Jess Walter in Publishers Weekly aptly called The Yiddish Policemen’s Union a “murder-mystery speculative-history Jewish-identity noir chess thriller”. Chabon has imagined a world in which the Jews inhabit a temporary homeland in Alaska, having lost the war for Israel in the 1940’s.

We split down the middle on this unusual detective story. Some readers never wanted the book to end; others had to force themselves to finish.  Those who loved it talked about the vivid setting, the dark yet life-affirming tone, the playfully brilliant writing and quirky characters.  Readers who were not amused found the plot over-complex and the Yiddish vocabulary off-putting. I found it enjoyable yet exhausting.

As always, related titles were part of the discussion. Philip Roth’s alternative history, The Plot Against America asked, what if Charles Lindbergh had been elected President in 1940 instead of Franklin Roosevelt?  Russell Hoban in Riddley Walker and Anthony Burgess in A Clockwork Orange both created new languages for their characters.

Many in the group found ourselves thinking, “not another book about Afghanistan!” as we approached this month’s selection.  After reading it, we were glad to have read Seierstad’s journalistic book about a place that is so unfamiliar to us, yet so familiar to thousands of American troops.

We had some discussion about how non-judgmental the author really was (or wasn’t), how satisfying such episodic storytelling is (or isn’t), and how much license Seierstad must have taken in reporting the thoughts of participants in such incidents as Mansur’s pilgrimage.  Several readers were impressed with Seierstad’s vivid descriptions of of Kabul, down to the dust in the houses and the intimate smells within a burka.

We struggled to understand the tribal nature of life for the bookseller’s family, and found ourselves angered by the effects of such a strongly hierarchical and patriarchal society.  Leila’s thwarted efforts to establish a place for herself as a teacher, away from the constant demands of her family, were heartbreaking to read.  It was painful to read of Sultan’s mercilessness toward the impoverished man who stole some of his postcards.  The report of the girl killed by her brothers with her mother’s consent, for sitting with a man on a park bench, was enraging and unfathomable.

We talked about the difference between Islam and fundamentalist tribal culture, considering that patriarchal religious fundamentalism and extremism appears in connection with Christianity and other religions as well.

Some readers found the book a reminder of their doubts that our country’s involvement in Afghanistan can have a positive outcome for either nation.  One mother of an Iraq war veteran spoke up about her need to believe that the military effort is making some difference for the better.

Members suggested a few other titles:

James Michener, Caravans
David Baldacci, The Camel Club
Rory Stewart, The Places In Between
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Infidel
Per Petterson, Out Stealing Horses

Not everyone got through this book in time for our book club meeting, and the book’s length wasn’t the only reason.  Discussion revealed a range of reactions to this multi-layered tale.  Many enjoyed the richly evocative writing and the historical setting of the story.  A couple of readers found the book positively dripping with strained metaphors and similes.  The science fiction tale was the least successful thread of the book for most of us.

None of the characters was terribly popular, but Laura’s concrete thinking made her charming to one reader with an affection for kids who have different ways of learning and seeing things.  Readers drew a range of different conclusions about which of the sisters were visiting Alex in his rooms.

Atwood captures well the friction and affection between siblings.  Her portrait of a father and his family coping with the pain of losing his factory in the face of the Great Depression is poignant. But the same father that is driven to drink and despair at the loss of all of those factory jobs shows stunning insensitivity to his daughter when he arranges her engagement to a business partner, in an inept attempt to save the business.

The most animated discussion came at the end of the meeting, when people tossed around recommendations for other books they liked better than this month’s book club selection:

Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood

The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood

The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl

The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova

The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

The Art of in Racing the Rain, Garth Stein

Scribbling the Cat, Alexandra Fuller

Links: New York Times Review Papernick’s blog Reviews on Amazon

Eleven of us met to talk about Jon Papernick’s unsettling collection of short stories.  Several noted the author’s powerful and unique writing style; just about everyone experienced a sense of hopelessness and distress while reading about the characters.  Such darkness isn’t surprising considering that all of the tales take place in Israel, the focus of a great deal of distressing and seemingly hopeless news stories over the years. However DJ, DS & JS were frustrated with the unrelentingly disturbing tone of Papernick’s stories, longing for acknowledgment of the great number of thoughtful Israelis that don’t engage in extreme and bizarre behavior.

Papernick’s stories spurred lively discussion about and tales of members’ travels in Israel.  DJ told us about the dramatic differences in her experiences walking through Jerusalem, depending on her company - Jewish, Arab, or walking solo.  BC reviewed the history of the creation of the state of Israel, pointing out the colonialism, war, and displacement of peoples that have contributed to the apparently unresolvable conflict over the land that exists today.  He felt the stories would be more meaningful to those who are familiar with the history of the Middle East.

This reader was stunned by the story of “An Unwelcome Guest.” A young Jewish settler plays a deadly game of backgammon with an old Arab who mysteriously appears in his kitchen late at night with family in tow.  JW felt this story should be required reading at the United Nations.

