Books Blog : Racism

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.

Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill

Bufkinite@evpl — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Written in her 89th year, Diana Athill writes in Somewhere Towards the End not so much about getting old, but reflects on her life and, especially as the book goes on, about being old, and the matter-of-fact changes age imposes on one.

It gives me great hope to read something written by a 90 year old that demonstrates a sharp wit and reflective mind, not to mention a breezy and engrossing writing style. A few extended quotes may serve to whet your appetite for more:

On religious belief:

“Faith – the decision to act as though you believe something you have no reason to believe, hoping that the decision will bring on belief and then you will feel better - that seems to me mumbo-jumbo. I can’t feel anything but sure that when men form ideas about God, creation, eternity, they are making no more sense in relation to what lies beyond the range of their comprehension than the cheeping of sparrows…

…And surely the urgent practical necessity of trying to order [life] so that its cruelties are minimized and its beauties are allowed their fullest possible play is compelling enough without being seen as duly laid on us by a god?"

On gardening:

“And still, each time I’m there [in the garden], I manage to do at least a little bit of work myself; tie something back, trim something off, clear some corner weeds, plant three or four small plants, and however my bones may ache when I’ve done it, I’m always deeply refreshed by it. Getting one’s hands into the earth, spreading roots, making a plant comfortable – it is a totally absorbing occupation, like painting or writing, so that you become what you are doing and are given a wonderful release from consciousness of self.”

On fidelity:

“Fidelity in the sense of keeping one’s word I respect, but I think it tiresome that it is tied so tightly in people’s minds to the idea of sex. The belief that a wife owes absolute fidelity to her husband has deep and tangled roots, being based not only on a man’s need to know himself to be the father of his wife’s child, but also on the deeper, darker feeling that a mans owns woman… And woman’s anxious clamour for her husband’s fidelity springs from the same primitive root: she feels it to be necessary proof of her value.”

If you're intrigued by any of this, there is more - much more - in this delightful book. What a full and interesting life this woman has had!

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.