The Cross Gardener by Jason F Wright

Park Grove Book Club's June evening was spent on the Mississippi River at one of our gracious members home.  Potluck goodies were shared with a few "apples" sprinkled among the feast.  Thirteen members attended and most liked the book (8) with some (5) rating it with a neutral review.

One member said "Didn't want to read it cause I lived that life, just started it and continued to read and wanted to see who the cross gardener was.  I read it in 24 hours."  Another "Glad I didn't read the cover, liked it until I read about the car accident and it felt like a movie at Hallmark Channel."  "I thought it was 'spiritual fluff' on grief and what to do.  Father wasn't paying attention to his daughter.  Wasn't in the mood for grieving." "Wanted to hear more about the characters in the story" another member said about the book.

Two of the wives of the orchardists left the farm.  We loved Emma Jane and glad she was a part of the orchard.  We talked about the women in the book.  "Women couldn't give life, the orchard was the giver of life, brings him back to life.  Also hard work centers yourself.  The cycle picks you up and carries you through." someone shared.

There were different ways people were shown grieving in the book.  Was interesting to see his in-laws at the cemetery.  He realized that he's not the only one.  "Grief is overwhelming, you can't see it."

We talked about the first part of the book, "life was too rosy I knew something was going to happen."  We wondered who the Cross Gardener was.  A couple people in the group had it all figured out, and most of us where wondering how they knew!  

It was a good discussion on grief, how we each grieve differently with our losses and the journey we take with it.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

May brought us the end of the school days (well, almost) and a journey that would be an inspiration to those who read this month's book club book "Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail."  Seventeen members attending this discussion at the Park Grove Branch Library (Washington County Library Book Club, in Cottage Grove, MN). Most everyone gave it a positive review, with a few "mixed."

"Well written, I hope I can achieve something like this in my life" one of our members said, and another added "Wish I was brave enough (to have an adventure like this) maybe when I was younger I would have, now I'm not in shape."  "Admire her perseverance through childhood and through the choices she made.  She made them and she owned them" another participant shared, adding "Would have liked to have heard more about nature."  Another added, about the choices made "Her choices weren't always good, but she was honest about them, I admire she stayed with her mother all that time."

"Last October saw Cheryl's talk at Concordia College in St. Paul, it was just like sitting down having a conversation with her, she's very warm and comfortable."  Another said "Saw Cheryl, saw movie, read book.  She is very open, she shared but wasn't in a shameful way.  It was like she was running way.  Have you ever tried to run away?  Did you have everything thought out ahead of time?"

A few members have been to the area where Cheryl walked, on the Pacific Coast Trail.  Another person said they backpacked the Rockies, "tied themselves together through the snow stuff."  Another took "Amtrak and stayed at hostels along the route from San Diego to Seattle.  It felt good to meet people and sharing.  I've done that, watching people eat, like Cheryl.  So hungry."  Another said she has hiked Glacier in bear country, "you need to talk and sing as you go.  It took courage for her to go by herself."

We talked about the point of view of walking and grief.  She was at such a low point in her life, she didn't need to go to the Boundary Waters, she needed to go to some place distant."  She was in "deep grief and had to do something."   "The world moves very fast, walking is slow, getting inside your head is good."  "The cure for grief is motion."  "She may have been different if she stayed at home."

One person said that about hiking by yourself, the hardest is the solitude and being by yourself, but how restorative it is to be in nature.  Another member shared "Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv reflects the different aspects of what loss of nature can give you -- insomnia, obesity, health issues with kids not getting outside in nature.  They are wired.  Excellent source as what is happening to our kids." Another said "there is a comfort of living with woods, connection to the land."

We talked at length about Cheryl's choices, "while remorseful she never felt ashamed."  We talked about the incident when she had to put her family's horse down.  She didn't have the money to do this.  Was it a sign of strength or character?  "It is what it is, I can own it and move on." someone said. "Buck up Buttercup" was a saying her mom use to tell her.