Those who wished for more hope and wit in the tales will be interested to know that Papernick’s latest work is full of humor. A Waltham resident, Papernick read from his as yet unpublished novel, Sharpy, at the Library on June 25th.  In the chapter he read to us, the main character, a con artist on the run, meets his girlfriend’s intimidating parents when she brings him to their home to stay for a while. His writing is as fine as ever, and he had us laughing out loud.

As always, we heard tips for related reading from well-read members:

We agreed this was not great literature, but a story worth reading about a complex charismatic with an important lesson for anyone interested in international relations. I was struck by the thought that if Greg Mortenson had appeared in my library during the days he was living out of his car and writing fundraising letters to famous people one by one, I probably would have figured he was a well-meaning dreamer with a very loose hold on sanity and no chance of succeeding with his “project.” Another reminder that appearances can be profoundly deceiving.

Members expressed admiration for Mortenson’s courage and perseverance, and appreciation for some insight into life in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. While the tone of the book was very flattering of Mortenson in many respects, there was also enough revealed about his setbacks and weaknesses that many questions came up in discussion. Will his organization be able to continue its work once he’s not there to lead it? DJ noticed that when he had the chance to speak with Rumsfeld at the Pentagon back home, Mortenson was not able to bring the open-hearted attitude of respectful listening he so notably offered when traveling abroad. She observed that tends to be a challenge for all of us…

We talked about the familiar profile of a powerful progressive leader who is far less than ideal to those he or she lives and works with. All the same, DV praised Mortenson as a great example of “why nerds are so wonderful!”

B suggested that we need a similar champion for schools in distressed communities in our own country.

W gave us sobering food for thought with a brief outline of the story of Afghanistan’s last 100 years, including the expulsion of the British – twice – then the defeat of the Russians, followed not long after by the arrival of United States troops.

Other titles suggested by book club members: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World;Michener’s Caravans.

Digging to America by Anne Tyler

All agreed this is a fast read with many rich themes. Many of us wished those themes had been developed more thoroughly. We did find writing to admire: descriptions of Susan and Jin-Ho as they grew (apart); the exaggerated behaviors of the two families from different cultures, and Maryam’s heartbreaking aloofness. Yet most of us wanted more depth.

That the friendship between the two families endured at all was not believable to some. The question of Connie’s sudden disappearance came up more than once. We all tired of Arrival Day, but read on, hoping for some compelling dramatic conflict to appear and be resolved.

One of our most soft-spoken members apologetically declared Digging to America “a dud,” but highly recommends Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.

Anne Tyler
	New York Times Book Review on Digging to America
	More about Tyler, the book, & Korean-American adoption…
	For more articles on Tyler and her books, try Infotrac Onefile, available at the library, or from home (with a Minuteman Library Network card).
	NYTimes Review by Michiko Kakutani
	USINFO Interview with Tyler
	Random House Interview with Tyler
	First Hand Stories from Americans who adopted Korean babies
	An Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Korean Adoption
	Boston Globe Review
	Wall Street Journal Review

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Our group had an extremely varied and incredibly wide range of reactions to this book. Several book club members found Oskar, Foer’s troubled young main character, lovable and compelling.  Others were more interested in the story of tragedy passed down through generations.  There was a very small overlap between these two groups, with few people who rated the book positively overall.

Apparently Oskar is a character one either likes or dislikes.  The same might be true for Foer’s style of writing here. Many found the grandparents’ stories distracting, seeming to intrude from some other book altogether.  Some of us initially enjoyed the author’s cleverness, but even so, found it tiresome before long.  DS suggested that the gimmicky writing might be a way to convey Oskar’s break from reality, the madness he experiences with the loss of this father.  But she recommends Daniel Tammet’s Born on a Blue Day as a much more successful (nonfiction) exploration of an unusually gifted yet impaired young mind.  CD and I found ourselves thinking back fondly to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Some readers were distressed by the way Foer writes about (and illustrates) the events of September 11, 2001.  JUS questioned whether the book was really about 9/11 - she felt it was just a theatrical setting for these intellectualized characters to inhabit.  This may be one of the very things the others were objecting to.

JSI, RN and JOS did approve of the book: they appreciated the tale of loss and tragedy written with such imagination and humor.  CT fell in love with Oskar, the little guy with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Others wondered about Oskar’s epic search for the lock and whether it had any convincing meaning for us.  Many of us had really “heavy boots” by the time we got to the last page.  As CD said, a great novel will be written about September 11th, but we are still waiting for it.

Jonathan Safran Foer
	Up Close and Personal with Book Page
	More about Foer & Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
	For more articles on Foer and his books, try Infotrac Onefile, available at the library, or from home (with a Minuteman Library Network card).
	New York Magazine review by Laura Miller
	New York Times review by Walter Kirn
	John Updike’s review from the New Yorker
	Houghton Mifflin’s page - complete with video
	Extremely Cloying & Incredibly False by Harry Siegel, New York Press

Never Let Me Go - A Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro

Most of us had a hard time getting through this book. In fact, a few people gave up on it all together — but being true book lovers, they came to join in the discussion all the same. Even those who admired Ishiguro’s writing found the narrator’s evasiveness and passivity irritating.

