritual terrorist" winning will become even more important.

Peekay receives letters from home. Mrs. Boxall has enjoyed great success with The Sandwich Fund. Peekay explains that many of the members of The Sandwich Fund would go on to become leaders in the Black Sash Movement, begun in the late 1940s by white South African women to protest against apartheid. Miss Bornstein sends copious history notes to Peekay, which he and Morrie rely on to engage their history teacher, Mango Cobett in lengthy debates, challenging his anglophilic attitudes. Morrie and Peekay invent the saying "According to Miss Bornstein-" The headmaster, St. John Burnham or Singe 'n' Burn, approves the dictum. Every year he chooses six boys in form three to become his personal education project-these boys are known as "Sinjun's People." He believes in creating individuals, in creating Renaissance men. Morrie initiates a plan whereby all the boys in the school can bet on whom they think will become "Sinjun's People." Morrie is elected the first of "Sinjun's People" and Peekay is the sixth. They also make 160 pounds profit from the betting. Morrie explains to Peekay how he made them so much money: most people thought Morrie would be elected as one of "Sinjun's People"; he made certain of his inclusion by telling Singe 'n' Burn in the interview that if Peekay was not elected, he wished to forfeit his position for Peekay.

Peekay and Morrie debate the worth of history-Morrie angrily claims that "'History forgets the vomit and the shit, the blood and the horses with their guts blown away …'" The two boys spend their Wednesday afternoons in the Johannesburg Public Library, fueling their intellectual appetite. They also publish Miss Bornstein's notes and sell them as a history book at school.

Analysis
Chapter Seventeen shows how the historical context of apartheid affects the action and characters in the novel. The word "apartheid" has not been previously used in the novel since it was coined only in 1948, by the Nationalist president D.F. Malan. As shown in the preceding sixteen chapters, racism existed in South Africa long before the term "apartheid" entered the scene. However, Malan's institutionalization of apartheid in a sense "legalized" white on black racism and allowed white supremacist behavior to rampage unchecked. The reader, fifty years forward in the future, has the privilege of time, and Peekay's recording of his first awareness of the word at a boxing match is loaded with dramatic irony. Peekay refers to a number of other important historical events and groups in the course of Chapter Seventeen, such as the Pass Laws (which forced black people to carry passes with them everywhere and to obey a strict curfew) and the Black Sash Movement. Since the author is aware of the fact that he is writing for an international audience, he provides a brief explanation of each. The mixture of these factual events into his fictional story shifts the book's genre from merely being a "novel" to being a kind of "historical fiction."

The idea of history itself is challenged directly in Chapter Seventeen, through Morrie and Peekay's lengthy dialogues. Morrie perhaps becomes the author's spokesperson when he angrily claims that History forgets the grimness and gore of events-Bryce Courtenay has made sure that, even while writing an optimistic novel, he does not gloss over or mollify the gritty realities of apartheid. He seems to be aware that, in a context as complex as the South African one, even novelists have a responsibility to some kind of "truth," some kind of historical accuracy. The naming of apartheid in this chapter is concomitant with Peekay's own Zulu naming-his acquisition of the name "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi" or "Tadpole Angel." Just as the legend surrounding Peekay grows outwards from a tiny name, so too does the apartheid system spread invidiously from one, seemingly innocuous word. Doc has provided a model for Peekay to become preoccupied with naming-with scientific categorization. Now Peekay must learn that sometimes the process of naming can become an insidious camouflage-not a protection, but a disguise. The word "apartheid" (meaning "apartness") does not summon its true meaning-torture, injustice, racism.

The Power of One - Chapter 16

2010-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Summary
Peekay arrives at the Johannesburg train station and meets one of his classmates, Morrie Levy, who introduces himself as the "token Jew." Morrie expresses surprise at Peekay's unusual name and his lack of a surname. At the first opportunity, Peekay reminisces about the farewell everyone gave him in Barberton-the prison brass band even played at the train station. He remembers how Captain Smit congratulated him on being "a proper Boer" and warned him not to let the "rooinek" school affect him. He recalls, too, his first train ride when Hoppie had retrieved him after he tripped over his tackies. He thinks of his most recent journey as his "second train ride into manhood." Sergeant Bolter meets the new boys at the train station-Peekay has to submit to a strict roll call. Sergeant Bolter, like Morrie, questions Peekay about his rare name.

Peekay immediately likes Morrie, and soon becomes friends with some of the other new boys, whose nicknames are Atherton, Pissy Johnson, and Cunning- Spider. (Later in the chapter, Morrie initiates a brotherhood called "the Wooden Spoon Goons" whose members are these five boys.) They are driven in the school's "charabanc" past the "perfectly manicured lawns" of Johannesburg and Peekay senses that he is entering a phase of his life where money is going to be not only important, but necessary. Morrie seats himself beside Peekay during the journey and discourses to Peekay on this version of "survival." He has decided that both he and Peekay are outsiders-"odd-bods"-and should stick together. Peekay is a little hesitant to accept Morrie's offer of friendship-he has come to the school on his own terms. He no longer wishes to hide his brilliance behind a camouflage-his boxing success is much more important to him than his academic success, however. After some reflection Peekay realizes that he possesses the "physical and intellectual equipment" needed to survive the school system, but he does not possess the material resources. In the charabanc ride, Morrie and Peekay discuss boxing and gambling. Morrie tells Peekay that the role boxing plays in Peekay's life is the same role that gambling plays in his own life. He tells Peekay that his father is "filthy rich." Peekay decides to become Morrie's "partner."

At school, Peekay becomes a "fag" (personal slave) to Fred Cooper, a prefect and the captain of the first rugby team. One day Peekay cannot resist sampling the cream on the cream bun he has to take to Cooper. Cooper notices the dents in the cream, canes Peekay, and orders him to buy him a new cream bun. Peekay has no money. Morrie offers to lend Peekay the money-he is shocked that Peekay receives no pocket money. Peekay's pride will not allow him to accept the money, however, and Morrie is forced to reform the cream bun until it looks new.

To his dismay, Peekay discovers that the Prince of Wales boxing team is a disaster. They possess the wooden spoon, which indicates that they occupy last spot in the ladder. Only twenty boys out of the school's six hundred students actually boxes, and only six of these twenty know how to box properly. Peekay assesses Darby White as a coach, and judges him to be as good as Lieutenant Smit but not as fine as Geel Piet. Morrie decides to become Peekay's manager, especially after hearing that he has won thirty-four matches and lost none. Morrie in fact becomes manager of the entire boxing team. Soprts management positions at the school are called "swot spots" and are normally reserved for fifth formers, but no one wants to take on the boxing team- especially since boxing is viewed as a predominantly Afrikaans sport.

Peekay's first fight for Prince of Wales School is against an Afrikaans school, Helpmekaar, whose boxing team is reported to be the best in South Africa. The gymnasium is filled with Helpmekaar supporters and only a trickle of Prince of Wales students. Morrie skirts around taking bets from people. Everyone bets against Peekay winning since his opponent, Jannie Geldenhuis, weighs ten pounds more than he does. In the ring, however, Peekay repeatedly knocks Geldenhuis down, closing the fight with Geel Piet's specialty-the eight-punch combination. The Helpmekaar coach thinks that Peekay must be an Afrikaner. Peekay tells him that he's English, and for the first time feels proud to be a "rooinek." Geldenhuis comes over to congratulate Peekay on the match, but Morrie tells Peekay not to mix with the opponent-he says you have to hate the opponent. He and Peekay have each a profit of five pounds from the betting. Peekay says that he noticed at the fight that a gathering of well-dressed black men stood and watched from the door and shouted "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi!" when Peekay won. Back at school, the black servants quietly begin to do his work for him, and they always bring the best food to his table. Peekay begins to realize that he is a born leader, but he admits that his need to lead has its source in the horror of his childhood.

Analysis
Chapter Sixteen illustrates the new environment and relationships which Peekay has entered. The most important new character is Morrie Levy, the Jewish boy with whom Peekay forms a partnership. Morrie represents the beginning of Peekay's education-and independence-in an entirely new field: finance. For the first time in his life, Peekay is forced to confront the last remaining chasm between himself and those he sees around him at the Prince of Wales School- money. Even on the ride from the train station to the school, Peekay observes the affluence of the suburbs of Johannesburg.

Chapter Sixteen focuses more on Peekay's "Englishness" than any of the novel's other chapters. For the first time in his life, Peekay feels proud to call himself an Englishman, or "rooinek" (redneck). The fact that Prince of Wales School is a school for "English Christian gentlemen" reinforces this aspect of Peekay's identity. In such a way, he claims a small victory over his childhood terrorizers, such as the Judge had his "storm troopers", who indoctrinated Peekay to believe that the English were rascals. Peekay does not fall into their way of behaving, however-whereas Morrie claims that Peekay should "hate" his opponent, Peekay has no problem chatting to Jannie Geldenhuis after their boxing match.

The Power of One - Chapter 15

2010-08-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Summary
The new prison letterwriting affair is to take place on Sunday mornings. Mrs. Boxall promises to speak to Peekay's mother since he is supposed to attend church on Sundays. Peekay's mother-or perhaps the Lord-does not look favorably on the plan. Peekay cannot ask Doc for assistance since Doc's mind is "too logical." He approaches his Granpa instead. Peekay's Granpa suggests to his daughter that if Peekay has access to the inmates of the prison, he can distribute gospel tracts. Peekay's mother falls in love with the idea and immediately gives her permission. She and Marie are delighted with the recognition they are gaining from being "hard-core fighters in the Lord's army." Peekay, however, sticks tobacco leaves inside the religious tracts. These come to be known as "King Georgies" and when the prisoners need more tobacco they write letters to "King Georgie." Borman has begun to complain of piles. Everyone who was present in the gymnasium when Lieutenant Smit confronted Borman knows that he must be under a curse. Borman soon lands in Barberton Hospital, having suffered from a rectal hemorrhage.

Doc, at liberty once again, enjoys a new burst of youth. He and Peekay enjoy their old activities, such as exploring the Barberton hills and "kloofs" (cliffs), searching for species of cacti, or having conversations in Latin. Miss Bornstein has been busy tutoring Peekay for his entrance exams to a fancy private school in Johannesburg, the Prince of Wales School. Peekay receives outstanding results and wins a scholarship to the school. He is to begin in the first term of 1946. Peekay also passes his Royal College of Music Advanced Exams, and wins the Eastern Transvaal under-twelve boxing championship. He becomes the talk of the town, and Mrs. Boxall features him in her weekly newspaper column "Clippings from a Cultured Garden." Peekay's mother's dressmaking business grows as a result. Peekay is anxious that the Prince of Wales School will not offer boxing - but he soon learns that the boxing coach is Mr. Darby White, who was once the cruiserweight champion of the British army.

Peekay's only problem is that his family does not possess enough money to buy him the school clothes that he needs. This dilemma is solved, however, after his mother and Marie pray for God's help. Peekay's friends and family each contribute an article of clothing until he has every item he needs.

Borman dies of a rectal hemorrhage, but only after Marie and Peekay's mother have convinced him to become a born-again Christian. Peekay observes that "Lieutenant Borman died knowing what it felt like to have a donkey prick jammed up your arse until your entrails spill out."

Analysis
Chapter Fifteen provides a conclusion to Book One by summarizing the final events in Peekay's life before he departs for Johannesburg. The tone is overwhelmingly light and optimistic as the older Peekay reports his successes- his brilliant school, boxing, and music accomplishments. The final sentence of the chapter-expressing Peekay's sense of retribution towards Borman-comes as an unexpected shock. The author chooses to close Book One not on Peekay's successes, but on his avenged hatred for the murderer of Geel Piet-the reader is left to mull over the gory image of Borman's rectal hemorrhage, not Peekay's certificates. In such a way, the author reminds the reader that in 1940s South Africa, one cannot take a peaceful period for granted-trouble and violence is an everyday reality and can spring on one suddenly. Peekay shows how Doc and Granpa are foils to one other: Whereas Doc represents the world of logic and rationality, Granpa symbolizes the world of detours and non-sequiturs. Peekay needs both elements in his life, just as he needs both men in his life. Granpa's ingenious plan to help Peekay gain his mother's approval for the letter-writing program represents the first material difference Granpa has made to Peekay's life. Thus, even though Doc has become Peekay's best friend, Peekay still relies on the other people in his life. The love and respect Peekay enjoys from all of those around him culminates at the end of Chapter Fifteen, when everyone comes together to help provide Peekay with the clothes he requires for the Prince of Wales School. Thus, while outlining his path towards becoming a legend-in the eyes of black and white and "colored" South Africans-Peekay acknowledges the great role played by his companions.

The Power of One - Chapter 14

2010-08-15T17:15:00.001-07:00

Summary
The inspector of prisons is soon to arrive at the Barberton prison and the staff are so busy preparing for his visit that Peekay and Doc do not have to worry about Borman for a while. The prisoners are given new uniforms for the inspector's visit, but afterwards they have to return to their tattered clothes. Kommandant van Zyl wants Doc to provide a concert for the inspector. In return, Doc asks to be allowed to give a Sunday concert for the prisoners. On Sundays the prisoners do not work but are locked in their cells. Each tribe—Zulu, Swazi, Ndebele, Sotho, and Shangaan—is given ninety minutes outdoors in the exercise pen. They spend this time singing. Doc tells Peekay that he has watched them each Sunday and has realized that each tribe has a favorite song. He has written a piano concerto which alternately foregrounds the preferred melody of each tribe and has called it "Concerto of the Great Southland." During the Sunday concert, Doc wants all the prisoners to participate-and he wants Peekay to be the conductor. At nighttime Doc practices the concerto loudly so that the prisoners can practice. Geel Piet acts as the go-between, instructing the prisoners in Peekay's intended hand signals.

