Empire’s Book Discussion Group reads and reports

By Helen Westie
Sun contributor

An Empire book discussion group has been active in recent years. Meetings are held at 10 a.m. the last Wednesday of every month in the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire. Prospective members and visitors are invited to the next meeting on Wednesday, August 30th. Here are some of the books we have discussed recently with commentaries by members of the group:
Daughter of Fortune, by Isabelle Allende is the story of a girl brought up in Chile and her search for the father of her unborn child. The lengthy search takes her to the Gold Rush in California. It is also the story of a Chinese man, his former life, and the two of them helping Chinese girl slaves in San Francisco. (Barbara Gerndt)
Angle of Repose is on older Pulitzer Prize winning book by Wallace Stegner. He writes about his grandmother, Susan Burling Ward, a woman ahead of her times as revealed in letters Stegner found. She could have been an illustrator or a journalist, but she followed her husband, a mining engineer, all over the west. (Marcella Badoh)
Life and Death in Shanghai, by Nein Cheng, is a work that waxes and wanes in political correctness depending on US/China relations at a given moment. The book is the true account of the plight of Nein Cheng, a Chinese National who was the wife of a Chinese oil executive prior to the Cultural Revolution. She describes in graphic detail her struggle for survival during the dark years of the Cultural Revolution and the price she was forced to pay for her ultimate escape. The book is a stark indictment of China’s communist regime and recounts in detail the agony it has imposed upon citizens. (Mary Jo Raymond)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman, is nonfiction, and the world should read this book about the Hmong people to know how hard we must all work to bridge the spiritual, medical, and social gaps that challenge our cultures and Christain values. It taught me more than any book I have read in the past ten years. (Jeanette Daniel)
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver’s ambitious and powerful novel about a fanatical Baptist minister who takes his wife and four young daughters to the Belgian Congo in 1959, is a must-read! The author skillfully uses the female members of the family to narrate the story. Each character experiences and reacts to post-colonial Africa in her own way. All characters are fictitious, but the historical figures and events are genuine. (Therese Sullivan)
Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichl (former food editor for the NY Times and now editor-in-chief of Gourmet Magazine), is an entertaining book about Ms. Reichl’s growing up years, and how she developed her passion for food. The book includes unforgettable great recipes. (Jan Taghon)
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler, is about Macon Leary, who writes travel books to protect unsuspecting businessmen from anything unfamiliar in foreign locations (e.g. Philadelphia and London). He also corrects his wife in her choice of words when she is trying to find out if he in any way shares her grief at the meaningless death of their 12 year old son. She leaves him. In his depression Macon descends into a morass of intended comfortable routine that doesn’t work. This erratic behavior leads his Welsh corgi, Edward, to a nervous breakdown because his own secure routine is dissolved. Can Macon find happiness with a talkative, confrontational, eccentrically dressed dog trainer who is casual about word choice? Tyler lovingly develops her characters. (Reuben Chapman)
Having lived in a small town during the depression, The Persian Pickle Club was for me a journey back in time. Sandra Dallas captures the hard times and the social fabric of the era. The strong bonds of friendship and loyalty that bind the engaging ladies of the club are interwoven with a mystery reminiscent of “Murder on the Orient Express.” This is a page turner! (Alice Diggins)
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay is a compelling and heart-warming story of a young boy coming of age in South Africa during the late 30’s and 40’s. Young Peekay’s life is unexpectedly and powerfully influenced by an array of characters. Though he dreams of becoming the welterweight champion of the world, he learns he can become much more. Courtenay has created a tale filled with suspense, tragedy, comedy, and adventure that will leave you cheering. (Mary Wendell)
Another Country, by Mary Pipher, is an important book by a fine writer. Pipher contends that Americans in families and institutions have failed to meet the needs of our ever-growing older population. Part of the blame lies in attitudes of Baby Boomers and the next generation who do not understand their elders, especially their ultimate needs for respect and their need to love and to be loved. What an animated discussion we had when Pipher’s principles and case studies were reviewed! (Helen Westie)
Many of these titles are available to buy at the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor or to borrow from the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire.