Books Blog : African Americans

The Night of the Roundtable

kiya@evpl — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:11:00 GMT

I looked at my daughter's soccer schedule, and said, "Oh, great! You don't have practice on Aug 25^th. That's the night of the Roundtable."

My son looked at me quizzically, and said, "the Knight of the Round Table?"

It took me a minute, but then I realized what was going on, and explained. I wasn't expecting Sir Lancelot but rather, I wanted us to attend the One Book One Community Roundtable Discussion at Barnes and Noble on the evening of the 25^th. Held at 7pm, it will feature many local leaders talking about this year's One Book title: Life on the Color Line by Dr. Gregory H. Williams.

More information on the Round Table Discussion

More information on this year's book and author

Dates and times of book discussions at the local libraries

Remember the most important date:

Dr. Gregory H. Williams will be speaking to the community at Bosse High School on Thursday, Oct 1 at 7:30 pm.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

HRevvdon@evpl — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:28:00 GMT

Sometimes books are just better when you listen to them. This is one of those books. One of the women I work with had read this book and when we were talking about it she recalled that I had both read and listened to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2008) by Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows. I got more out of the book, listening to it. She suggested I might rather listen to The Help (2009) by Kathryn Stockett, and even though I already had a copy of the book, I downloaded it from EVPL's digital titles. She was right - the voices brought the characters alive!

The Help is told from the prospective of three women in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi. Two are African American household help and one is the daughter of one of the local white society families, a woman that had been raised by "the help." Because each alternating section is read by different voices full of personality and inflection the stories are more powerful.

Eugenia aka "Skeeter" has returned from college - Ole Miss of course - to a repressed life of social responsibilities and her mother pushing her to husband-hunt. But she wants to be a writer. Encouraged by a New York City editor to write about something she cares about or "disturbs" her and something more interesting than her current job writing about household hints, "Skeeter" convinces Abileen and Minny to help her write the stories of several African American women and their experiences working for white women and helping raise white children. Most of the stories are heartbreaking, full of the prejudice of the time, and just plain hateful. Some are sweet. Some are funny. Some would make you cry. Abileen and Minny come into their own through the experience - they begin as strong women in their own way and end up even stronger in a much different and self-actualized way. Skeeter changes amazingly from a young woman just floating through the life created for her into the beginnings of a strong woman and civil rights activist - an activist of actions and words.

This is an incredibly strong book about prejudice and love. As a debut novel for Stockett, it is an amazing. I will be watching for her work in the future.

Barbara Delinsky's "Family Tree" creates a memorable story full of complex and fascinating family dynamics

nblman@evpl — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Delinsky's novel explores how a white, upper-middle-class New England couple reacts when the wife gives birth to an African-American baby. The Clarkes are bastions of New England tradition and pride, tracing their family through significant events of American history all the way back to the Mayflower. Eaton Clarke, the grandfather, in particular has set himself up as an archtypical American through a series of well-received, bestselling historical narratives he has written. The latest installment is about to be published when an unusual event occurs: Little Elizabeth Ames Clarke, his new grandaughter, is born with distinctive African American features, to son Hugh and his wife Dana. Like the mushroom wave of an atomic bomb, the story moves forward in the lives of Dana, who never knew her father, but now feels compelled to find him; Hugh the husband and lawyer who relentlessly pushes for the truth in order to learn whether the child is his; Ellie Jo, Dana's grandmother, who carries a secret that threatens her health; Eaton, the arrogant father of Hugh, who denies the grandchild is legitimate, refusing to confront the truth about himself and his past; Dorothy, Eaton's wife who lives in his shadow but moves out into the light as secrets of the past explode into the present. Minor characters are not spared upheaval in this thoroughly believable, unforgettable novel that asks penetrating questions about race, family and the choices that people make in times of crisis--perfect reading for February, Black History Month.