Geel Piet confides in Peekay that the prisoners are extremely excited about the concert, and believe that all the tribes will be united under the "magic spell" of the Tadpole Angel. Peekay acknowledges that Geel Piet has played a large role in spreading the legend of the Tadpole Angel-Geel Piet, he says, is a "great promoter." Borman has tried to sabotage the concert, but Lieutenant Smit-who has come to despise Borman-fully supports it. Smit is not a member of the Oxwagon Guard. The concert is to be held on the night of May nine, 1945. Geel Piet suggests that, as conductor, Peekay should wear his boxing gear with the boots the people gave him. On the night of the concert, Peekay feels that the world looks different. A rising full moon creates the impression of a surreal "Dali painting." Peekay finds Doc in the hall, anxious because Geel Piet is late. Peekay asks one of the Shangaan men where Geel Piet is, but no one knows. As Doc and Peekay make their way to the parade ground, the site of the concert, Peekay hears muffled blows coming from the interrogation room. The kommandant opens the concert by giving the prisoners a warning to behave. He asks Peekay to translate his speech into Zulu. Peekay does not translate accurately, but instead says that the kommandant welcomes all the prisoners and hopes they will do their respective tribes proud. They burst into applause.

The concert begins and the summer air fills with the most magnificent singing that Peekay has ever heard. At the end of the debut of Doc's concerto, the prisoners begin to chant "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi! Tadpole Angel!" Doc later tells Peekay that it is the best moment of his life. Suddenly fireworks erupt in the air-the war has ended. The prisoners believe that Peekay must have caused the "shower of stars" in the night sky-the legend is complete. After the concert Peekay suddenly remembers Geel Piet and runs to the gymnasium. He finds Geel Piet dead, with his face in his own blood-he has hemorrhaged at the mouth and nose. The loneliness birds return. Captain Smit carries the sobbing Peekay away from the scene, promising to avenge Geel Piet's death.

Doc is released from prison and he visits Mrs. Boxall at the library-they have an awkward but sweet reunion. Doc gives the piano recital for the inspector of prisons, who lavishes encomiums on the Barberton prison. At the end of the recital Doc announces that he wishes to play his composition-"Requiem for Geel Piet"-and he proceeds to play the "Concerto of the Great Southland." The inspector of prisons assumes that Geel Piet must be a white Afrikaner. A boxing exhibition follows the concert, and after the crowd has left, Captain Smit recalls the boxing boys. He fights Borman, then holds up the bloodstained canvas on which Geel Piet was found. Borman at first denies that he killed Geel Piet, but eventually he admits to the murder, screaming and sobbing.

When Peekay returns, Mrs. Boxall excitedly tells Peekay that the inspector has given them permission to start a candid letter-writing service between the prisoners and their families. It is to be the first of its find in South Africa.

Analysis
Chapter Fourteen analyzes the racial tensions of 1940s South Africa. Setting in the novel is more than background for the characters actions. The author's slow revelation of the evil in South Africa also works as a method of chartering the birth of Peekay's consciousness of racism. Chapter Fourteen shows a significant leap when juxtaposed with Chapter Four, in which six-year-old Peekay notices a "BLACKS ONLY" sign. Now, at a slight ten years of age, he must face the horrific murdered body of his first true boxing coach and his dear friend, Geel Piet. Peekay's voice is uncompromising as he repeatedly refers to the blood in which he finds his friend. Later, when Lieutenant Smit avenges Geel Piet's death, Peekay provides us with a gruesomely cinematic recount of the violent fighting of the men, and their equally offensive dialogue. Chapter Fourteen, at the heart of the novel structurally and thematically, forces the reader to witness the atrocities of racism in South Africa. For example, Borman screams that he "jammed the fucking donkey prick up [Geel Piet's] arse till he shit his entrails." As Peekay loses his innocence, the novel does too.

Chapter Fourteen is thematically at the heart of the novel since it shows that the line between "boxing" and "fighting" is sometimes indistinct. It is significant that Lieutenant Smit first boxes Borman in the ring before they begin to fight. Smit has often encouraged Peekay to fight in the ring, whereas Geel Piet has insisted that the notion of "fighting" should be separated from boxing. Certainly, Peekay's descriptions of his boxing matches have elevated the sport into an art form; the lyricism of these descriptions is aided by Doc's constant music metaphors, in which he compares boxing to music. Peekay himself is not entirely innocent-in his playground fight with Snotnose Bronhurst he blurs the distinction between boxing and fighting by headbutting his opponent. The reader cannot help but be reminded that Peekay's initial interest in boxing stemmed from his fear of the Judge and his need to be assured that "small" could conquer "big." Chapter Fourteen complicates, rather than resolves these issues. To his credit, Peekay shows the ability to criticize himself-in Chapter Fourteen he includes himself in his critique of "white supremacy" by pointing out his own childish arrogance and presumption in believing he can conduct the black prisoners in the concert.

The Power of One - Chapter 13

2010-08-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

Summary
Gert Marais' heavyweight final is the last match of the championship-in the final round, the opponent knocks Gert unconscious and the Barberton Blues think the warder must be dead. Peekay analyzes: "Gert had, as usual, fought with too much heart and not enough head. If only he had known about Mozart." On the ride home Peekay replays his own championship final in his head, as though it is a strip of film that he can edit at will.

At Sunday school, Pastor Mulvery makes silly jokes about Peekay's bruised ear. Peekay often asks provocative questions in Sunday school, such as whether white and white are equal in heaven. Pastor Mulvery advises him not to ask such foolish questions. Peekay's mother still tries to convince him to become a born-again Christian but he refuses. Marie, on the other hand, surrenders to his mother's pleas and becomes a "soldier in the army of the Lord." Peekay observes how the born-again Christians are all attempting to buy "real estate" in heaven. His mother forces him to teach Dum and Dee from a Shangaan Bible. Dum and Dee have trouble believing the story of Jesus Christ--they cannot imagine a white man sacrificing himself for everyone's sins since most of the white men they know only punish black people for their sins. The Old Testament, however, accords more with their own stories and legends. Pastor Mulvery and Peekay's mother lurk around the Barberton hospital like "storm troopers," trying to proselytize unsuspecting patients. Peekay's mother prays with Marie, asking the Lord to cure her of her acne--the pimples miraculously disappear. Peekay realizes, however, that Doc advised Marie to change her diet at exactly the time of the prayers. Peekay asks Doc why he did not mention this to him. Doc replies as follows: "It is illogical for a man to be too logical. … When a truth is not so important, it is better left as a mystery."

Geel Piet tells Peekay that the Zulu men believe that he is a Zulu chief in a white man's body since no one but a Zulu could fight with such bravery. The black prisoners already knew of Peekay's victory before the news arrived. At the next Barberton Blues training session, Lieutenant Smit praises both Peekay and Geel Piet. He has organized for the prison photographer to come to take a team picture. Geel Piet stands to the side but Smit invites him to join them. Klipkop, followed by most of the team, refuse to have their picture taken with Geel Piet. The only ones left in the picture are Peekay, Doc, Gert, Geel Piet, and Lieutenant Smit. A few weeks later, Smit is promoted to captain, and he destroys all copies of the picture.

The photograph captured the exact moment when I understood with conviction that racism is a primary force of evil designed to destroy good men.

Doc and Mrs. Boxall continue to stimulate Peekay's precocious mind--Doc takes care of Peekay's scientific, musical, and Latin education, while Mrs. Boxall focuses on English Literature. They also introduce him to chess. Peekay comes first in his class every term. A new teacher, Miss Bornstein, arrives at his school and she captivates Peekay with her beauty. She wishes to meet with Peekay privately, and after testing his Latin, she challenges him to a game of chess. Peekay concedes the game, annoying Miss Bornstein. He apologzies, and Miss Bornstein gives him permission to call her "Sam" in private. Doc decides that Peekay is in love. With Lieutenant Smit's promotion to captain, the kommandant appoints Borman to fill the lieutenant position. Borman terrorizes all the prisoners and is highly suspicious of the Peekay-Doc-Geel Piet triumvirate. World War II is beginning to draw to a close, causing Doc extreme excitement at the thought of regaining his freedom.

Miss Bornstein's grandfather, Mr. Isaac Bornstein, becomes Doc's chess partner. Miss Bornstein begins to help Mrs. Boxall with The Sandwich Fund. Peekay discusses his love for Miss Bornstein with Doc and Geel Piet, and together they decide that Peekay should send her roses. Geel Piet says that roses always do "the trick." Peekay wonders what "the trick" is--a friend of his explains, and he cannot imagine doing that with Miss Bornstein. Peekay provides us with a concise history of Mr. Isaac Bornstein. As a Jewish man, Bornstein escaped to South Africa from Germany in 1936. He and Miss Bornstein are the only Jews in Barberton.

The kommandant has had to accept that Hitler is going to lose the war and he, along with most of the prison warders, joins the Oxwagon Guard. Peekay explains the Oxwagon Guard to be "a neo-Nazi group dedicated to the restoration of independence for the Afrikaner people." They are planning to rid themselves of the Smuts government. Peekay can understand their hatred of the English (who confined them in concentration camps during the Boer War) and the black people (who had murdered one of their past leaders, Piet Retief). He cannot understand their hatred for the Jews, however. Snotnose Bronkhurst tells Peekay it is because the Jews killed Jesus. Peekay decides that he wants to be a Jew when he grows up.

The prison black market continues, with Peekay making deliveries and pick-ups by means of the false bottom to his watering can. With Doc leaving the prison, however, they have to find a new way for letters to be written. Peekay convinces Captain Smit to allow him to give Geel Piet writing lessons. During one of Peekay's piano lessons, Borman enters and warns Peekay that he knows what is going on.

Analysis
Peekay's narrative style in Chapter Thirteen deviates from its neat, linear flow and becomes more episodic. As Peekay approaches his tenth birthday, his attention must encompass much more than previously. Not only must he introduce us to the new characters in his life, but also to the infamous political events in South Africa and abroad. Juxtaposed against Peekay's first experience of falling in love-a private, inner experience- are the sinister, exterior events of World War II (albeit concluding) and the instigation of the Oxwagon Guard. The Oxwagon Guard was a small, radical, ex- parliamentary group founded with similar notions of "racial purity" as Hitler's Nazi party. The narrative darts about from the prison to the school to the home, interspersed with both personal "history lessons" (such as Isaac Bornstein's story) and impersonal "history lessons" (such as Peekay's explanation of the Oxwagon Guard). In such a way, the author allows us to experience directly Peekay's growth to adolescence. The reader has the sense that the narrator is in the process of learning how to balance his many subplots, just as Peekay has to learn how to balance the many awakening elements of his life. Instead of closing on a hopeful note in keeping with Chapter Eleven and Twelve, Chapter Thirteen concludes with the threats of the lieutenant Borman.

Although we no longer think of Peekay as a child due to his precociousness, at times the boy reveals misunderstandings typical of ten-year-olds. "Coming-of- age" humor results from Peekay's desire to become a Jew when he grows up, and from his innocence about what "the trick" is. These moments of comedy complements the descriptions of Peekay's immersion in the world of the prison's black market-the humor of his childlike confusion along with the maturity of much of his behavior work together to create the novel's genre, the bildungsroman.

Interestingly, Peekay's tone towards Pastor Mulvery and his mother's religious fanaticism is much more candidly ironic than his attitude towards the violent behavior of Borman. Much of Chapter Thirteen is devoted to the theme of religious fervor and hypocrisy-Peekay has no illusions about materialism being the source of the born-again Christians' behavior. For instance, he humorously suggests that they are staking a claim on the "real estate" of Heaven. The theme of different methods of storytelling reemerges as Peekay's mother gives him the task of teaching Dum and Dee the Shangaan Bible. The girls can only relate to the Old Testament, since this approximates their own cultural method of storytelling-one of myths and legends. The fact that they can relate to the Old Testament provides a glimmer of hope-the author suggests that even in the midst of difference, similarities can be unearthed.

The Power of One - Chapter 12

2010-08-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

Summary
Geel Piet has become a fundamental part of the "Barberton Blues" boxing squad. He prizes Peekay's intelligence and speed, which redeem his small size. Geel Piet teaches Peekay about the importance of footwork. The Barberton Blues squad has done extremely well, being undefeated for two years. They are preparing for the Eastern Transvaal boxing championships in Nelspruit when Snotnose Bronkhurst comes down with jaundice and Peekay has to fight in his place--Peekay was not expecting to be able to fight in the championships, and he and Geel Piet are overjoyed. When Peekay goes to ask his mother for her permission, she already knows about it. Lieutenant Smit visited her and told her that Peekay has much "natural talent" as a boxer. She says she cannot be sure that the Lord approves, but she will allow Peekay to compete.

In the boxing gymnasium at the prison, Lieutenant Smit outlines the rules to the team before they leave for Nelspruit. At the end of his speech he holds up a small blue singlet with "BB" on the front and Peekay's name on the back. He welcomes Peekay to the team and everyone claps. Peekay has to fight back his tears. Later that morning, while Doc gives Peekay his piano lesson, Geel Piet brings a present from "the people" for the "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi" or "Tadpole Angel." The present is a pair of black leather boxing boots. Peekay rushes to try the shoes on. Suddenly Geel Piet, sensing danger, drops to the floor and begins to polish the ground around Peekay's feet. After five seconds a new sergeant from Pretoria, Borman, appears in the doorway and summons Geel Piet. He interrogates the man about what he is doing in the room. Doc quickly answers that Geel Piet was cleaning some "kak" (Afrikaans for "shit") off Peekay's school shoes. Borman grins, telling Doc to make Geel Piet lick the shoe clean the following time. He orders Geel Piet to say that all the black prisoners eat each other's "shit."

On the morning the team is to drive to Nelspruit, Peekay wakes early. He trembles with excitement and nervousness, but thinks about how Granpa Chook and Hoppie would act in the same situation. It is the first time in three years that Peekay has left Barberton. Doc has agreed to give a Chopin concert for the brigadier from Pretoria in exchange for being allowed to watch Peekay's boxing debut. Peekay's opponent in the first round, Du Toit, is eight inches taller than he is. The opposition team mocks him. Peekay, however, wins the fight in three rounds by managing to analyze Du Toit's style and keep out of his way. Everyone claps, the referee--impressed with Peekay's manners--dubs him "Gentleman Peekay" Peekay feels "the power of one" within himself. All the Barberton Blues makes it to the semi-finals. Peekay wins his semi-final against a kid called Geldenhuis and comes up against Killer Kroon, a foot taller than him, in the under-twelve finals. The referee tries to dissuade Lieutenant Smit from allowing Peekay to box against Killer Kroon. Eventually they agree to start with one round, and pull Peekay out of the ring and end the fight if he seems in danger. Peekay hears Doc's words in his mind: "You must box like a Mozart piano concerto." Then he remembers Geel Piet's advice to box with his feet. Using these principles, Peekay not only makes it through the first round, but manages to put in some strong punches. At the end of the round, Smit advises him to counterpunch, not to attack. He stays afloat in the second round, but in the third round Killer Kroon connects Peekay with the inside of his arm and knocks Peekay over. Peekay thinks that he has lost the fight, but the referee calls for the fight to resume. Peekay struggles to regain his concentration. He soon notices that Killer Kroon is exhausted and, indeed, he holds onto Peekay's waist. Then, suddenly, Peekay's boxing shorts fall down. The crowd laughs, but Peekay continues to box. Killer Kroon's side throws in the towel and Peekay wins the championship.