There was so much discussed about this book and the adventure Cheryl Wild had throughout her life so far.  Many members had read the book twice, some have heard Cheryl talk, and some have watched the movie.  We could have discussed this book for a couple of hours more.  I hope our members add their thoughts to this discussion below.

Tuesday, May 26 Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Please join us for discussion of Cheryl Strayed's book this month.  We are going to meet at a members house in June, you are welcomed to join us, but please contact the Park Grove Library for more information. 

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Thirteen members liked, loved or enjoyed the book this month.  They liked the love between two women in very different society. One member said she loved the "interplay between the characters Hetty and Sarah" and that it went over the course of their life as they grew and changed.

One member said half way through the book she had to look up the amazing facts based in the book and doesn't remember reading about abolishment in school.  Another said it jaded her because she didn't know a lot about slavery other than what we have read with books.  Hetty (Handful) and the other slaves were so bold and so strong.  One incident that struck a few members was when Charlotte refused to step out of the way for a white woman.

A former teacher in our group said that she enjoyed reading the book because it made the story fun, you were able to get the conversation.  One member said she found it interesting to read about the quilt made by Charlotte.  One member said she wasn't too fond of another book Kidd wrote, The Secret Life of Bees, but this one she couldn't put down.

Someone read this from page 96, Handful (Hetty)  in the hardcover novel second paragraph: "It was early in the springtime, and the tree buds were popping open while we sat there.  Those days I did a lot of fretting and fraying.  I was watching Miss Sarah in society, how she wore her finery and going whichever way she pleased.  She was wanting  to get a husband soon and leave.  The world was a Wilton carpet stretched out for her, and it seemed like the doors had shut on me, and that's not even right --the doors never had opened in the first place.  I was getting old enough to see they never would."  NEVER WOULD tough words to hear.

We talked about Sarah's struggle against her family, society, religion.  She wanted to read, to be a great attorney and then she couldn't read books.  We talked about how Hetty was free in her mind, but Sarah wasn't and she was in a different type of slavery.  Sarah was a product of society, wanted her family to succeed.  Charlotte and Hetty resisted slavery, but Sarah didn't do that (until later).  The Graveyard of failed hopes is an "all-female establishment," Sarah was quoted as she not only fought for abolition of slavery but for women's right.

We talked about "the myth" that people were happy to be slaves.  Do some people really believe that?  They were smiling, content, but some commented they were also filled with fear and they might be sold off.  We talked about 12 Years a Slave which some had seen.

We also talked about slavery is still around, sex slaves even in our area.  It is hard to make an impact.  What do you do?  Raise strong girls.

We could have talked a lot more about this book but we ran out of time.  Some of us mentioned the connection with Gee's Bends quilts which was a play some of us saw "Gee's Bend" a play at Park Square Theatre a few years ago.  To read more of why and what inspired her to write this books click HERE to go to the page.  To read more about the real story of the Grimke sisters click HERE   I also found this link interesting, click HERE

4.14.15 Book Club Special Edition with Lorna Landvik at Park Grove Library

Lorna Landvik gave the Park Grove Library Book Club a special treat, so we shared treats with others that came to visit and hear her speak.  It was fun, it was entertaining and we learned a secret which we vowed not to share.  We laughed, we were entertained, we reminisced about characters in the book Patty Jane's House of  Curl and we asked questions we were wondering about when we had discussed the book last month.

Two things we have learned from our recent Book Club Special Editions (this one and one late last year with William Kent Krueger):  you have to have perseverance.  Lorna said she had 30 rejections of her first book, this one, and took her three years to get published.

She shared her life journey with us, including going to California to be a stand-up comic which is in her book "BEST TO LAUGH."

She shared with us that when she was in 1st grade--yes, 1st grade, she knew what she wanted to do.  She read Dick & Jane & Spot "I do see spot jump" and knew she wanted to write.  She had an influential 6th grade teacher who would play the piano everyday (inspirational and creative).  She wrote a poem about snow in 6th grade and shared that with us.  It was wonderful.

