Discussible Choices: What Are You Reading?
July 2009

Congratulations to Kathy and the The Bookenders Book Club for winning the random drawings for this month’s Discussible Book Choice! 

We enjoy hearing from book club members who share with everyone the book choices that made for lively discussions.. Please let us know what about the book contributed to your great discussion – you may win a book-related prize for every member of your reading group!

“We really enjoyed The Devil in the White City here is my review. I maintain a website  bookendersbookclub.com  This is a book with two stories. One is the Chicago World"s Fair, 1892, and the men who created it. The second is of Henry H. Holmes, serial killer. Larson does an amazing job weaving two true separate stories into one book.

“Daniel Burnham and his partner, John Root, Chicago's leading architects, were chosen to design the Chicago's World Fair. It was Burnham's responsibility to acquire other national architects, labor, and money to build the Fair in less than three years so that it could open in October to celebrate Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World. The book explains all the work and hardship that was needed to pull this off. The story describes not only the politics behind the project, but that of construction, weather, economy and industrialization. The Fair brought many important people and characters to Chicago, including Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show. It also was the beginning of many foods and inventions that we still have today: Juicy Fruit Gum, Cracker Jacks, Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Shredded Wheat, AC electricity to light our homes and streets, and where would a carnival be today without a Midway and a ferris wheel.

“Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor from the East Coast, moves to Chicago after leaving his wife. He purchases a drug store then builds a hotel across the street for the upcoming Fair. Larson delves into Holmes past from his early childhood to that of a young man. Holmes was a psychotic, satanic, charming man who lured many young women into his life and to their brutal deaths. His house of horrors was built by men he would fire to not only avoid having to pay them, but so that they would not be suspicious of what he was doing. He owed many people and businesses money yet he could manipulate them out of collecting what was their due. This was the United States Jack the Ripper.

“This is the way to learn history.”
Kathy, The Bookenders Book Club, Lee’s Summit, MO

More Discussible Book Choices

“One of our June books The Story of Edgar Sawtelle led to a far-reaching discussion of speech dogs the bravery of the young foolish choices of some women bad men the afterlife and happy endings.  A most diverse and enjoyable discussion.”
Cheryl, The Palm Beach Book Club, West Palm Beach, FL

“The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Ms. Stockett's depiction of the life of domestic help in Mississippi during the early 1960's is heartbreaking.  As the story unfolds you can't help but fall in love with each of the characters and rejoice in their small triumphs as the civil rights movement begins to take hold around them.”
Lynn, The Burnsville Book Club, Burnsville, MN

“We were intrigued by Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones because it had won several awards in Europe but was "tanking" here in the US. The Kindly Ones is a WWII story told from the German side and so we wanted to know why there such a difference in response. We were further intrigued by a review in the UK that referred to the book as "Holocaust Porn" - which we thought was the epitome of an oxymoron and not a fair label to place on this book...Nevertheless we undertook this 969 page book - broke it down into sections and have had some incredible discussions regarding the story the war the survivors and the aftermath on the world. It is not a feel-good book at all in fact the main character Max Aue is completely detestable - but I have to say this ended up being the most discussable book to date - and we've had several...but this one takes the cake.”
Cynthia, The Meta Book Club, Puyallup, WA

“Our book club read Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  There were many aspects about the book that our group was able to discuss.  We all were enlightened about the roundup that occurred in Paris at the Vélodrome d'Hiver.  We were all surprised to learn about this little discussed part of history.”
Kendra, Happy Hour Book Club, Midlothian, VA