Analysis
The climax of Chapter Twelve is Peekay's victory in the under-twelve division of the Eastern Transvaal boxing championships. The second half of the chapter consists primarily of Peekay's boxing commentary as he analyzes, step by step, his boxing bouts against Du Toit, Geldenhuis, and Killer Kroon. The author revisits his title as Peekay feels "the power of one" stirring within him. Yet before, during, and after the match Peekay remembers the people who have mentored and shaped him. He even remembers Granpa Chook, his pet chicken, personifying him into a "mentor" and thus challenging the reader's notion of "character." Granpa Chook is just as integral a character to the novel as any of the humans. The two worlds that Peekay straddles-the mundane world and the world of the "night country"-emerge as Peekay embarks on his boxing career. Before the championship final he closes his eyes and remembers the land of the three waterfalls and ten river stones, the land to which Inkosi-Inkosikazi introduced him. In such a way, Peekay opens himself to the world of "reality" as well as to the world of "mystery." Similarly, his mode of narration vacillates between heightened Realism (such as the detailed descriptions of his boxing matches) and Magical Realism (such as the Peekay's forays into the "night country" and his personification of Granpa Chook).

Peekay's victory confirms Hoppie's belief that the less powerful can conquer the powerful--like Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve concludes on a bright, optimistic note. Peekay constantly rehashes the conditions, however, of small subduing big. He has to use his brain. Peekay's first person narration allows the reader to experience every one of his intimate thoughts and feelings-he withholds nothing from the reader; he is a completely transparent narrator. The reader can almost hear Peekay speaking to himself, analyzing every move. Even though the novel is narrated in the past tense, this quality affords the storytelling immediacy. When Peekay declares that he has delivered the best punch of his life, it does not seem to be a declaration made after many years of consideration. It is a declaration of the moment. The reader sides with Peekay, willing him to win, because she has such profound insight into his strategic, precocious mind. Moreover, the writing style is often colloquial, including phrases such as "all show and no blow," which sets the reader on the level of "confidante" and "participant" rather than that of "underling."

The Power of One - Chapter 11

2010-08-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

Summary
Dee and Dum wake Peekay every morning with coffee and a rusk (a hard biscuit) and he heads to the prison for boxing lessons and then his piano lesson with Doc. The prison staff allows these lessons to proceed since they enjoy the social status afforded by having two classical musicians in their midst. Doc does not understand Peekay's need to box, but he assists Peekay with "musical analogies." He says that in music, as in boxing, exercises make up one's foundation. Peekay's visits are so constant that he becomes part of the prison "shadow world."

Peekay becomes friends with Gert Marais, the Afrikaans warder. Gert fixes the boxing speedball so that it is low enough for Peekay to reach. Peekay wins Lietuenant Smit's praise for his speed, causing him delight. This praise excites him much more than any achievement in music. Doc and Peekay's friendship blossoms, however, and every Sunday Peekay cleans Doc's cottage with Dum and Dee. Marie brings food for Peekay and tobacco for his Granpa from her farm. Peekay's Granpa does not like the taste of this tobacco, however, and Peekay soon finds an alternative use for it.

Peekay learns most about the prison undercurrent from Geel Piet (Afrikaans for 'Yellow Peter'), a Cape Colored man born in District Six. A recidivist, Geel Piet is a dangerous criminal who has been in and out of jail for forty-five years. Peekay describes him as "the grand master in the art of camouflage." Geel Piet runs a black market of tobacco, salt, sugar, and "dagga" (cannabis) in the prison.

Geel Piet had no sense of morality, no sense of right or wrong. He existed for only one reason: to survive the system and to beat it.

For a year, Geel Piet cleans the floors during Peekay's piano lessons with Doc. He and Peekay slowly develop a relationship through snatched conversations until they have become conspirators in a new black market plan. Peekay begins to supply Geel Piet with his Granpa's tobacco by lining a bucket with it. Peekay's Granpa agrees to this, feeling compassion for the prisoners. In return, Geel Piet promises to transform Peekay into a phenomenal boxer. He was once the colored lightweight champion of the Cape Province. Geel Piet teaches Peekay one of the most important lessons of his boxing career: to box, not to fight.

Peekay has been training for two years and six weeks when Lieutenant Smit calls for him to enter the boxing ring with a big bully called Snotnose Bronkhurst. The entire squad crowds around the ring to watch as Peekay dances Snotnose around the ring, escaping his swiping blows. When Smit blows his whistle, they all clap and Peekay feels immensely proud. Geel Piet is even more excited, and dances in the background, which results in Smit punching him in the face. Peekay, still self-conscious of his small stature, begs Geel Piet to teach him street fighting. Geel Piet eventually submits and teaches him the "Sailor's Salute" or "Liverpool Kiss"--a very sly headbutt. One day at school two of the older kids challenge Peekay to a school fight. Peekay makes one of the boys cry, and the other apologizes to Peekay. Snotnose Bronkhurst, who was Peekay's second in the fight, now demands to fight Peekay. Peekay knocks Snotnose out with a perfectly timed and brilliantly disguised "Liverpool Kiss." Peekay now becomes a hero among his classmates and especially to the English boys who see him as a "single victorious ship on an ocean of defeat." Peekay becomes the mediator between the English and Afrikaans boys. He enjoys his leadership role.

Peekay and Geel Piet have a successful black market business of tobacco, letters, sugar and salt when Marie's tobacco crop fails. The "letters" component involves Geel Piet dictating letters from the prisoners to their families, transcribed by Doc. Mrs. Boxall sends the letters. She begins "The Sandwich Fund" through which she collects clothes and money for the prisoners and their families. The Sandwich Fund allows the continuation of the tobacco market- people, unaware of what The Sandwich Fund really is-bring cigarette butts and sometimes packets of unsmoked cigarettes. The black prisoners begin to chant whenever Peekay passes them-they call him the "Tadpole Angel" in Zulu. Peekay asks Geel Piet how they derived the name. Geel Piet explains that Doc is known as "Amasele" (the Frog) since he plays his piano during the night, and therefore Peekay-seen as Doc's boy-is the tadpole.

Analysis
The most important function of Chapter Eleven is to introduce Geel Piet, the Cape Colored man who becomes Peekay's first private boxing coach. Geel Piet initiates the novel's extended metaphor of "shadows"-Geel Piet runs the prison's shadowy black market world and, as neither a black nor a white man, he is "the limbo man of Africa, despised by both sides." The Cape Colored people of South Africa hail chiefly from the Cape Province, and have as their ancestors a mixture of whites, blacks, Indians, and Malay people (brought to South Africa in the 1600s as indentured slaves). They speak Afrikaans, which is why Geel Piet has an Afrikaans name. District Six was a region in the middle of Cape Town where middle-class people of all races peacefully coexisted before the Nationalist government began evicting people in 1966. With bulldozers, they razed most of the diverse and vibrant village.

Peekay's characterization of Geel Piet reveals his own lack of "soppy liberalism"--Peekay clearly sees that there are immoral black and "colored" South Africans, just as there are white South Africans untainted by racism. Geel Piet, Peekay explains, has no inherent morality--he simply plays to win. Peekay does not attempt to magnify Geel Piet's generosity to him into saint-like behavior. He understands that Geel Piet is a criminal and he does not try to sanitize him through his descriptions. He admits that Geel Piet is "as ruthless as his oppressors." Chapter Eleven thus tackles the complex question of where morality resides in 1940s South Africa with brutal candor. Peekay occasionally has to delve into the first person plural in order to explain his and Doc's difficult position. For example, he explains their approach as follows: "We saw the brutality around us not as a matter of taking an emotional side or of good versus evil, but as the nature of evil itself, where good and bad do not come into play." Peekay's Granpa becomes Peekay's model for making up one's own, individual morality-he despises "unquestioning moral rectitude." Peekay's absence of self-righteousness makes him more appealing as a protagonist. Peekay's sense of humor and the fact that he does not always act according to strict morals (such as when he knocks Snotnose out with a "Liverpool Kiss") makes us more capable of identifying with him. This is important, since Peekay otherwise outshines everyone-at only nine years of age, he is extremely precocious. Indeed, Doc and Mrs. Boxall and many of the townspeople believe he is a "genius." The end of the chapter initiates a new kind of storytelling-the black prisoner's creation of a legend surrounding Peekay, the legend of the "Tadpole Angel." The permanence and aura of the black people's magic legend contrasts with Peekay's linear, ever-changing, logical narrative.

The Power of One - Chapter 10

2010-08-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

Summary
Peekay skips two classes at the local school. Doc has convinced him that he should drop his camouflage and reveal his intelligence. Doc is Peekay's true teacher. When around Doc, Peekay says that his brain is constantly "hungry." As in the summer months, Peekay arrives shortly after dawn each day for his music lesson with Doc. Doc's eyes are often bloodshot and he tells Peekay that the "wolves were howling" in his head the previous night-his euphemism for being drunk. Doc's Johnny Walker whisky bottles border the path in Doc's cactus garden. One Saturday afternoon in January 1941, Doc and Peekay are working in the garden when Peekay notices a military police van draw up. An officer and a sergeant emerge and, smoking cigarettes, they wait for Doc and Peekay to approach. Then the sergeant arrests Doc under the Aliens Act of 1939. Doc does not resist but instead sadly tells Peekay that he now must care for the cactus garden. Then Doc asks permission to shave and make a change of clothing before leaving for Barberton prison. Peekay brings jugs of water for Doc to wash.

Peekay helps Doc to pack, and slips a half-bottle of Johnny Walker into Doc's bag. The sergeant finds the whisky in the bag and wants to share it with Doc, but Doc refuses to drink. The sergeant drinks part of the whisky then pours the rest onto Doc's beloved Steinway piano. Doc smacks the sergeant's wrist with his walking stick, and the sergeant calls him a "fucking Nazi bastard" and a "child fucker." Doc, however, is already walking towards the military van. The sergeant runs after him and handcuffs him, then kicks Doc's legs so that he collapses onto his knees. Peekay runs after Doc, screaming, and tries to throw his arms around Doc's legs. As he leaps, the sergeant's kick intended for Doc's ribcage connects with Peekay's face and knocks him unconscious.

Peekay regains consciousness in Barberton hospital, terribly worried about Doc. The boy's jaw has been broken, making it impossible for him to speak. A fifteen- year-old nurse with acne, Marie, looks after Peekay and calls him her "skattebol" (fluffball). She tells Peekay that he has become a town hero for trying to restrain a "German spy." Peekay's mother and Pastor Mulvery visit him often, and continue their attempts to proselytize him. Peekay remembers Doc's version of God-a force too busy training bees to fuss with silly humans. Peekay's mother calls Doc an "evil man" who attempted to kill him. Peekay fumes with frustration-he is the only one who knows the truth but he is unable to speak up to defend Doc. He writes to Mrs. Boxall asking her to visit him as soon as possible. Marie eventually agrees to convey the letter on Peekay's behalf. While waiting for Mrs. Boxall, Peekay writes a long letter explaining the details of Doc's arrest. Mrs. Boxall expresses delight at Peekay's testimony and exclaims that it has arrived just in time-the military court is about to put Doc on trial. She shows Peekay the front page of their local newspaper, The Goldfields News. The picture Doc took of Peekay on the rock is headlined with the words "THE BOY HE TRIED TO KILL!"

Peekay receives a letter from Mrs. Boxall--she has shown his testimony to Mr. Andrews, the lawyer, but he has said that the piece is so sophisticated that no one will believe that a seven-year-old wrote it. Marie, the only person who can understand Peekay's garble through his broken jaw, is thus commissioned to be his interpreter. Peekay, Marie, Mrs. Boxall, and Mr. Andrews arrive at the magistrate Colonel de Villiers' office. Marie takes a while to find her voice, but Peekay manages to prove that he wrote the statement by writing down the names of various Latin succulents. They win the case, but Doc has to remain in prison since he did not register as a foreign alien when he arrived in South Africa fifteen years previously. Peekay visits Doc in prison and meets Klipkop (Johannes Oudendaal) and Lieutenant Smit. Klipkop tells Peekay that he is a boxer, and Peekay begs him to give him lessons. He tells Klipkop he has to become the welterweight champion of the world. Klipkop says that he is too young-the youngest trainee in their boxing prison squad is ten years old.

Peekay watches as Klipkop brutally beats one of the black prison servants, accusing him of stealing some biscuits. Smit watches quietly, then tells Klipkop afterwards that he was the one who ate the biscuits. The men take Peekay to meet Kommandant van Zyl, who tells Peekay to inform Mrs. Boxall of a surprise he has for the townspeople the following Monday, in the town square. Peekay asks the kommandant if he can box with their squad. Smit is furious with Peekay afterwards. However, Peekay has realized that Jackhammer Smit is Lieutenant Smit's brother. When he refers to the Gravelotte fight, Smit's eyes begin to shine and he accepts Peekay into the squad. Peekay is forbidden from boxing for two years--he may only do technique training. Eventually Peekay gets to see Doc. Doc tells Peekay the "surprise" on Monday is a very stupid thing. He tells Peekay to meet him in his cactus garden at noon that day, and to find Beethoven's Symphony Number Five in his piano stool, as well as what is above the sheet music (his whisky). Mrs. Boxall becomes very excited when Peekay relays this news to her--she says Doc is to give a concert.