 Here is the article written in Goodreads:  "How can you compensate those who excite, inspire, build confidence and open doors you didn’t know existed? If it were up to me, the base salary of public school teachers would start at $100,000, with frequent opportunities for advancement. (And cappuccino machines in every teachers’ lounge, on-site masseuses . . . or at the very least a full stock of supplies they didn't have to pay for). 
I have often spoken of Mr. Spaeth, my sixth grade teacher/renaissance man who taught us everything from fractions to presidential history to pirate songs (in a lovely tenor voice). At recess, he was not a teacher to stand back, but a full participant in our games of Bombardment and Kick Ball and catching one of his powerfully-thrown fly balls or tagging him out was a giddy triumph. 
He read to us daily and his encouragement and belief in my own writing, made me believe in it. His inscription, ‘Best of luck for a fine literary career’ was not just written in my autograph book, but in my heart. 
In his class, we listened to a radio program called, ‘Let’s Write’ to which teachers submitted their students’ work. Twice my poems were read over the air and hearing my words coming over the crackly P.A. system absolutely thrilled me (even as my built-in Norwegian-Lutheran modesty propelled me to lean over my desk, cradling my head in my arms). 
Here’s the poem:

I love the feeling of icy snow,
The tingling coldness, the peppermint glow
The skies are dull with a hint of blue
Then down come the snowflakes crisp and new
They drift and float and come a’dancing
I almost hear Rudolph’s swift legs a’ prancing!
But the feel of the flakes is the best of all
Touch me, touch me, they seem to call."

She shared her life journey with us, including going to California to be a stand-up comic which is in her book "BEST TO LAUGH."

Sharing her process of writing "Patty Jane's House of Curl" was so interesting.  She had Patty Jane and Harriet in her head before she had started the story-line.  We asked questions and received many fun answers about her writing and the book.

When introduced, one of book club members shared that Lorna Landvik was the most read author during our almost 100 books read at Park Grove Library Book Club.  We have read Tall Pines Polka, Angry Housewives eating BonBons and this last one, Patty Jane's House of Curl.  We have enjoyed her fun style of writing and that she is a local author.

It was a treat to have her join us for our Book Club Special Edition and thanks are to be given to the Park Grove Branch Library for allowing us to have this event and to the Washington County Library System.

Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik

Eight members of the book club were able to share their thoughts on this month's selection and "like" was what most felt about it, with one saying they loved it.  Some had never read her books before, some had read some of her books before and one person had read this book before!  One member said it was "fun to read," another said "it was light hearted," and one person said "it was interesting, provocative."  One member said that it took her 30-40 pages before she could get into the book.

One member said that she could connect with the location of the storyline. We loved that it was in the area, I think a lot of us could see the big house at the end of the story.  We had a good discussion on where women meet to talk, do we even do that anymore?  Where do we connect with other women and meet others?  The beauty shop isn't what it use to be.  We discussed about one aunt's beauty shop in a small town. Community Centers, like the one in Inver Grove or Cottage Grove Senior Center or coffee shops are places now where we meet others -- or Book Clubs!

We had a discussion about Thor leaving (one person found it frustrating and she said "I don't get the Crazy Lady who kidnapped Thor) and about Avel's death (one member said I lost my husband suddenly and I cried throughout).  We talked about Nora saying "until I can handle things, I'll pretend I can handle things" and how we do that in our own life at times.

We were enjoyed the "uffda" and Ione in the story.  We were so glad she was able to travel and see the world.  One member said "Ione reminded me of my mother-in-law" with the way she was more 'closed' until later in life she opened up more.

