sametimenextmonth: April Book Club 2019

Monday, April 15, 2019

April Book Club 2019

I hosted this month's book club out on the "acreage" haha. I hope finding me wasn't too difficult. Though, I'm in "town" with neighbors all around, the house sits back off the road and it is easy to pass me by.

We missed, Arnora, Leslie, Tammy and Denise. But, we were also excited that Barb brought Kelsie along. It's good to have her back "home" even if temporarily.

As our main dish, I made a Jambalaya. Terry brought a delicious Proscuitto and cheese wrapped apple appetizer. Barb and Kelsie brought a kale and Brussel Sprout salad with yogurt dressing, Diana brought the baguette (what else can you sop the sauce up with? haha) and Guinness. Carla brought both peach and mixed berry cobbler and Janie brought ice cream topping. Carla G contributed wine and ice and Carla A brought peach tea. And, many thanks to Pam who stepped in for Arnora and brought the beautiful Begonia!

Our book his month was the non-fiction "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. As I was doing a little background research (like there wasn't enough in the book!) I discovered that the author had also written The Lost City of Z. We read that several years ago and, as I recall, we liked it a lot.

The final rating of the book was 3.72. Everyone liked the information provided. It's one of those books where you understand the significance of knowing the information while simultaneously being appalled at what you are learning. Barb and Lou (who commented on this book a couple of months ago) did not like how it was written at all. Lou thought it was one of the most boring books she'd ever read and, Barb agreed.

It was told in three sections. I listened to the book and Part 1 was read by a woman. I thought that was appropriate because he starts the book by introducing us to Mollie Burkhart and her family.

Here is a little more background. I don't remember these details from the book. Forgive me if I am repeating information. In 1870 The Drum Creek Treaty was signed by the Osage. This treaty provided that the remainder of Osage land in Kansas be sold and the proceeds used to relocate the tribe to Indian Territory. The agreement was delayed and there was a change in administration. This benefited the Osage because they were able to sell their land to the "peace" administration, Pres. U.S. Grant, for which they received $1.25 an acre as opposed to the 19 cents previously offered. The Osage were one of the few tribes that were able to buy their own reservation and therefore retained more rights to the land and sovereignty. There is a lot more to the story between 1870 and 1907. I won't recount it here. Let's just say that in those years, thanks to government policies, the population was reduced by about half. However, in 1907 they negotiated a deal which entitled them to retain their communal mineral rights to the land. So, that brings us to the discovery of oil on their land and how they became the richest of the tribes. Not only did the government pay them royalties for the oil but they had discovered that they had rich grasslands and were able to lease the lands to wealthy ranchers.

That brings us to the beginning of our story and the systematic murder of Mollie Burkhart's family. I won't retell the story. Except to say that Part II and III were then told by men who gives us the story of the investigation that leads to William Hale's diabolical plot to take over the "head rights" of the oil leases by orchestrating the murder of the Osage men, women and children who stood in his way. And, the simultaneous forming of the FBI under the, shall we say less than scrupulous, J. Edgar Hoover, who used the investigation, trial and convictions to further his own ends.

While I didn't mind the way the book was written, I did think that if Erik Larson had written it, we might have found ourselves more emotionally invested in the story.

I'm sure we will find out more riveting information and further our discussion on our trip to Pawhuska. I am really looking forward to this!

On a final note, I see where Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCarpio have optioned this for a movie. And, didn't I see they were also doing Devil in the White City?

The Book of Polly is our next selection and Arnora will be our hostess!

No comments:

2015 Hosts and Books

Jan 9 - Pam Boeck - All the Light We Cannot See
Feb 6 - Lou Christian - Alif the Unseen
March 6 - Terry Cummings - Kind of Kin
April 3 - Janie Tisdale - The Girl on the Train
May 1 - Arnora Parish - The Stolen Child
Jun 5 - Barb Barrow - The Elephant Whisperer
July 10 - Diana Beal - Lone Wolf
Aug 7 - Denise McGough - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Sept 11 - Sherrie Phillips - H is for Hawk
Oct 2 - Arnora Parish - The Boy Who Drew Monsters
Nov 6 - Sherrie Phillips
Dec - Laura Madden - A Child's Christmas in Wales & Christmas Day in the Morning

The Honey Tree - Mary Oliver

And so at last I climbed

the honey tree, ate

chunks of pure light, ate

the bodies of bees that could not

get out of my way, ate

the dark hair of the leaves,

the rippling bark,

the heartwood. Such

frenzy! But joy does that,

I'm told, in the beginning.