On Monday Smit and Klipkop fetch the Steinway from Doc's house. They introduce Peekay to another warder, Gert Marais. Gert, an Afrikaner who does not speak English, cannot understand Doc and Peekay's conversation. Doc tells Peekay that he does not want to give the concert-he has not performed for sixteen years. However, the prison warders will not allow Peekay to visit him if he refuses. Doc tells Peekay of his musical history-he describes the disastrous concert of 1925 in Berlin where, playing Beethoven's Symphony Number Five, he froze up.

As the mayor is introducing Doc in the Barberton town square, a fight breaks out between the English and the Afrikaners. Doc, trembling, takes a swig of whisky and begins to play. The crowd immediately quiets and is captivated by the music. Doc plays beautifully and Peekay has never seen him so happy.

Analysis
Chapter Ten is one of the novel's longest chapters, taking up almost a tenth of the novel. It carries through on Peekay's foreshadowing at the end of Chapter Nine-the loss of Doc and, in a sense, the loss of his childhood. For the first time in his life, at a mere seven years of age, Peekay must confront military and legal institutions-not as a peripheral visitor, but as an eye- witness of Doc's arrest and thus as an insider. Peekay reserves his own critical judgment of the cruel events he experiences (Doc's arrest, Klipkop's brutal treatment of the black prison servant) in order to allow the reader to draw her own conclusions. Peekay takes on the role of objective reporter or observer in these situations. However, he hints that his reserved behavior does not stem from disinterestedness--he realizes that survival in these settings depends on being diplomatic. Neither does the adult narrator withhold critique of the immorality of the prison world-his tone, often earnest, becomes ironic in his descriptions of the prison staff. After describing the office of the kommandant, with its stuffed gemsbok, eland, steenbok, and springbok heads, the narrator illustrates the kommandant himself, who claims to love wild animals. The narrator's precise descriptions--including, for example, the names of all the different kinds of buck on the kommandant's walls--stress the effect Doc has had on Peekay. Doc has taught Peekay how to observe, analyze, record. These skills will be vital to Peekay's success and survival throughout the novel.

There are other reasons why it is sensible for the narrator to unleash his criticism of the harsh, racist behavior in South Africa in a subtle, rather than direct manner. Firstly, The Power of One was written at a time when apartheid was still alive in South Africa. The author himself has to take a diplomatic tone. Secondly, the author does not wish readers to see the South African struggle as one between good and evil forces - he paints the prison staff as humans, not monsters. They have redeeming qualities. Klipkop, Lieutenant Smit, and Kommandant van Zyl are all extremely kind to Peekay. The officers who arrest Doc take a moment to have a cigarette. It is a human moment before their violent treatment of Doc. Moreover, Doc's ability to halt the brawling in the town square, with his beautiful rendition of Beethoven, suggests the triumph of our shared humanity. The chapter ends on an optimistic note when it intimates that a universal spirit holds us all together in spite of our myriad differences. This tone of optimism emerges as the novel's distinguishing tone. In spite of Peekay's portrayal of crude or violent behavior, his faith in the notion of "the power of one" lingers.

The Power of One - Chapter 9

2010-08-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Summary
While Peekay sits on a rock on the hillside, surveying Barberton, a very tall and thin man with a camera introduces himself as Professor von Vollensteen. He tells Peekay that he could not resist taking a photograph of him as he sat on the rock. He asks for Peekay's permission to call it "Boy on a Rock." Peekay notices that the professor is carrying a cactus in his canvas backsack. He asks why the cactus is not pricking the professor, and the old man promises to reveal the secret. He takes the cactus from his bag and introduces it to Peekay as "Euphorbia grandicornis...a very shy cactus." He shows Peekay that his backsack is made of leather, protecting his back from the cactus' prickles. Peekay says that he could have worked that out for himself, and the professor calls him a "schmarty pants." He asks Peekay whether he knows what a professor is, and Peekay has to admit that he does not know. Suddenly the professor notices a rare aloe under the sock on which Peekay is sitting, and yelps "Wunderbar!" Peekay reminds him that he has not yet explained the word "professor." The man replies, "'A professor is a person who drinks too much whisky and once plays goot Beethoven.'" Then he tells Peekay that he can call him "Doc" instead of "Professor." Doc and Peekay part ways and Peekay returns home, to a dismal Dum and Dee. Cowering, they tell him that his mother wants to see him. Peekay does not feel scared-his mother does not realize that he is a "veteran of interrogation and punishment." Peekay's mother makes him apologize to her, then breaks down into tears of self-pity. At this, Peekay feels relieved because he is more accustomed to this side of his mother. He tells her to lie down, and brings her some tea and an Aspro.

Two days later, Peekay sits watching army trucks filled with soldiers passing by the house when Doc arrives. Doc greets Peekay warmly and says that he wishes to speak to his mother-he has brought an aloe and the photograph of Peekay as presents for her. Doc discovers, to his horror, that Doc is a German. Doc tells Peekay's mother that he believes her son is a genius and he wishes to give him music lessons. At first she resists, since she does not accept charity from anyone. Doc eventually convinces her by saying that in return for the lessons he requires Peekay to work for him, collecting cacti. Peekay's mother now agrees- having a son trained in classical music will be a status symbol for her, a "social equalizer."

The summer months pass and Peekay spends the majority of his time with Doc, roaming the Barberton "kloofs" (cliffs) collecting cacti. Doc teaches Peekay "the priceless lesson of identification." He teaches Peekay how to observe, how to listen to himself, and how to use his brain for both original thought and as a "reference library" for storing information. Doc supplements Peekay's outdoors education with morning piano lessons, and frequent trips to the Barberton library, run by Mrs. Boxall. Peekay soon realizes that he is competent but not a gifted musician. His mother, however, is delighted when Peekay stuns all the Barberton citizens at the bi-annual cultural concert by playing Chopin. The Afrikaners leave the concert when all the English people begin singing "White Cliffs of Dover." Peekay explains the close relationship between the Boers and the Germans, who gave the Boers assistance during the Boer War.

Analysis
Doc, or Professor von Vollensteen, helps Peekay to counter generalizations about Germans. Peekay is at first shocked since he associates all Germans with Hitler's Nazi party. Chapter Nine shows some stylistic deviations from previous chapters by Peekay's deviations into historical descriptions. At the conclusion of the chapter, he provides the reader with a lengthy description of the close relationship that developed between the Germans and the Boers during the Boer War. In such a way, he undertakes to educate the reader-he does not make allusions to historical events; he explains them. This results in the novel being self-contained—one does not have to undertake much external research in order to understand its context. Perhaps the author is suggesting that the very notion of history and historical recording is at stake in this time period. History cannot be taken for granted, and history text books cannot be trusted.

By taking Peekay under his tutelage, Doc becomes the next of Peekay's string of mentors. Doc's character introduces a couple of new vocabulary sets into the novel-that of Latin cacti names, and that of his quirky half-German half- invented dialect. He uses nonsense terms such as "absoloodle," and German exclamations such as "wunderbar." Doc is a caricatured character (he occupies the space of a kind of fairy godfather), who becomes a foil to Peekay's Granpa-the latter confines himself to the preened, meted world of his rose garden, while the former exposes himself to the dangerous, exciting life of cacti and aloes. Although Peekay now has his mother and Granpa with him, there exists a glaring absence of anyone playing a truly parental role in his life. Doc fills this role. Instead of caring for her son, Peekay's mother neglects him in favor of the Lord, and Peekay in fact plays the role of parent to her. Peekay subtly underscores his mother's hypocrisy-while subscribing to the Lord as the only avatar of morality and modesty, she enjoys the status that Peekay's skill at classical piano affords her.

Chapter Nine demonstrates a distinct method in Peekay's narrative style: he begins to provide the reader with recaps, or summaries, of events that have already happened. For example, he recapitulates the events of Chapter Eight and the beginning of Chapter Nine as follows: "The loneliness birds had flown away and I had grown up and made a new friend called Doc and had learned several new things." The abundance of the coordinating conjunction "and" stresses Peekay's eagerness to tally these occasions-the effect is one of insistence and continuity. The reader can almost hear the tremble in Peekay's voice. The older narrator-Peekay reminds the reader that the younger Peekay has to hold on to the constants in his life-even the loneliness birds have become a constant. The reader senses Peekay's need to impart his life story-it is not a self- aggrandizing process, but a way in which he can circumscribe the uncertainties of his past. Indeed, the chapter concludes with the adult Peekay foreshadowing the loss of Doc from his life.

The Power of One - Chapter 8

2010-07-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

Summary
The train arrives at Barberton station late at night. Hennie Venter says farewell to Peekay and promises to tell Hoppie that Peekay "behaved like a proper Boer, a real white man." Peekay does not recognize anyone on the platform and so he sits silently crying, longing for his nanny to arrive and sweep him up. Then he notices a lady approaching. She calls him her "darling" and holds her against her bony body. Peekay realizes that it is his mother. When Peekay asks her where his nanny is, she simply says that he is too old for a nanny and hurries him out to a car where a certain Pastor Mulvery is waiting to take them home to Granpa. Peekay's mother and Pastor Mulvery spend the car ride home praising the Lord's precious name.

Peekay's mother intimates that he must become a born-again Christian at the Apostolic Faith Mission, and Pastor Mulvery says they are on their way to meeting the Lord. Peekay asks if they can meet the Lord the following day--he is too exhausted that night. They both laugh. Peekay longs for the continuation of his past life on the farm. He discovers, fortunately, that the new house has exactly the same furniture as the farmhouse. He surveys the scene: the grandfather clock, the stuffed Kudu head, the painting of the Rourke's Drift massacre, the zebra skin. Peekay's Granpa enters the room and Peekay notices that he remains unchanged too. Only the kettle in the kitchen looks "new and temporary." Peekay resolves to question his Granpa about nanny's whereabouts the following day. In the dawn he explores the back garden, which he finds full of rosebushes--he observes that "the garden looked like the sort of tunnel Alice might well have found in Wonderland." Beyond the fences surrounding the garden, Peekay notices plants of a wilder nature-quince, guava, orange, lemon, avocado, poinsettia, and aloe. He decides to explore and, before he realizes, he has climbed high up the hill. Compared to the African bush, the rose garden looks "tizzy and sentimental as a painting on a chocolate box." He surveys the town of Barberton from above, and then joins his Granpa in the rose garden. When he asks where his nanny is, his Granpa slowly puffs on his pipe and tells Peekay a cryptic story about his grandmother, for whom he says Africa was too severe. Then he tells Peekay to ask his mother about nanny. Returning to the house, Peekay is reunited with the twin kitchen maids Dum and Dee, who tell him that Nanny is still alive. They also explain to Peekay that his mother has become a seamstress. When Peekay finally confronts his mother about Nanny, his mother tells him that she returned to Zululand because she refused to remove her "heathen charms and amulets." Peekay shouts that the Lord is a "shithead" and runs through the "Alice in Wonderland tunnels" until he reaches the hill. The eggs of the loneliness birds are crushed into powder inside him and, in a moment, he grows up.

Analysis
Chapter Eight contrasts the preceding two chapters (which cover Peekay's temporary adventures on the train home) by introducing Peekay and the reader to his new permanent place, Barberton. He has to deal with the prospect of a life with his returned mother and her religious fanaticism. He desperately searches for continuity and finds that his Granpa, Dum, and Dee are his only constants. While Peekay's experiences keep shifting from one backdrop to another, his method of narration is not disrupted, but is conventional and linear. Occasionally, he reminisces about past events, but generally he moves forward chronologically.

You may ask how a six-year-old could think like this. I can only answer that one did.

The reader finds continuity in the story itself through the recurring motif of the loneliness birds, whose eggs transform to dust at the conclusion of Chapter Eight. This shift is significant, and Peekay observes that, suddenly, he has grown up. He ends the chapter by addressing the reader directly. He specifically addresses the reader's skepticism. It may seem ironic that at the same moment that Peekay announces his burst into the adult world, he confronts the reader's adult rationality. However, as the novel unfolds, it will become apparent that Peekay possesses a special manner of combining adult logic and rationality with a childlike appreciation for the magic and mystery of the world. The literary allusions to Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland highlight this belief in magic. It is no accident that the names of the kitchen maids are "Dum" and "Dee," reminiscent of the Carroll's characters Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Peekay presumably provided these nicknames for them in his youth). Not only does Peekay profess to grow up in this chapter, but for the first time he truly begins to grapple with the concept of "Africa" and his place in it. With his simile comparing his Granpa's rose garden to a chocolate box picture, Peekay consigns the garden to symbolic status-he sees the cultivated garden as a symbol of Englishness. The epithets he uses to describe the garden- "tizzy" and "sentimental"-suggest that he wishes to repudiate this part of his identity and allow himself to be captivated by the wild, untamed African land.

The Power of One - Chapter 7

2010-07-31T14:54:00.001-07:00

Summary
Peekay awakens on the train to see "koppies" (little hills) and "lowveld" (bushland) flashing by outside. He finds a letter and a ten-shilling note attached to the front of his shirt-it is from Hoppie. Hoppie tells Peekay that the ten-shilling note is the money Peekay won from his bet, and in the note he reminds Peekay that "Small can beat big" and "first with the head and then with the heart." Peekay is upset that Hoppie has disappeared from his life, but realizes that Hoppie has given him something to take away-the power of one. Peekay defines this as "one idea, one heart, one mind, one plan, one determination." Soon Peekay notices a stench in the train compartment. He looks down from his bunk to see Big Hettie, fully dressed, sprawled on the bed below "like a beached sperm whale." She reeks of brandy. When Peekay returns from the toilets, he finds that Big Hettie has half-collapsed onto the floor, with her dress over her ears. Peekay restores her to a normal position by shifting her legs onto the ground. Big Hettie belches in reply and Peekay exclaims "Boy, did she stink!" The conductor, Pik Botha, arrives and gives a melodramatic lament when he realizes that Big Hettie is on his train. He gets even angrier when he discovers that Peekay's ticket is not clipped, and he blames it on Hoppie. Peekay pleads for Hoppie and succeeds.

