The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In The Help Kathryn Stockett has captured, in perfect voices, the life and awakening conscience of a young white girl growing up on a plantation, as well as the voices of two black women, domestics working for white women. Some of us remember growing up in the South during the turmoil of the 1960's. We remember the tension, the "separate but equal," and the expectations for women which were very different for men.

Miss Skeeter, the young white girl, quietly and secretly asks Aibeleen, a black lady, the question, "Do you ever want to change things?" Is change possible? When black young men are brutally beaten for mistakenly using a "white" bathroom; when there are separate schools, separate hospitals, and an underlying belief that "we are different from them?" What is the cost of change?

Join the Casady Community of Readers as we discuss this riveting book during the final book club discussion on Thursday, May 6, at 8:15 in the Cochran Library.

Some questions we will consider are:

1. Who was your favorite character? Why?

2. How much of a person's character would you say is shaped by the times in which they live?

3. Do you think that had Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, that Mae Mobley would have grown up to be racist like her mother? Do you think racism is inherent, or taught?

4. Do you think there are still vestiges of racism in relationships where people of color work for people who are white?

Other questions posted by the publisher are:

• What do you think motivated Hilly? On the one hand she is terribly cruel to Aibileen and her own help, as well as to Skeeter once she realizes that she can't control her. Yet she's a wonderful mother. Do you think that one can be a good mother but, at the same time, a deeply flawed person?
• Like Hilly, Skeeter's mother is a prime example of someone deeply flawed yet somewhat sympathetic. She seems to care for Skeeter--and she also seems to have very real feelings for Constantine. Yet the ultimatum she gives to Constantine is untenable; and most of her interaction with Skeeter is critical. Do you think Skeeter's mother is a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Why?
• Did it bother you that Skeeter is willing to overlook so many of Stuart's faults so that she can get married, and that it's not until he literally gets up and walks away that the engagement falls apart?
• Do you believe that Minny was justified in her distrust of white people?
• From the perspective of a twenty-first century reader, the hairshellac system that Skeeter undergoes seems ludicrous. Yet women still alter their looks in rather peculiar ways as the definition of "beauty" changes with the times. Looking back on your past, what's the most ridiculous beauty regimen you ever underwent?
• The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom about her. How do you think she does this?
• What did you think about Minny's pie for Miss Hilly? Would you have gone as far as Minny did for revenge?
  

March Read--"The Real All Americans"

The Real All Americans: The Team that Changed a Game, A People, a Nation" has been chosen as the March Book of the Month for the Casady Community of Readers. The author, Sally Jenkins, has written a truly inspirational story about an underdog Native American football team who revolutionized the sport.

The book club meets Thursday morning, April 1, in Cochran Library to discuss this book which promises to give new insights on Native American culture as well as football history.

Book Discussion Friday, February 5, 8:15 a.m.

January's Selection

On Friday morning, February 5, at 8:15 a.m., the Casady Community of Readers will meet to discuss Same Kind of different as me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. The characters are “a dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery, an upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel and a gutsy woman with a stubborn dream. This is a story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it. It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch. Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.”

February’s Selection

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Casady graduate and 2008 Young Alumni Achievement Honoree Molly Wizenberg ’97. (This repeats October’s recommendation because Molly will be on campus in February as a part of the month’s Book Fair events.)
“Molly tells of a life with the kitchen at its center. You won't be able to decide whether to curl up and sink into the story or run to the market to fill your basket with ingredients for one of the delectable recipes such as Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots.”

The Glass Castle book discussion Thursday evening, January 7, at Crabtree Library

It's time for our second meeting of the Casady Community of Readers! The book we're reading is "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. Please plan to join us as we discuss this riveting read.

Book Club Meets Friday, December 4--Brrrr

Today we held our inaugural meeting of the Casady Community of Readers (CCR). Braving below freezing temperatures, we gathered in the warmth of the Cochran Library to drink coffee and tea, munch on homemade banana bread, and chew on “Crazy For The Storm”. Not everyone who attended had completed reading the book, but they were still able to participate.

This book “grabs” the reader from the first page. Some of us would not have chosen this book to read without the CCR recommendations, but were glad we did. For some, the “memoir” genre was new, but engaging. This book, a man’s memoir about his Dad, appeals to men as well as women. A comparison was made to the book “Into Thin Air” and its action adventure appeal.

We discussed the cultural and lifestyle differences between Southern California and Oklahoma in the 1970s and present day. A reader who lived in Northern California in the late 60s and early 70s shared her perspective. "I lived in the San Francisco area and felt very safe. My community was not at all like that in Malibu or the 'California beach scene.'" We received insight from someone who grew up in another country and moved to Oklahoma in the 70s who said that we were somewhat naive. Her first glimpse of marijuana, a large quantity, was in Muskogee--the place where, as the country song states, "we don't smoke marijuana. . ."

We compared and contrasted current parenting with the parenting in the book. We talked about the parents in the book (the dad, the mom, the step-dad, the godmother). While the book is primarily about Norm's relationship with his Dad, these other parents played significant roles in Norm's childhood.