Later, maybe,

I'll come here only

sometimes and with a

middling hunger. But now

I climb like a snake

I clamber like a bear to

the nuzzling place, to the light

salvaged by the thighs

of bees and racked up

in the body of the tree.

Oh, anyone can see

how I love myself at last!

how I love the world! climbing

by day or night

in the wind, in the leaves, kneeling

at the secret rip, the cords

of my body stretching

and singing in the

heaven of appetite.

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Lis and Diana's Review of Isaac's Storm

Lis said: This book centers around the devastating hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, in 1901 and is blamed for the death of over 4500 people. Although the story wasn't a page-turner for most, it was full of interesting historical and scientific data while building up to describing accounts of the devastation and aftermath that the storm created. In my opinion, it is debatable whether the book should be considered a true fiction or a non-fiction. Hand in hand with the storm description, the book tells about the creation of the National Weather Service and the struggle that the organization went through to earn the people's trust. When looking back over the disaster, the author identifies areas of misuse and false pride - in the bureaucratic sector as well as the people's personal lives - that, if it had been overcome, might have averted some of the lost lives. Building up to the storm, the author touches on many historical facts surrounding the era, such as the state of Arkansas passing legislation a few decades earlier to legalize the proper pronunciation of its name to be "Arkansaw." Into this background, the author creates the characters that he was able to find in his research that made up the early Weather Service and some of the residence of Galveston, their spouses and children, making us shiver with dread over successful and unsuccessful rescue efforts. After bringing to life the unimaginable aftermath, with whole neighborhoods destroyed and bodies at every step, the book concludes with Galveston's recovery and a large chapter of Acknowledgements for the extensive support and research that the author relied on. I for one enjoyed the book immensely and, after the first third, found it difficult to put down till the end. Elisabeth Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

Diana said: The old saying, "hind sight is 20/20" comes to mind while reading the hurricane account of Galveston, Texas in 1901. Author Eric Larson's story reminded me of his first book we read, Devil in the White City, as he combined historical facts and real people while piecing together a plausible tale of personalities and lives. I have huge respect for writing historical fiction, as the writer not only has to devise an interesting story but also works as an investigator and researcher in the process. The first third of the story was slow and at times I found myself skimming the pages waiting for action. I think this may have been purposeful by Larson. As a reader I was going about my daily business and uninvolved like the townspeople of Galveston noting the changing winds and heading off to work. I took occasional notice of Isaac's trip to the American west by stage and his appearance as a "dandy", the use of telegraph as the primary form of communication from on location to another and it was surprising to find out the American and Cuban weather men held so little regard for each other. Americans found the Cuban forecasters primitive, romantic and unreliable. But once the hurricane was upon Galveston, I was spellbound for the remainder of the book. With the exception of once when I had to put the story down due to the brutal descriptions of decaying bodies which I found overwhelming. For me the story telling mimicked the event itself. Galveston and the rest of the U.S. were going along with business as usual, and then wham! A hurricane the magnitude no one expected or had experienced before bursts forth with action and drama and left no one untouched including me.

Lis' review of A Thousand Splendid Suns

The story playing in Afghanistan made it another compelling read and a walk through a different culture, very foreign to most of us. I had the fortune to have also read the book The Kite Runner by the same author and found that the two stories make great companion books, almost a must-read duo. Our month's selection takes us into the Arabic culture through the life of two women, one of them a servant girl's bastard child - and yes, I used the old fashioned term for illegitimate child on purpose to stay with the tone of the novel. The other woman is depicted as a well-educated, emancipated young woman from a progressive, westernized family. Through the turmoils surrounding Afghanistan's recent 30-year history, their lives intertwine with the same abusive husband and their attempt to deal with the changes brought on by the Russian occupation, the takeover of the Mujahedin and, eventually, the Taliban. The companion book, The Kite Runner, deals with the same political and social upheavals in Afghanistan but is told through the life of a man and his very devoted male servant. A Thousand Splendid Suns evoked a lot of emotion for most of us, feeling comfortable as well educated American women that have rights and can expect a certain social standing that greatly exceeds the animal-like treatment of our female Afghan counterparts under Taliban rule. Needless to say, we had a lively discussion about Afghanistan's troubles, the interactions of both women's parents' influences, their different upbringing, and how it made them relate to each other. We found similarities to the book Shanturam in this author's use of the cinema, especially Bollywood movies. One thing we did not discuss though that I found enticing, was the advantages of being able to skip hair and make-up treatments through the use of a Burka! Blue was, after all, the favored color of my youth, although I always preferred much darker shades. What do you think, ladies, Burkas in our future?

sametimenextmonth

Monday, April 15, 2019

April Book Club 2019

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