Pik Botha takes Peekay to breakfast, where the boy meets Hennie Venter, a waiter. When they return to the compartment, Botha—a born-again Christian—tells Peekay that Hettie is a "good example of God's terrible vengeance." Hettie, however, wakes up to defend herself, calling Botha a "self- righteous little shit." She sends Peekay to fetch water for her. Peekay returns, and looks after Hettie by cooling her chest with a damp cloth. Hettie orders Botha to engineer a way to get her out of the compartment since she cannot get up. As Botha attempts to climb over Hettie to get a grasp on her, Hettie belches and Botha falls on top of her. Hettie begins to laugh and Peekay realizes that they are "in a real pickle." They try a different tactic, with both Botha and Peekay pulling. Peekay loses his grip, however, and falls into Botha's crotch, causing him enormous pain in his "waterworks." They give up for the moment, and Hettie orders a lavish breakfast for herself and Peekay from Hennie. Peekay, not hungry, gives his helping to Hettie, who scoffs everything. While Hettie eats, she tells Peekay that Hoppie could have been a famous boxer if it were not for the fact that he does not know how to hate. Peekay decides that he needs to learn how to hate. Hettie also tells Peekay about her love affair with a flyweight, who used to beat her up because he could not beat up his opponents. He died of a brain hemorrhage, during a match.

Peekay watches Hettie binge herself on food all day, and intuitively realizes that he is witnessing "a sickness or a sadness or even both." Hettie cries for herself, and Peekay comforts her. That afternoon the train arrives at the Kaapmuiden station. The railwaymen have to employ monkey wrenches to try to get Hettie out of the compartment. After telling Peekay she has faith in his becoming a great boxer, she dies quietly.

Analysis
In Chapter Seven, Peekay takes a detour, describing the tragicomic events that occur on his train ride between the towns of Gravelotte and Kaapmuiden. Big Hettie is representative of the "passing characters" pattern in the novel-some characters remain, while others coexist only briefly with Peekay. As with Hoppie, Peekay takes something away from Big Hettie. He learns about pride and courage. Peekay is learning how to absorb the essence of other people, how to remember what they say. Thus, "the power of one" does not refer to an individualistic sentiment, but rather to an all-encompassing notion, which acknowledges that the individual is shaped by all those people who pass through his life, whether for a brief or lengthy time.

Peekay describes the events of the novel with humor and compassion; events are often both funny and sad. Big Hettie becomes one of the novel's caricatured, burlesque characters, and this chapter could almost be called a tribute to her. Chapter Seven thus deviates from the overarching plot. Hoppie's letter to Peekay, included at the beginning of the chapter, also works to disrupt the neat, narrative flow and-as Peekay's first letter (and wager won)-it acts as a kind of mark of initiation into a more adult world. The "toilet humor" apparent in this chapter (Big Hettie's belches, for example) not only works as part of the burlesque, but constructs an invisible hierarchy amongst the characters.

The Power of One - Chapter 6

2010-07-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

Summary
Jackhammer Smit, a miner, has all his fellow miners on his side. The miners have constructed a makeshift boxing ring on Gravelotte's rugby field. All the townspeople gather on the stands (bleachers), with the black denizens having to squat underneath and peer through the whites' legs. Bokkie and Nels, Hoppie's seconds, lead Hoppie and Peekay to the warm-up tent where Hoppie points out the referee--a dwarf--to Peekay. Jackhammer Smit is already decked out in full boxing gear-Hoppie whispers to Peeky that he is "one big sonofabitch." Hoppies opts to "glove up" in the boxing ring to provide more amusement for the crowd. Bokkie, following boxing etiquette, carries the gloves to Jackhammer Smit's seconds so that they may choose. Jackhammer and Hoppie taunt each other verbally, and Hoppie instructs Peekay: "Never forget, Peekay, sometimes, very occasionally, you do your best boxing with your mouth." Nels escorts Peekay away from the tent and up the stands to Big Hettie, a large woman who chugs brandy throughout the fight and forgets to conceal her Irish accent when drunk. Hoppie and Jackhammer Smit enter the ring. Big Hettie hurls a curse at Jackhammer and the crowd roars with laughter. Big Hettie calls the dwarf referee "Sparrow Fart." The dwarf invokes Biblical imagery, introducing the match as one between David and Goliath.

In the first round, Hoppie lands a dozen punches to Jackhammer's left eye. The second round proceeds similarly, except that Jackhammer connects with Hoppie's head three times. Rounds three to five witness Hoppie attempting to wait out Jackhammer by taunting him around the ring. At the end of the sixth round, Jackhammer's left eye is almost shut, and Hoppie's ribs are red from the blows. In the seventh round, the heat begins to take its toll on Jackhammer-his left eye has closed. He manages to punch Hoppie right under the heart, however, and Hoppie crumples to the ground. Jackhammer refuses to move to the corner of the ring, thereby unwittingly giving Hoppie thirty seconds to recover. Hoppie manages to rise on the count of eight. Big Hettie nourishes Peekay with creamy coffee and chocolate cake during the fight.

In the eleventh round, Jackhammer purposely knocks the referee backwards so that he cannot witness him headbutting Hoppie to the ground. The railwaymen, supporting Hoppie, cry "Foul!" After much confusion, and outbreaks of fighting amongst the crowd, the referee decides to award Hoppie the fight on a foul. Hoppie, however, is not satisfied and calls for the fight to resume. In the fourteenth round, Jackhammer knocks Hoppie down-suddenly Hoppie rises with a punch to Jackhammer's jaw, knowcking him out. A "braaivleis" (barbecue) and "tiekiedraai" (dance) follow the fight. Hoppie puts Peekay to sleep, next to Big Hettie.

Analysis
As the narrator matures, his voice gives the story a lyrical tone. The adult Peekay describes the gum trees near the boxing ring with "their palomino trunks shredded with strips of gray bark," and the moths and insects which "danced about the lights, tiny planets orbiting erratically around two brilliant artificial suns." He uses the same lyricism to describe, almost blow by blow, the boxing match between Hoppie and Jackhammer Smit-indeed, most of Chapter Six is taken up with the fight itself. This foreshadows many similar lengthy fight descriptions in the following chapters: the novel becomes in part a sports novel, with Peekay taking the role of commentator. Yet The Power of One differs from other sports novels in that it raises sport to the level of an art form. Peekay uses music metaphors and similes, subtly comparing boxing to music. For example, he notes how the referee "orchestrated" the audience to silence, and how Jackhammer Smit bangs his right fist into his left palm "like a metronome." The incongruity of music and a thug such as Jackhammer Smit works like an intellectual conceit-that is, an outrageous comparison that makes sense only after a couple of moments of thought. In such a way, the author compels us to accept boxing as an art form. The rich boxing vocabulary-including terms such as "straight left", "feinting", and "clinch"-heightens Peekay's storytelling power. This contrasts with Big Hettie's crude, yet hilarious commentary-she calls the dwarf referee "Sparrow Fart" and does not listen to a word Peekay says. The fact that the referee is a dwarf, and Big Hettie is partly Irish, adds to the already colorful human landscape of the novel-once again, the author forces us to recall the many types of differences between human beings.

Hoppie's victory over Jackhammer is an important plot moment for the young protagonist Peekay since it gives him the faith that "small" can prevail over "large." He admits to the reader that "Big, it seemed to me, always finished on top …" The battle between small and large takes on a new dimension in Chapter Six: Hoppie teaches Peekay the necessity of strategy, of tactics. His main advice to Peekay is "First with the head, then with the heart," an aphorism which Peekay never forgets. Peekay must change his own theme from the battle between small and large to the struggle between brains and brawn.

The Power of One - Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis

2010-07-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

Summary
Peekay wakes early and surveys the savannah outside the train window. He expresses amazement at the washbasin which Hoppie shows him, neatly stashed away beneath the compartment table. Hoppie tosses away Peekay's soggy packed food from Mevrou and insists on buying him a proper "first class fighter" breakfast. As Hoppie lifts Peekay out of bed, Peekay covers his penis and apologizes to Hoppie for being a "verdomde rooinek" (a damned redneck). He expects "retribution." Nothing happens, however, and Peekay begins to lose his fear of being an Englishman. Hoppie takes Peekay to the dining car where the waiter walks past and asks Hoppie the "odds" on his fight. Peekay wonders what "odds" are. He asks Hoppie whether he is frightened for the fight, eliciting another inspiring lecture from Hoppie, who is a "southpaw" (left-handed boxer). Lunch arrives with free steaks for Hoppie and Peekay. All of the passengers chat enthusiastically about Hoppie's imminent boxing bout. The waiter takes money for bets, and Hoppie has to explain what "betting" is to Peekay. Hoppie encourages Peekay to bet ten to one with his Granpa's shilling. Peekay is a little worried since Mevrou told him only to use the shilling in emergencies. Hoppie tells Peekay this could be considered an emergency.

In Gravelotte, Hoppie takes Peekay to his home on the railway mess. Then they go to buy new tackies for Peekay at "Patel and Son," which is owned by an Indian man, Mr. Patel. Hoppie treats Mr. Patel and his daughter--whom Peekay notices as being very beautiful--with disdain and tries to swap Peekay's large tackies for new ones. When Mr. Patel recognizes Hoppie as the famous boxer "Kid Louis" (Hoppie's boxing name, taken from a black non-African boxer), he wants to return Hoppie's nine pence. Hoppie tells him to give the money to Peekay instead. Mr. Patel hands Peekay a shilling. Peekay is relieved his Granpa's money has strangely been restored. Mr. Patel says that he has bet ten pounds on Hoppie's victory.

On the way back to the railways, Hoppie tells Peekay not to address "coolies" (derogatory term for Indian or "colored" people) as "Mister." They head for the billiard room, where Hoppie's opponent, Jackhammer Smit, comes swaggering towards them. He laughs at Hoppie's small stature and calls him a "midget." Hoppie tosses back a witty comment before exiting. Peekay meets Hoppie's friends Nels and Bokkie. At his home, Hoppie educates Peekay in pre-match rituals: a shower, a lie-down, and glasses of water every ten minutes (since it is deathly hot). At dinner, Hoppie introduces Peekay to people as "the next welterweight contender." Peekay remembers all that Hoppie tells him, and Hoppie marvels at Peekay's perfect recall. Hoppie's army forms arrive in the mail--he tells Peekay that he has been summoned to war. He explains that Hitler is a very bad man--the enemy, not the ally.

Analysis
The racism of whites towards non-whites in South Africa becomes clearer in Chapter Five. Peekay's description of Mr. Patel's daughter as wearing "diaphanous cloth" and having "dark and very beautiful" eyes contrasts with Hoppie's racist description of Indians as "coolies." Thus, the theme of people contradicting themselves in their behavior emerges further here. While showing extreme generosity and compassion to Peekay, Hoppie shows only arrogant racism towards the Patels, and tells Peekay not to call Mr. Patel "Mister." Peekay thus becomes more than simply the protagonist-he becomes a moral yardstick by which we are to judge the other characters. Peekay shows respect and courtesy to everyone he meets.

Although Peekay's insight into the world remains limited and somewhat humorous, he is fast being forced to grow up. The bildungsroman structure usually involves a series of shifts from one setting to another, with very few visits to past settings. With Peekay surrounded by fresh faces on a train bound for Barberton, a new town, this novel certainly continues to fulfill the bildungsroman criteria. Moreover, most readers are in the same position as Peekay-unclear of the exact details of apartheid, and without an intimate knowledge of the boxing world. When Peekay confides that he does not understand Hoppie's "boxing parlance," we share his newcomer's perspective.

Chapter Five offers a couple of examples of the author's method of characterization--a simple, conventional method whereby a character's name is subsequently furnished with a short physical sketch. Peekay illustrates Mr. Patel's daughter, for instance, through the following description: "She was a mid brown color, her straight black hair was parted in the middle…" While the author pursues a conventional characterization method, the reader can understand his preoccupation with appearance, and particularly with skin tone. By Peekay almost taking inventory in noticing the woman's "mid brown color," the author highlights the impossibility of categorizing people, especially according to something as nuanced as skin color. People should not be quantified and pigeonholed, he suggests. Yet some of the character descriptions fall into stereotypes or caricatures, contradicting this notion. Mr. Patel, for instance, speaks in a caricatured Indian dialect, using expressions such as "very-very" and "by golly." Such stereotypes suggest that the book belongs to the genre of "popular adventure." The characters and events, as will be seen in the rest of the novel, lack authenticity but replace it with the kind of exaggerated magic found in children's fairy tales.

The Power of One - Chapter 4 Summary and Analysis

2010-07-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Summary
After dinner in the boarding house, the boy visits Mevrou. She hands him a train ticket to Barberton, a small town in the Eastern Transvaal province. The journey will take two days and two nights. The boy's Granpa had to sell his farm to their neighbor, Mrs. Vorster, because Newcastle disease killed off his chickens. The following day from his secret mango tree, the boy watches the other kids leave. Then Mevrou marches him off to buy "tackies" (sneakers) at the Jew Harry Crown's shop. The boy has never owned shoes before--on the farm, the kids simply wore khaki shorts, shirts, and a sweater if it was cold. When they arrive at Harry Crown's shop, it is closed. Mevrou sends the boy to wash his feet at a garage, and the boy notices a sign above a workshop entrance that reads "BLACKS ONLY." He wonders why whites are forbidden there.

Harry Crown, jaunty and jocular, arrives. He brews up some coffee for Mevrou and gives the boy a raspberry sucker. He expresses shock when, on asking the boy his name, he replies "Pisskop." With the money the boy's Granpa has sent, Mevrou buys him some tackies which are two times too big for his feet-she stuffs them with balls of newspaper so they will fit. Pisskop feels grand in them, even though he can barely walk. Harry Crown packs four more suckers into the shoe box while Mevrou is not looking. He also invents a new, more sanitary name for the boy-Peekay. The boy likes the name and decides to adopt it for himself. That evening Mevrou takes Peekay to the train station. She puts his Granpa's change-a shilling-into a pocket on his clothes. When the train arrives, the stationmaster introduces Peekay and Mevrou to the train guard, Hoppie Groenewald, who he says is "champion of the railways." Peekay trips up the train steps because of his tackies getting in the way but Hoppie kindly gathers him up in his arms. Hoppie keeps Peekay company in the train compartment, and allows him to take of the tackies. Peekay asks Hoppies about the sepia photographs hung on the walls- they show Cape Town and Table Mountain. This sets Hoppie off talking about how he almost competed in the National railways boxing championships in Cape Town. He begins giving Peekay a boxing lesson, slipping some leather boxing gloves onto Peekay's hands. Although the gloves are far too big, they feel comfortable to Peekay. Peekay secretly delights that Hoppie may be able to teach him how to defend himself against the likes of the Judge. Hoppie tells Peekay that when he grows up he will be the welterweight champion of South Africa. He urges Peekay to start boxing lessons as soon as he arrives in Barberton. When the train refuels at Tzaneen, Hoppie treats Peekay to a mixed grill at the Railway Café where the bar ladies interrogate Hoppie about his next boxing fight. Peekay notices that Hoppie likes the younger woman, who has very red lips. Peekay falls asleep and the last image he remembers is Hoppie tucking him into bed.

Analysis
The novel's main plot, involving boxing, begins in Chapter Four as Peekay meets Hoppie Groenewald. Peekay compares Hoppie's role in his life to that of a sudden and temporary "meteorite" and calls him a "mentor." The boxing plot initiates a new theme in the novel: the role of mentors in education. Education is not defined merely in formal terms, but as relating to the development of the person in his entirety. In such a way, the novel begins to tackle possible prejudices against sport, and particularly boxing, which is often assumed to give leeway only to violence and aggression. The boxing plot also incorporates the theme of the power of one, since Peekay's ambition to become the welterweight champion of South Africa, and then of the world, is purely his own ambition. The people Peekay encounters later in the novel support him in his endeavor, but often do not understand it.

Chapter Four also introduces the main milieu--or backdrop--of the novel: apartheid. 'Apartheid' is an Afrikaans term meaning simply 'apartness,' and was coined by the Nationalist president of South Africa, Daniel Malan, in 1948. Chapter Four occurs before 1948, however, when white supremacist behavior was already in operation, but not yet systematized. Peekay's first consciousness of apartheid comes in this chapter, when he notices the "BLACKS ONLY" sign. In keeping with his childlike perspective, however, the author does not explain apartheid but pushes it to the background. Peekay's lack of understanding of apartheid established dramatic irony, as the reader understands the social institutions which define and affect Peekay from a more informed point of view. Peekay's confusion is not intended to be analyzed as a childlike confusion, however--the questions Peekay asks are terrifyingly legitimate and precise. For instance, when he wonders why white people cannot enter the workshop, he unwittingly touches at the irrationality of racism and apartheid.

The novel is clearly founded in its South African context, with the author extremely conscious of the fact that he is writing for an international audience. He italicizes South Africanisms such as "stoep" (verandah) and "doek" (headcloth), and explains concepts that non-South Africans could not be expected to understand. For example, Peekay explains that years after his meeting with Hoppie he "discovered that the Cape Doctor was a wind that blew in early spring…" At the same time, Peekay's meteorite simile reveals a yearning for something much larger. The author is clearly aiming to make a universal statement about the pointlessness of discrimination against any group of people. The introduction of a Jewish character, Harry Crown, discloses that discrimination works on all levels-racial, cultural, and religious. The fact that Harry Crown coins Peekay's name for him is of vital importance-the author offers the lesson that people can make a difference in one another's lives regardless of how short their period of contact.

The Power of One - Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis

2010-07-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Summary
The Judge and his jury interrogate the boy about why his names are "Pisskop" and "rooinek." The Judge pulls down the boy's pajama pants and tells him he is an English "rooinek" because his "snake has no hat." Boers, in contrast, have hats on their snakes. The boy's punishment is to march around the playground every day, counting backwards from five thousand. However, he actually spends this time doing the Judge's homework in his head. The boy helps the Judge with his homework, reasoning that if the Judge passes the school exams, the boy will no longer have to deal with him. He manages to convince the Judge to allow him to become his full-time homework helper. He realizes, however, that the teacher Mr. Stoffel will smell foul play if the Judge's mental ability drastically improves. The Judge compliments the boy for being a "slimmertjie" (a little clever one). In return for the help, the Judge annuls the marching after school, and promises not to tell Hitler about the boy. Everything seems to be proceeding more smoothly for the boy and Granpa Chook.

The boys hear that Newcastle disease has erupted on a chicken farm nearby. The boy worries about his Granpa, his mother, and himself. He ardently wishes to live with his nanny in Zululand, hidden from Hitler. The Judge reports news of the war, since Mr. Stoffel allows him to listen to his radio. Hitler has taken Poland, which the boy thinks must be in South Africa, owned by the "Po" tribe. No one explains to him that South Africa is on England's side. The Judge holds "war councils" behind the school toilets. The senior hostel boys are called "storm troopers." The boy and Granpa Chook are the "prisoners of war" and are tortured and interrogated. The boy must submit to "Chinese torture"-that is, holding an iron bag with his arms stretched out in front of him-and "shooting practice," where he holds tin cans into which the storm troopers catapult stones. In the interrogation, the boy is forced to call his mother a "whore" who sleeps with "kaffirs." They burn him and put biting ants in his pants, but nothing they do can make him cry. The boy's stoicism infuriates them. The boy admits to us that he only cries inwardly-in the "night country."

The school term draws to a close. Mr. Stoffel holds up the Judge as an example of academic improvement. The Judge shows no gratitude to the boy for his help. Instead, during a final torture session, he tries to make the boy eat human feces. The boy refuses, keeping his mouth tightly shut. The Judge thus rubs the feces into the boy's teeth, lips, face, and hair. As the Judge cries "Hail Hitler!" to the skies, Granpa Chook defecates into the Judge's open mouth. In retaliation, the Judge catapults a stone into the "kaffir chicken rooinek," breaking his ribcage. The boy begs them not to kill Granpa Chook, but they pelt the chicken to death. The boy cries for the first time-thus ending the drought in Zululand. He gives Granpa Chook a fine burial, and covers his battered body with stones. The "loneliness bird" settles inside the boy. At dinner that night, the boy is told he must visit Mevrou in the dispensary after the meal.

Analysis
Chapter Three adds the notion of an inner and an outer self to the theme of the power of one. Pisskop learns how to lead a double life--how to be "in two places at once"--so that he can appear to have a tough exterior, while hiding his vulnerable interior. In fact, everything that the boy has learnt in Chapter One and Two becomes complicated in Chapter Three. Suddenly the Judge shows glimpses of humanity by treating the boy "not entirely without sympathy." Although the litotes-or double negative of "not entirely without sympathy" indicates that the Judge has only microscopically improved his behavior, it nevertheless shows that the boy has learnt that this is not a clear-cut fight between good and evil, Afrikaners and English, black and white. Bathos, or anti- climax, also serves to highlight that the boy's torturers are human beings, not nameless demons: at the end of Chapter Three we finally learn that the Judge has a name--Jaapie Botha. While the boy realizes that his imagination is his one way out of the horror of his life, at the same time he has to recognize that "imagination is always the best torturer."

As the first person narrator, the boy describes not only the events of his early life, but all his emotions and philosophies. He shares with us universally valid musings that he has extracted from his experience: "One thing is certain in life. Just when things are going well, soon afterward they are certain to go wrong. It's just the way things are meant to be." The reader's compassion, or sense of pathos, for the protagonist increases because the descriptions of his neglect by his mother are subtle. Instead of blaming other people, Pisskop becomes everyone's scapegoat. We learn that no one has recognized his birthday when he remarks, in a non-accusatory tone: "I had turned six but nobody had told me, so in my head, I was still five."

The Power of One - Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

2010-07-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Summary
The holidays end. The little boy's bedwetting problem is solved, but he remains concerned about his "hatless snake," even though he recalls that Inkosi-Inkosikazi assured him they shared that anatomical trait. Nanny packs the boy's bags, and includes a red sweater that his mother sent from "the nervous breakdown place." They drive in Granpa's Model A Ford truck with Mrs. Vorster, the neighboring widow. The boy, his nanny, and Granpa Chook travel in the back. Nanny is going to town in order to send money to her family in Zululand since there has been a drought. They arrive at the boarding school early, so the boy and Granpa Chook perch in the boy's secret mango tree. Later, the boy leaves Granpa Chook in a clearing in a citrus orchard while he visits Mevrou—he reports that he no longer has a bedwetting problem. Mevrou answers that her "sjambok" (caning stick) will be lonely. On returning to the clearing, the boy watches Granpa Chook fight a grass snake. The chicken wins, biting off and eating the snake's head. The boy hangs this second "hatless snake" from a branch near his dormitory window.

That night the other kids return. The Judge and his "jury" beat the boy up for comparing the Judge's new arm tattoo to a "kaffir" woman's face tattoos. The Judge boasts that his tattoo is a swastika, the symbol of Adolf Hitler. He tells the boy that Adolf Hitler is going to help the Afrikaners exterminate the English. All the boys swear death to all Englishmen in South Africa. Afterwards, the little boys try to figure out who Hitler is. Danie Coetzee, the little boys' spokesman, guesses that it is the new headmaster. That night the little boy experiences "the loneliest moment that had ever been."

The next morning, Granpa Chook wakes everyone up with his cock-a-doodle-doing on the boy's windowsill. When Mevrou enters, she notices the "chicken shit" on the boy's bed and canes him. She wants to butcher Granpa Chook, but when the chicken kills two cockroaches in her defense, she gives him the position of "cleaner of creepy-crawlies" in the kitchen. Months pass. The boy--still only known to us as "Pisskop"--becomes the Judge's servant. In class, Pisskop quickly learns to read Afrikaans and becomes the best in his class in all subjects, even though he is the other boys' junior by two years. In addition to English and Afrikaans, he also speaks the African languages of Zulu and Shangaan fluently. However, aware that his intelligence may be detrimental to his safety, he pretends not to be as clever as he actually is.

World War II arrives. A new headmaster comes. The old headmaster, who has a drinking problem, leaves, but only after announcing the "good news" that Hitler will save the Afrikaners and destroy the English. The Judge warns Pisskop that he will be the first of their prisoners of war. In class, Pisskop's ear gets mauled when the new teacher, Miss du Plessis, hits him for pretending not to know the twelve times table. Then she faints. Another teacher, Mr. Stoffel throws Pisskop against a wall and blames him for killing the teacher. When Pisskop wakes up, he is relieved to find that Dr. Henny is looking after him. Mevrou makes Pisskop lie to Dr. Henny and say that he fell out of a tree. Miss du Plessis has a nervous breakdown and a new teacher, Mrs. Gerber, arrives. Pisskop believes that he has caused both his mother's and Miss du Plessis' breakdowns.

Analysis
Chapter Two explains the title of the book and introduces us to the novel's main theme: the importance of independence. The five-year-old Pisskop has already learned the necessity of developing an independent spirit within himself. His experiences show him that he cannot rely on anyone at the boarding school; he must nourish this power on his own. Adaptation, or survival through camouflage, is as important as independence for survival. The boy, whose constant consideration of how to cope with his difficult life makes the novel's style approach a kind of stream-of-consciousness, believes that he must camouflage his brilliant mind. He asks himself questions such as "How could you go wrong with a friend like [Granpa Chook] at your side?" He also occasionally uses the imperative voice, as though counseling himself: "…adapt, blend, become part of the landscape, develop a camouflage,…try in every way to be an Afrikaner." In some senses, the author keeps the boy camouflaged from us as well. For example, we are implicated in referring to him as "Pisskop" or "rooinek" since we have no other name for him. The notion of naming-as- identifying becomes a vital issue in this novel, where white people do not distinguish between black peoples, but instead clump them all together under the derogatory term "kaffirs." Naming someone else is a powerful tool for establishing identity--as a bedwetter, an English-speaker, or a black person.

With the continuation from Chapter 1 of the little boy's education, the novel begins to suggest that its genre is that of the "bildungsroman"-a novel which follows a protagonist from early childhood to maturity. The fact that the novel is narrated by the protagonist-as-adult from some safe point in the future confirms this genre. The narrator tells the events as he perceived them through his five-year-old eyes, but at the same time gives glimpses of his mature perspective on the events. For example, there is wry irony in the description of how the little boys agree that the new headmaster must be Adolf Hitler. The narrator does not contradict the boys' view, but allows the reader to chuckle at the misunderstandings of young minds. The protagonist already begins to stand out, however; in spite of his naïveté, his observations are often uncannily accurate. We are by no means to mock the boy, but rather to marvel at his resilience in this tough world. The narrator confronts the reader with the nastiness of the situation through vivid, immediate story-telling through an abundance of dialogue. The language is often shocking or crude-at one point the five-year-old Pisskop exclaims to himself, "What a shit of a day already!" At other times, however, Pisskop does not possess enough vocabulary to describe the experiences with which he is confronted-for example, he refers to the mental institution simply as "the nervous breakdown place."

Grilled Marinated Fish with Tropical Salsa and Coconut Rice

2010-07-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

[Michele notes that she used halibut instead of mahi mahi.]

Ingredients
1/2 cup sliced yellow onions
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch cayenne
4 (6 to 8-ounce) troll-caught mahi mahi fillets, skin on
Coconut Rice, recipe follows
Tropical Salsa, recipe follows
Toasted coconut flakes, garnish
Chopped cilantro, garnish

Directions
In a bowl, combine the onions, oil, orange and lime juices, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Place the fish in a large, non-reactive baking dish. Pour the marinade over the fish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

Preheat a grill, and lightly oil the grill rack with vegetable oil. Remove the fish from the marinade. Place on the oiled grill and cook, skin side up, until marked, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Turn carefully with a spatula and cook, skin side down, until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes, depending upon thickness. Remove from the grill.

Spoon the coconut rice into the center of 4 large plates. Arrange 1 fillet onto each serving of rice and top with the Tropical Salsa. Garnish with toasted coconut and cilantro, and serve.

Coconut Rice:
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup long grain white rice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer undisturbed until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and add the cilantro. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Tropical Salsa:
1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup minced red onions
1/4 cup minced red bell peppers
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch salt

Combine the mango, avocado, pineapple, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, and salt in a bowl and gently fold to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend.

Unlikely Tutor Giving Military Afghan Advice

2010-07-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Check out this article from today's New York Times regarding Greg Mortenson and Three Cups of Tea ...