We questioned:

• How would Norm have been different as an adult if his Dad had not died when he did?
• How do we recognize and deal with death--especially with children?
• What is the difference between positive risk-taking and negative risky behavior?
• What are the benefits of taking risks versus the costs? Where do we, as parents, draw the line? Can we draw the line?
• Why do we limit our children sometimes when, perhaps, we should allow them to take more risks and responsibility?

We discussed motivations, intentions and addictions.

While we were disciplined and kept the meeting to our one-hour time limit, we could have continued our discussion for hours. Please join our conversation by posting a comment of your own about Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad.

Our next book is The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. We will hold our discussion at the Middle and Lower Division's Crabtree Library on Thursday evening, January 7, 2010.

'Hope to see you there!

Crazy for the Storm Discussion Questions: Friday, December 4

Crazy for the Storm is the book that we will be discussing this Friday, December 4, at the Cochran Library at 8:15 a.m. We will begin with the first three questions below. The others are listed just for your pleasure as a reader.

1. Discuss the various ways to interpret the book's title, "Crazy for the Storm." How did this perspective/attitude shape young Norman's personality and life? Did it help save his life?

2. Was Norman's father too demanding of his son? How has parenting changed since the era of the book, the 1970's?

3. Have you had early childhood experiences forced upon you that at first you resisted and rejected, but later became a most favored or treasured experience, skill, or pasttime?

4. On the fateful day of the crash, little Norman was forced to draw from all the tools and lessons his father had instilled in him from birth. Discuss the connections between what his father exposed him to and when he had to put those experiences to quick use on the mountain.

5. Have you been faced with a seemingly insurmountable situation that forced you to reach deep down inside yourself in order to make it through?

6. Empowering messages were engrained in Norman, the "Boy Wonder," from an early age such as "Never Give Up" and "We can do it all." These words fueled Norman to keep moving forward each time he weakened or seemed about to succumb. What words and thoughts wield significant power to you.

7. How does the tone from the beginning of the book compare to the end? Does Norman seem to have reconciled the tension generated by his father's insistence to push beyond the limits of the comfort zone? At the conclusion of the book, is the author softened, resolved or conflicted?

8. In contrast to his father's risk-taking nature, young Norman seemed to possess an inherent sense of reserve and caution. Throughout the story, when do we see Norman first begin to emerge from his fears and begin to embrace the joy of the thrill-seeking his father craved?

Casady Community of Readers

Creating a Community of Casady Readers:

Books Announced for Year's Reading

As a part of the build up to the Book Fair, the CPO has organized a monthly book club named the “Community of Casady Readers”. Each month we will recommend a book to read which will be followed by a book discussion meeting. In addition, we are researching the best ways to hold “virtual” book discussions for those who cannot meet on campus in person, and we hope to have something definitive to announce in January. In the meantime, we have listed the monthly book selections, discussion dates, times and locations below. We will also repeat this information at casadylibrary.blogspot.com.

All books are available at Full Circle Bookstore, located at 50 Penn Place. Contact Full Circle for your copy today: 405-842-2900.

November’s Selection: Crazy For The Storm by Norman Ollestad:

"An 11-year-old boy, the only survivor of a small-plane crash in the San Gabriel Mountains in 1979, makes his way to safety down an icy mountain face in a blizzard, using the skills and determination he learned from his father."

Discussion: Friday, Dec. 4 at 8:15 a.m. – Cochran Library

December’s Selection: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: "In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents – Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant,

alcoholic father."

Discussion: Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m. – Crabtree Library

January's Selection: A Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore: includes “a dangerous, homeless drifter who grew

up picking cotton in virtual slavery. An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel. A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream. A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it. It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch. Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.”

Discussion Friday, Feb. 5 at 8:15 a.m. – Cochran Library

February’s Selection: A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table

by Casady graduate and 2008 Young Alumni Achievement Honoree Molly Wizenberg ’97 (This repeats October’s recommendation because Molly will be on campus in February as a part of the month’s Book Fair events.)

“Molly tells of a life with the kitchen at its center. You won't be able to decide whether to curl up and sink into the story or run to the market to fill your basket with ingredients for one of the delectable recipes such as Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots.”

Discussion: February – Event Dates To Be Announced

March’s Selection: The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, a People, a Nation by Sally Jenkins:

“In this sprawling, heavily researched sports tale, author and Washington Post reporter Jenkins (It's Not About the Bike, with Lance Armstrong) covers more than a half-century-from mid-19th century battles between the U.S. Army and Native Americans to the 1918 closing of Pennsylvania's seminal Carlisle Indian Industrial School-telling the long-buried story of Carlisle's football team (the Indians, natch), which defied tradition and arguably did more to shape the modern collegiate game than any of its Ivy League competitors."

Discussion: Thursday, April 1 at 8:15 a.m. – Cochran Library

April’s Selection: The Help by Kathryn Stocket:

the book is"set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia (Skeeter) Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club set relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams."

Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 p.m. – Crabtree Library