We found some parts of the book interesting. Someone liked in Ch 14 Inky suggestions box note about subscribing to better magazines "True Confessions is cheaper than National Geographic."  One member said "As a young teen we would sneak into my friends moms bedroom and read those."  Another liked the "Bills Hardware Calendar" as that was important to communities many years ago and some people still want them, have to have them!  Those who are from out of state loved that Lorna Landvik in the novel, just referred to the University of MN as the "U."  Why of course we Minnesota born and bred didn't even think about it.  We all refer to it as the "U" but those from out of state have a "U" where they were from.

We liked the part of Harriet's singing voice and we talked about how Harriet "faced her ghost" and almost cost her her own life.  Patty Jane was close to losing it, but Clyde Chuka saved her.  What causes one person do do one thing but not another we discussed.  How resilient are you?  In Ch 13 we liked the part where Clyde Chuka says:  "We're allotted one great love--and some of us are lucky enough to find it.  That love is sort of our pilot light and when it goes out...then it's out for good."  But when Patty Jane and Clyde Chuka finally connect and she finds Thor Clyde asks "So would you have turned off your pilot light?" Patty Jane smoothed the lines etched into Clyde's forehead "I would  have told him I'd switched to electric." (Ch23).

We have some questions to ask when Lorna Landvik visits our library soon (we are all so excited) and one we wrote "Did she know when she started the book, that Avel was going to die?"  So looking forward to our visit!

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

A dozen members were able to share in the discussion of "Unbroken:An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive."  Most enthusiastically liked the book, a couple were more tepid and all agreed it was heavy reading. One member said "I loved it, I couldn't put it down." Another initially bought it as a gift for a family member and found herself hooked going out to get her own copy. As a runner herself, another said she was enthralled by the running aspects of the story. One person said she resisted reading “Unbroken” because she wondered what all the fuss was about, then read it and was riveted. One member said the book was ok, having read Hillenbrand’s “Seabiscuit” also and thought both were too "wordy."

Reading Unbroken left many wondering how much abuse someone can take and survive, it left some members unable to sleep, and some having to put it down at times because of how dark it became. One person commented "I marveled at what it would take to render myself able to deliver the level of curelty born upon Louis Zamperini, and how much would I be able to take in his position." 
One member found Louis’ tale a gripping one, especially the whole experience adrift at sea in the Pacific. Her father was a gunner on a tanker in the Pacific during WWII. He returned shell shocked and ashamed. Her father-in-law was a Pacific scout during the war and never talked about his experiences. He and his wife had separate beds because he would sometimes vigorously thrash at night after returning home.  

All the research Laura Hillenbrand did was amazing along with the great index information. The beginning of the book layed out the foundation of his youth, which one member said shows that a juvenile troublemaker can work through his issues and even become a hero. Others shared that the Olympic training taught him to focus, to be persistent and probably gave Louis the thought that he couldn’t envision anything but winning. "He had the tenacity to push to win at all costs." 

One reader said it gave her an appreciation for the "Greatest Generation." We were surprised by how horrific the statistics of the war was. The plane Superman had 500 plus bullets in the Battle of Nobu. One member shared pictures that her father-in-law had taken of the planes while he was in the Pacific. The Minnesota History Center "Greatest Generation" exhibit has a WWII fighter plane with combat sounds and flashing lights so you can experience what they may have felt and heard. The discussion among the group marveled at how flight crews relied on each other and had to carry on with replacements when their crew suffered loss. 

Several in the group were astounded that we hadn’t heard of this tale sooner. Why? The consensus was that there were so many stories, everyone simply did what needed to be done and everyone sacrificed. As a result, war experiences weren’t discussed as anything exceptional. And society in general tended to keep quiet about war experiences. Several noted family members who experienced dramatic events in and around WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and rarely, if ever, spoke of that time.

 A member said there are online videos conducted by University of Southern California with interviews of Louis Zamperini and another shared that the Billy Graham Foundation is going to make a film concentrating on the redemption aspects of the story. We found that part of the story fascinating, what an impression Billy Graham had on his life. We were glad to read this book and learn so much about the sacrifices made during the war, Louis story from his youth to his old age and his ability to succeed through all the horrific acts done to him.