CD complained that the book requires a passive reader. Some asked why the characters never tried to escape once they understood what was in store for them. Some found the question of science getting ahead of ethics a worthwhile one, but were frustrated that the author didn’t take a clearer stand.

DV pointed out that the story can also be about the ways we are capable of dehumanizing and using others - especially those at a distance, like the workers who make our inexpensive clothes or the farmworkers in the fields.

In some ways, Kathy and the other characters are facing a more extreme version of our own situation. Our time is limited: what will we do with it? Some accept whatever they’re handed, some struggle for change, but none live forever.

Kazuo Ishiguro
	Interview with Ishiguro from NPR
Reviews of Never Let Me Go
	For more articles on Ishiguro and his books, try Infotrac Onefile, available at the library, or from home (with a Minuteman Library Network card).
More on Never Let Me Go:
	Video Interview with Ishiguro from publisher Faber & Faber
	A Review by Margaret Atwood
	Satire from The Guardian

My Sister’s Keeper - A Novel by Jodi Picoult

Our group’s experiences of this book ranged from page-turning enjoyment to exasperated disappointment. People had varying reactions to the characters and the writing, but everyone agreed that the ending was a complete surprise.

We debated about several characters.  Did Sara’s behavior ring true, in her roles as mother and as lawyer? Would someone like Campbell really insist on keeping the nature of his disability secret from absolutely everyone for so long?  Was it believable that Jesse would be so easily turned around from such dangerous behavior?  Could  we have done without the storyline about Julia and Campbell?  Would a 13 year old girl really take the action Anna did?

LD pointed out that someone she knew when she was young did face a very similar situation.  Her neighbor was close in age to Anna, and declined to donate an organ to her very ill sibling.

A & HF remembered a similar story in the news many years ago about a boy conceived for the purpose of donating cord blood to a sister with leukemia, a case mentioned by Jodi Picoult in one of her interviews.

LD approved of a tragic ending, since anything else would have been completely inconsistent with the rest of the story. CD called the ending a big “cop out,” and guessed that the author had run out of ideas, or ran up against a deadline. Both JS & JS were also very unhappy with the ending. SG disagreed with the critics, describing to us her reading of the book and its ending as a poignant reminder that try as we might, we can’t play God. Sara and Brian tried to save one child by creating another, but their plans were changed overnight by events completely out of their control.

Jodi Picoult: bio, reviews at BookBrowse
	Interview with Picoult from Bookreporter.com
Picoult’s web site has a podcast, a radio interview about My Sister’s Keeper in addition to information about all her books.
	For more articles on Picoult and her books, try Infotrac Onefile, available at the library, or from home (with a Minuteman Library Network card).
According to an “Author Read-alike” article in Novelist by Kaite Mediatore, if you like Jodi Picoult’s books, you might also want to try the following authors and titles. (Novelist is a Reader’s Advisory database available online at the Library, or with a Minuteman Library Network card on any Internet connection.)
	Chris Bohjalian, Past the Bleachers
	Jacquelyn Mitchard, A Theory of Relativity
	Luanne Rice, Home Fires
	Ann Hood, Properties of Water
	Sue Miller, While I Was Gone

The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother A Novel by Allison Pearson

After an energetic discussion about Pearson’s novel, most of us agreed with B’s suggestion that a more accurate title title would be “She Can’t Do It.”  JS and HF did attest to the large doses of truth in the book.  However, none of us thinks that a person can reasonably expect to succeed at being at the top of a high-stakes cut-throat business AND be a hands-on parent AND a loving and attentive spouse.

We did talk about whether feminism implies that women should be able to do all of these things at once. This writer firmly believes that whatever feminism may be, men have never been able to do all of these things simultaneously and successfully, and the principle of equality dictates that women can’t either. Having limited time, energy and talent (being human) means making choices about how to spend them.

For this night’s discussion, we were lucky to have 3 men and 5 women, including 3 retired working mothers, 1 working mother, 1 stay-at-home father, and 3 single people with no children.

CD enjoyed the characters and the humor; MG was frustrated by the stressful situations, but enjoyed the black humor; JS called this “a book of truth — I lived it.”

B called it a tragic story; HF found it funny and true, with Kate Reddy’s childhood experiences explaining a great deal about her drive; L was struck by Kate Reddy’s greedy whining and lamented the too-tidy conventional ending.

GC did not enjoy the humor; DS knows the life of a working mother first hand, and her response was to say to Kate: “get over yourself.”

We talked about the difference between choosing to be a working mother and having to be a working mother just to survive. What are our expectations about the level of comfort and convenience we must have?

CD saw many stereotypes in the book, particularly the male characters, who were all dependent on women to function properly.

An excellent book for discussion, whether or not you admire the story.

Allison Pearson - An Interview with the author at BookBrowse.com
	Pearson’s Daily Mail columns
“Behind the Book” at Anchor Books Pearson tells the story of how she came to write the book.
Related titles…	The Nanny Diaries Bridget Jones’s Diary The Bitch in the House: 26 women tell the truth about sex, solitude, work, motherhood, and marriagePerfect Madness: Motherhood in the age of anxiety