The Power of One - Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

2010-07-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Summary
On his Granpa's farm in the province of Natal in South Africa, an unnamed blonde infant is suckled by his black Zulu nanny. She sings to him of warriors and women washing at the baboons' water hole. At five, the little boy's mother has a nervous breakdown and he is sent to an Afrikaans boarding school. He is the youngest student by two years, and is hated because he is the only English-speaker in the school, which makes him a "rooinek" (Afrikaans for "redneck," a derogatory term for the British, inherited from the Boer War).

Two eleven-year-olds put the little boy to trial - he is made to kneel naked in the shower, where he says a prayer to his Zulu nanny instead of to God. The Judge, along with his "council of war", pee on the boy. The little boy has never seen a shower before - his nanny always washed him in a tin tub. The matron of the hostel, simply called "Mevrou" ("Missus" in Afrikaans), smells the pee on the boy and drags him to the showers. She switches on the cold faucet, but the boy thinks that she too must be peeing on him. The Judge asks the boy why he wets his bed. The boy cannot answer. The Judge pulls down the boy's pants, and the kids all look and laugh at his "hatless snake" - his circumcised penis. They all chant "pisskop" ("pisshead"), which becomes his nickname. The Judge now displays his own large, uncircumcised penis.

The little boy manages to whittle the tortures down to one hour a day. His bedwetting still lingers, however, causing him shame and misery. Mevrou examines his bed every morning and sends him to wash the rubber sheet until his hands reek of the carbolic soap. The boy learns that he needs to adopt a camouflage in order to cope. As part of this camouflage, he resolves never to cry. This decision infuriates the Judge. The boy gains some respect from the other kids for holding the school record for the largest number of beatings, yet they continue to ostracize and torment him verbally and physically. At the end of the first term, the boy's district doctor and the flyhalf for the Northern Transvaal rugby team, Dr. Henny Boshoff, picks him up to drive him home to his Granpa, and nanny on the farm. The Judge, impressed by this grand exit from the school, promises the boy better treatment after the holidays. Dr. Henny tells the boy that his mother is recovering from her breakdown, but is not ready to return home yet.

It is late summer, and on the farm, the black women spend their days singing as they gather cotton. Nanny prays for Inkosi-Inkosikazi, the great black medicine man, to visit them to solve the little boy's bedwetting problem. Inkosi-Inkosikazi eventually arrives in a black Buick. The women gather gifts of food for him, among them being some "kaffir chickens," not quite dead. One of the chickens reminds the boy of his Granpa. The only difference rests in the eyes: the cock has beady eyes whereas the boy's Granpa has eyes "intended for gazing over soft English landscapes." The boy's Granpa despises Shangaan people (one of the black tribes of South Africa), but he respects the Zulu medicine man, Inkosi-Inkosikazi, who once cured his gallstones. Inkosi-Inkosikazi is considered the last of the sons of the famous Zulu king, Dingaan, who fought off both British and Boers (Afrikaners). The boy's Granpa welcomes him to the farm. Inkosi-Inkosikazi orders the black women to let the chickens loose and catch them a second time. Then he uses "low-grade magic" to put them to sleep. He beckons the boy to sit with him on the "indaba" (meeting) mat - a great honor, since only chiefs are allowed to sit on these mats. Inkosi-Inkosikazi now summons Nanny to tell the boy's bedwetting story in Shangaan. Nanny brings the women to tears with her impressive elocutionary skills. Dee and Dum, the twin kitchen maids, are dazzled by Nanny's story. But Inkosi-Inkosikazi simply scratches his backside and orders "kaffir beer." That night Nanny hugs Peekay, telling him he has brought honor on her by allowing her to show that a Zulu woman can rival Shangaans in tale-telling.

The following day Inkosi-Inkosikazi's magic Ox shinbones tell him to visit the boy in his dreams. In his dreams, the boy must leap over three waterfalls and cross ten stones of a river. Inkosi-Inkosikazi puts the boy to sleep and speaks him through the dream landscape, calling him the "little warrior of the king." Then he wakes the boy and tells him that he can always find him in the "night country." Inkosi-Inkosikazi now teaches the boy his magic chicken trick and gives him one of the chickens - the one that looks like his Granpa - on which to practice. The boy names the chicken Granpa Chook.

Analysis
The novel opens with the startling image of a blonde boy being suckled by a black wet nurse. We are immediately confronted with the issue of race, and more specifically of idiosyncratic racial relationships. The voice narrating-that of the protagonist Peekay-is critical of any racial intolerance it encounters. A reflection on Afrikaners' hatred for the English, spawned during the time of the Boer War, ushers in the description of five-year-old Peekay's arrival at boarding school. As the narrator explains, the Boer War (1899–1902) was fought between the Boers (the Afrikaans-speakers of South Africa) and the British (the English- speakers of South Africa) for full possession of the country. Both Boers and British believed themselves to be the rightful inheritors of South Africa. It witnessed the first concentration camps in the world—the British confined the Boers to these concentration camps, where twenty-six thousand men, women, and children died. The derogatory Afrikaans term "rooinek" (redneck)-used to describe the British-was coined at the time of the war since the necks of the British burnt crimson under the hot African sun. By introducing the historical conflict between the two "white tribes" of South Africa, Peekay reminds readers that racial tension goes beyond difference in skin color-in his words, it enters the "bloodstream," and extends to all kinds of cultural and ideological differences. He subtly critiques this inherited "hatred," which the descriptions of his torture at the hands of the boarding school boys serve to illustrate.

Peekay's adult voice uses hyperbole, or exaggeration, to describe the torture sessions the Judge and his "council of war" forced upon his five-year-old self. The military and legal metaphors that Peekay uses seem apt when one considers the extreme violence exercised upon the boy-he is urinated on, caned, and severely beaten. Moreover, many of the terms-such as "standing trial" and "passing sentence"-are the boys' own invention. We are required to compare the cruel imagination of the boarding school boys with the imagination Peekay discovers at the end of the novel through Inkosi-Inkosikazi. While the narrator keeps an ironic distance between himself and the younger self he is narrating (demonstrated by the narrator's sophisticated vocabulary such as "stentorian" and "carbolic"), he often portrays events through five-year-old eyes. He introduces the theme of the difficulty of defining death by providing us with young Peekay's thoughts on the topic: "I wasn't quite sure what death was. I knew it was something that happened on the farm in the slaughterhouse to pigs… The squeal from the pigs was so awful that I knew it wasn't much of an experience, even for pigs." The latter quotation also reveals the narrator's sense of humor-throughout the novel, the narrator finely balances tragedy and comedy, suggesting that laughing is sometimes the only way of coping with adversity.

The Power of One Syllabus

2010-07-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Book 1
Chapter 1
July 16th – Pages 3-14
July 17th – Pages 14-18

Chapter 2
July 18th – Pages 19-29
July 19th – Pages 19-36

Chapter 3
July 20th – Pages 37-51
July 21st – No Reading

Chapter 4
July 22nd – Pages 52-70
July 23rd – No Reading

Chapter 5
July 24th – Pages 71-82
July 25th – Pages 82-86

Chapter 6
July 26th – Pages 87-101
July 27th – No Reading

Chapter 7
July 28th – Pages 102-124
July 29th – No Reading
July 30th – No Reading

Chapter 8
July 31st – Pages 125-142

Chapter 9
August 1st – Pages 143-156
August 2nd – Pages 156-161

Chapter 10
August 3rd – Pages 162-178
August 4th – Pages 178-189
August 5th – Pages 190-206
August 6th – No Reading

Chapter 11
August 7th – Pages 207-219
August 8th – Pages 219-230

Chapter 12
August 9th – Pages 231-241
August 10th – Pages 242-255

Chapter 13
August 11th – Pages 256-266
August 12th – Pages 266-279

Chapter 14
August 13th – Pages 280-291
August 14th – Pages 291-306

Chapter 15
August 15th – Pages 307-312
August 16th – Pages 312-320
August 17th – No Reading
August 18th – No Reading
August 19th – Book Club

Book 2
Chapter 16
August 20th – Pages 323-333
August 21st – Pages 333-348
August 22nd – No Reading

Chapter 17
August 23rd – Pages 349-359
August 24th – Pages 359-370
August 25th – Pages 370-378

Chapter 18
August 26th – Pages 379-385

Chapter 19
August 27th – Pages 386-397

Chapter 20
August 28th – Pages 398-410
August 29th – Pages 410-414

Chapter 21
August 30th – Pages 415-422
August 31st – Pages 422-434
September 1st – No Reading

Chapter 22
September 2nd – Pages 435-446
September 3rd – Pages 446-457

Book 3
Chapter 23
September 4th – Pages 461-466
September 5th – Pages 466-474
September 6th – Pages 474-485
September 7th – Pages 485-492
September 8th – No Reading

Chapter 24
September 9th – Pages 493-503
September 10th – Pages 503-513
September 11th – No Reading
September 12th – No Reading
September 13th – No Reading
September 14th – No Reading
September 15th – No Reading
September 16th – Book Club

The Omnivore's Dilemma Recap

2010-06-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's belated... but still important !!

Thank you to Thyra for an awesome Mexican Fiesta Feast-a~~ with a multitude of corn! and minimal high fructose corn Syrup. It was a daunting prospect to create a menu after a book centered on eating... with several Strong Recommendations about the proper types of food to eat, no less! Gina you're black bean tortilla dish was great too. And did I say yet that "I like corn!"

Alison, the discussion was great- I learned so much, became more mindful of what I'll purchase... and didn't leave feeling as incredibly guilty as when I came. Good news. 'Buy a pig' and "Buy a freezer' are still on the to-do list for those who have recommendations...

And Nicole- thanks for letting us love on that sweet Baby Tyler. Lord knows we needed a tiny baby-fix. Welcome to bookclub buddy! [Well, tell him when he's done completing his birthstory scrapbook page with you! :)]

It's tough to get together in the summer with everyone's plans shuffling them here and there, but thank you again for a fun evening! Great food, wine and company!

-Zibby

Yes! Thank you Thyra for the delicious food, Alison for great discussion & Nicole for baby fix! I had a great time seeing you all & laughing with you.

Shae

Thyra you have the most amazing view!! It made me homesick for Montana!!
I would also love the recipe for the dessert you made....please. Nice to see everyone, especially Nicole and that baby boy!!!

Gina

Michele's Baklava Recipe

2010-05-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

{I'm way behind on my posts! This dessert was served at Zibby's by Michele, and if you like baklava, this is one of the best!}

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Titles Removed from Book List

2010-03-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

The following titles have been removed from our book list due to the fact they received zero votes. Our new titles will be announced on Thursday!

One for the Money
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
American Wife
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Cane River
Lift
The Chalice and the Blade
Hurry Down Sunshine
Stones Into Schools
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
The Girls from Ames
Fahrenheit 451
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Brave New World
The Jungle

I Capture the Castle Recap

2010-02-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Again, my new friends, the Novels and Nipples gals...I SAID NIBBLES...ROCK!

Thanks to Shelley for hosting and for all the great food! Thanks to Zibby for the great review on the book and thanks to my wife Alison for letting me hitch a ride.

And last but not least, thanks to Lisa for managing to pencil us in!

Looking forward to March! Still waiting for Viggo to confirm his invite...I will keep you posted! :o)

Ta ta...(get it TA TA!)

It is after all 4 am! -Gina

Thanks again, Shelley, for being such a wonderful hostess and for all the great food and to Zibby for a great discussion. It was so nice to see everyone. I came home and told Jim how much I love seeing all of you each month. It is so refreshing being able to relate to each other so well. -Yota

Thanks so much Shelley for a wonderful night! It was great to see everyone and I am looking forward to finishing the book! Maybe I will "play it out in my mind" that Stephen & Cassandra end up together! Thanks for the delicious food Shelley and great discussion Zibby. And of course all of the laughter! -Shae

Columbine Recap

2010-01-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

In response to the information that the Harris and Klebold families' homeowners' insurance paid out $1.6 million to 31 families of victims: "But mine won't cover a flooded basement."

"Great. Now I'm turning into a helicopter!"

"Hannah Montana has angst, too ..."

"I googled myself ... And it feels so good."

"Eric and Dylan = Derek"

"Dave is the Fox Mulder of journalism."

"That's not very free-range of you."

"Holy hellfire - what are you thinking?!"

"I've got to go play LEGOs with my kids - maybe that will help."

"That guy was just so sick of his job - that's why he worked at the pizza place."

"If they just would have googled www.dylanhateseveryone.com they might have found something."

Lisa, explaining her friend's aversion to weapons: "And he would come to our house where we have a full arsenal of lightsabers and weaponry. Then Alex says, "I can't believe Caleb doesn't have weapons. He's really good at it."

"Frank DeAngelis can't leave Columbine. They'll just take him to a taxidermist and put him in the trophy case someday."

Tangy Phyllo Brie Gems

2010-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here is Shelley's recipe for Tangy Phyllo Brie Gems (she used Brie instead of Gouda):

8 sheets (9x14 inches) thawed, frozen phyllo dough, divided
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup (1 oz.) finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup red pepper jelly
1 T. snipped fresh parsley
6 oz. Gouda or Brie cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay one sheet of phyllo on large cutting board; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle with about 2 tsp. of the Parmesan cheese. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Repeat layers to create a stack of four sheets, ending with phyllo.

2. Cut sheet crosswise into four even strips then lengthwise to make 12 squares. Using a tart shaper, press phyllo squares into a mini-muffin pan. Repeat with remaining phyllo, cooking spray and Parmesan cheese for a total of 24 shells. Bake 6-8 minutes or until very light golden brown. Remove from oven.

3. Meanwhile, combine pepper jelly and parsley; mix well. Place one cube Gouda or Brie into each phyllo shell; top evenly with jelly mixture. Bake 3-5 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown and jelly is bubbly. Remove from oven; garnish with toasted almonds and parsley, if desired. Serve warm.

Yield: 24 appetizers

We Love Dave Cullen!

2010-01-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry to go off-topic so fast on the recipe, but I just saw you made my book(Columbine) your selection this month. Thanks for that. I hope you enjoy it.You probably know, but there is more info at my website, here: http://www.davecullen.com/columbine.htm

Yep - he posted on our blog! Dave, we think you're the best, and can't wait to discuss your book tomorrow evening! Thanks for checking us out!

-The Novels and Nibbles Crew

"I Will Never Know Why" by Susan Klebold

2010-01-20T17:50:00.001-08:00

Jessica forwarded this to me some time ago. It is an interview that Susan Klebold, Dylan's mother, gave to O Magazine:

"Since the day her son participated in the most devastating high school shooting America has ever seen, I have wanted to sit down with Susan Klebold to ask her the questions we've all wanted to ask—starting with "How did you not see it coming?" and ending with "How did you survive?" Over the years, Susan has politely declined interview requests, but several months ago she finally agreed to break her silence and write about her experience for O. Even now, many questions about Columbine remain. But what Susan writes here adds a chilling new perspective. This is her story." — Oprah

You can find the essay here.

Recipes From Our Potluck (from Zibby) ...

2009-12-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

My recipe is really quite complicated. But I'll share it anyways.

1. Costco
2. Open box of individually wrapped hummus cups
3. Hope you have enough left to look like it's not a total cheap-out hors d' ouvres option
4. Check fridge for vegetables. Thank goodness for the universal vegetable- minicarrots
5. Buy pitas on your earlier eighth trip to the store this week, (but yet you forgot to find a quality appetizer on one of those trips) and cut into 8 wedges
6. Put on cute souvenier plate that hostess can keep (always have at least 3 of these on hand)
7. Try not to be too embarassed when said friend's husband makes home-made hummus from scrach complete with cilantro garnish
8. Thank God you have awesome friends and women in your life who COMPLETELY understand why there are individually wrapped hummus cups on the table and are nice about it and even eat your lame attempt at an appetizer.
Feel free to use this recipe WHENever you need it!

Merry Christmas ladies and thanks to Julie for a wonderful evening.

Better go get my kid down from climbing up the Christmas tree (Free Range Rocks!)

Book Club Recap

2009-12-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to Julie and Alison for another fantastic book club! Here are the highlights of our very engaging conversation:

You don’t hear about the 232 kids in Liberty Lake School District that rode home safely on the bus. –Jessica

What other people think of you is none of your business. –Shae

“Gymbo the Clown goes up and down, up and down …” –Zibby, in response to Nicole’s story about locking Collin in the car at Gymboree

Mozart’s kids listened to Mozart and whoever heard of them? –Lisa
My kids are happier and more well-adjusted than you’re crazy daughter. –Zibby

“He’s really bright, but that’s not what matters in the first grade.” Son of a … -Lisa, referring to her son’s first grade teacher’s thoughts on Alex

He’s a smart smart-ass. –Lisa

I get home, and they have gum in their pockets. Great. They steal, too. –Lisa, referring to her children

Who’s your babysitter? Cartoon Network. –Lisa

I just don’t have the time or energy to have them mess it up. –Jessica

They’re not slowing me down – this is what I signed up for. -Jessica

See you in January!

Titles Removed From Our List

2009-12-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Under the Big Top: A Season With the Circus by Bruce Feiler
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy

Recipes From November Book Club

2009-11-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Pom-Ade
1 cup lemonade
1/2 cup club soda
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
Ice cubes

Beet and Pomegranate Salad

(I modified and used persimmons instead of blood oranges. I also put this salad on a bed of greens and the recipe did not call for it).

4 medium beets
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup blood orange juice (from about 1 blood orange)
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses*
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 blood oranges, peeled, cut into1/4-inch-thick slices
1 cup pomegranate seeds (from one 11-ounce pomegranate)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place beets in roasting pan and toss with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover pan with foil; roast beets until knife easily pierces center, about 50 minutes. Cool. Peel beets and cut into 1/3-inch-thick wedges.

Whisk orange juice, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl to blend. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Place onion in small bowl; cover with cold water. Soak onion 1 minute, drain, and squeeze dry in kitchen towel. Add beets, onion, orange slices, and pomegranate seeds to vinaigrette in bowl; toss. Season salad with salt and pepper.

*A thick pomegranate syrup available at Middle Eastern markets, some supermarkets, and by mail from Adriana's Caravan (adrianascaravan.com).

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham crumbs

5 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. sugar

Filling:

3- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

Whipped Cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Add pumpkin eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker.

Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

Alison's Amazing Quiche

I don't have recipes for those - I eyeball pretty much everything. In general the recipe is:

Pie crust
4-6 eggs
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream
About 3/4 cup of cheese (whatever will match your vegetable)
Vegetable (I used about 2 cups spinach for one, a cup of sliced, sauteed mushrooms for the second and five small sliced tomatoes for the third).

Bake for 45 minutes at about 400 degrees.

November Recap!

2009-11-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

{Recipes to follow ...}

Alison- and ladies,

Thank you for a fun- very fun, evening last night. We digress. Oh yes. But comic relief is always a good thing! The food was divine- loved every bit of those savory quiches and salad and pumpkin cheesecake goodness.

Thanks for opening your beautiful home to such a rowdy bunch, friend. So good to see everyone that was able to make it and share about a book we ALL enjoyed. Skeeter would be so proud! Time to go wax the hardwoods. What? I am talking about my chores here! -Z

Thanks for a great book club time last night! I will never look at hardwood and carpet the same again :) -Shae

Yes, ditto to Miss Alison and her lovely wife, Gina. That pumpkin cheesecake was AWESOME! Loved the book. Good to see all. I am DAMAGED for life by the hardwoods vs. carpet discussion. What you learn at book club! I'm definitely going for the etched lightening bolt circa 1991. Nice. -Jen

Our Summer Favorites

2009-10-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

1. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
2. Lottery by Patricia Wood
3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The Middle Place Wrap-Up

2009-10-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

What a great way to celebrate our FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY! And Lisa thought we would have nothing to talk about!

Nicole, Thank you so much for the wonderful hospitality last night. Everything was delicious and beautiful as usual. Could you put the recipe for the shrimp bisque and the salad on the blog? Thanks again, Yota [Note: Salad I just made up.]

Yes - Thank you Nicole for such a cozy evening. It was great to see everyone. I was telling my hubby that I think this was one of the best book club meetings - I loved that we were able to just be completely vulnerable & share a lot of personal issues. Love you guys! Shae

Ditto what Shae and Yota said! Great book club – I love you gals!! You’re the best and I’m so lucky to be a part of this group. -Alison

What a tremendous evening. Just what we all needed I think. I echo the sentiments and was just hopping on-line to say a little something of the sort. Nicole, you are a stellar hostess in every sense of the word. We appreciate your time and talents shared with the group. Alison- thanks for your work as group poet and math wizard tallying the new titles. What a great group of women we are a part of. Transcendence! -Zibby

Ditto to Yota’s and Shae’s thank yous to Nicole for yet another FANTASTIC evening of delicious food, wonderful candle lit ambience, and sharing, vulnerable discussions. When I read Shae’s I thought she told her hubby that it was one of the best “boob” club meetings…Thank you also to Lisa who led us into some murky waters and allowed us time to breath, float, and then sun off on the banks. Thanks to all that attended, and especially to Nicole who didn’t kick us out until 11:30!!! -Thyra

Ohh I am so jealous! Looks as if I missed the therapy session I so desperately need right now! I wasn't even there and I ditto everyone's comments. I love the friendship, food and honest, intelligent discussion that happens at book club. You all are some amazing ladies and I feel privileged to be a part of your lives. You inspire me! -Misty

Ditto to everything. It was bonding and invigorating and yummy and fun. Thanks to everyone who makes efforts when hosting, leading discussions for and attending book club. I feel lucky that I get to know you all! Love, Jessica

All I can add is that I look forward to growing old with each of you! Life seems less difficult and more fulfilling when you know there are amazing women like yourselves to share it with! –Kelly

Hi Nicole, Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the book club. I had a great time, and it was great to meet everyone! I look forward to the next one. Thanks again and take care, Shawna Rinck

Thanks for such a lovely time on Thursday! It was one of my favorite book clubs ever. I felt like I really got to know some people on a much more personal level. I know a lot of you are close friends outside of book club and sometimes I am envious of that. I am glad to feel like I am closer to some of the people in the group after Thursday. I am SO glad we decided to not change the book choice! Thanks, Kacey

I wanted to thank you for the great book club the other evening. It was certainly up there with my favorites. I really appreciate all you do to make this the best book club I have ever been. -Julie

Anna Karenina Wrap-Up

2009-10-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Jessica and Laura for a fantastic book club! Here are Jessica's recipes from her Russian themed dinner:

Borscht

Honey Cake (Jessica notes that she put in 1/2 tsp. LESS than the recipe calls for)

Pelmini (Russian Dumplings)

Vareniki (same recipe as Pelmini, but use mashed potatoes and put them in the dumpling batter)

Thanks for Voting!

2009-10-08T20:33:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who voted! We had 89% participation by members, which is great. 22 of 35 books received votes. We will announce our new titles on Thursday, at book club, but in the mean time, these are the books that were removed from our list:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Alchemist
Shantaram
The Feast of Roses
The Angel's Game
Sleeping Naked is Green
Man's Search for Meaning
Escape
Julie & Julia
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Pride and Prejudice
The Three Musketeers
Washington Square

Themes in Anna Karenina

2009-09-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Social Change in Nineteenth-Century Russia
Tolstoy sets his tale of adultery and self-discovery against the backdrop of the huge historical changes sweeping through Russia during the late nineteenth century, making the historical aspects of the novel just as important as the personal and psychological aspects. In the Russia of Anna Karenina, a battle rages between the old patriarchal values sustaining the landowning aristocracy and the new, liberal—often called “libre penseur,” or freethinking, in the novel—values of the Westernizers. The old-timer conservatives believe in traditions like serfdom and authoritarian government, while the Westernizing liberals believe in technology, rationalism, and democracy. We see this clash in Levin’s difficulty with his peasants, who, refusing to accept the Western agricultural innovations he tries to introduce, believe that the old Russian ways of farming are the best. We also see the confusion of these changing times in the question of the zemstvo, or village council, in which Levin tries to participate as a proponent of democracy but which he finally abandons on the grounds that they are useless.

The guests at Stiva’s dinner party raise the question of women’s rights—clearly a hot topic of the day, and one that shows the influence of Western social progress on Russia. That Dolly and Anna suffer in their marriages, however, does not bode well for the future of feminism in the world of the novel. Courtship procedures are equally uncertain in the world of Anna Karenina. The Russian tradition of arranged marriages is going out of fashion, but Princess Shcherbatskaya is horrified at the prospect of allowing Kitty to choose her own mate. The narrator goes so far as to say plainly that no one knows how young people are to get married in Russia in the 1870s. Taken together, all this confusion created by fading traditions creates an atmosphere of both instability and new potential, as if humans have to decide again how to live. It is only in such a changing atmosphere that Levin’s philosophical questionings are possible.

The Blessings of Family Life
Tolstoy intended Anna Karenina to be a recognizable throwback to the genre of “family novels” popular in Russia several decades earlier, which were out of fashion by the 1870s. The Russian family novel portrayed the benefits and comforts of family togetherness and domestic bliss, often in a very idealized way. In the radically changing social climate of 1860s Russia, many social progressives attacked the institution of the family, calling it a backward and outmoded limitation on individual freedom. They claimed that the family often exploited children as cheap labor. Tolstoy wrote Anna Karenina in part as his personal statement on the family debate. The first sentence of the novel, concerning the happiness and unhappiness of families, underscores the centrality of this idea.

Tolstoy takes a pro-family position in the novel, but he is candid about the difficulties of family life. The notion that a family limits the freedom of the individual is evident in Stiva’s dazed realization in the first pages of the novel that he cannot do whatever he pleases. This limitation of freedom is also evident in Levin’s surprise at the fact that he cannot go off to visit his dying brother on a whim but must confer with his wife first and respond to her insistence that she accompany him. Yet despite these restrictions on personal liberty, and despite the quarrels that plague every family represented in Anna Karenina, Tolstoy portrays family life as a source of comfort, happiness, and philosophical transcendence. Anna destroys a family and dies in misery, whereas Levin creates a family and concludes the novel happily. Anna’s life ultimately loses meaning, whereas Levin’s attains it, as the last paragraph of the novel announces. Ultimately, Tolstoy leaves us with the conclusion that faith, happiness, and family life go hand in hand.

The Philosophical Value of Farming
Readers of Anna Karenina are sometimes puzzled and frustrated by the extensive sections of the novel devoted to Levin’s agricultural interests. We are treated to long passages describing the process of mowing, we hear much about peasant attitudes toward wooden and iron plows, and we are subjected to Levin’s sociological theorizing about why European agricultural reforms do not work in Russia. Yet this focus on agriculture and farming fulfills an important function in the novel and has a long literary tradition behind it. The idyll, a genre of literature dating from ancient times, portrays farmers and shepherds as more fulfilled and happy than their urban counterparts, showing closeness to the soil as a mark of the good life. Farmers understand growth and potential, and are aware of the delicate balance between personal labor and trust in the forces of nature. In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy updates the idyll by making his spokesman in the novel, Levin, a devoted farmer as well as an impassioned philosopher—and the only character in the novel who achieves a clear vision of faith and happiness.

For Levin, farming is a way of moving beyond oneself, pursuing something larger than one’s own private desires—a pursuit that he sees as the cornerstone of all faith and happiness. His days spent mowing the fields bring him into closer contact with the Russian peasants—symbols of the native Russian spirit—than anyone else achieves. Other characters who harp on the virtues of peasants, such as Sergei, rarely interact with them. Levin’s connections with farmers thus show him rooted in his nation and culture more so than Europeanized aristocrats like Anna. He is in closer touch with the truths of existence. It is no accident that Levin finally finds faith by listening to his peasant Fyodor, a farmer. Nor is it accidental that Levin’s statement of the meaning of life in the novel’s last paragraph recalls agriculture. Levin concludes that the value of life is in the goodness he puts into it—just as, we might say, the value of a farm lies in the good seeds and labor that the farmer puts into it. Ultimately, Levin reaches an idea of faith based on growth and cultivation.

Annie K - Reading Schedule for the Week

2009-09-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

Part VIII
Saturday, September 12th – Chapters 1-6
Sunday, September 13th – Chapters 7-12
Monday, September 14th – Chapters 13-19
Tuesday, September 15th – Catch Up Day!
Wednesday, September 16th – Catch Up Day!
Thursday, September 17th – Book Club at Jessica's House at 6:30 PM!