Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Our March Meeting

The new TBI book club got off to a rousing start last night, with a group of brave and interesting people enjoying the opportunity to chat about a dozen different topics in a little more than an hour. In the process, we learned about a bunch of fascinating books, most of which were new to most of us. A good way to build an instant reading list.

BOOKS DISCUSSED LAST NIGHT:
Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen – According to our reviewer, Franzen is our own modern-day Dickens, conjuring in this book a rich menagerie of characters, some likeable, some repulsive, but all struggling with issues of everyday life that will have a ring of familiarity to most readers. Particularly interesting is the struggle between the Baby Boomer Generation and what has been termed Generation X. The Boomer Generation, to which most of our participants last night belonged, seems to come off second best in this particular book. Our conclusion last night was that we need to recruit a few more Generation X’ers to come to our meetings.
There is an interesting subset of Jewish characters in this book, ranging from totally assimilated Jews who may not even know that they are Jewish all the way to very religious, observant Jews. Franzen seems to enjoy making fun of his observant characters, but it is all done in the spirit of, “I am allowed to do it, because I’m one of them.” It does provoke some thinking, though.
According to our reviewer, she picked up this book, which she had received as a gift, with some trepidation, but once she started reading, she was quickly drawn in, and found herself unable to put the book down.

The World to Come, by Dara Horn – The author is a former lecturer at our synagogue; however, the rave review given to this book by our reviewer last night was not influenced at all by the fact that the reviewer has admired Dara Horn ever since that lecture at TBI.
This book is an amazing tapestry weaving together the mystery of a stolen painting (not so much who done it, which we know from the beginning of the book, but why), the history and fate of Russian Jewish intellectuals, the life and times of the Russian-born artist Marc Chagall, the story of the Russian Yiddish writer Der Nister (the Hidden One), the nature of spirituality and religion, with frequent allusions to the Hebrew Torah, to the Talmud, to other Jewish traditions, and to Yiddish story tellers.
Too much content to absorb in one reading, and too much information to cover in a brief report to our book club, but highly recommended by our reviewer. Our reviewer, Beverly Cohen, will be presenting a much fuller review of this novel next Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at 7:00 pm. Please contact her for further information about this program.

36 Letters: One Family’s Story, by Joan Sohn – The author grew up in Philadelphia and, a few years ago, found 36 letters, written by her grandparents, tucked away for 65 years, in a small brown paper bag “in the attic.” The letters provide a unique window on the Jewish immigration experience early in the 20th century. The letters, plus additional material included by the author, make the story of one Jewish immigrant family in Philadelphia really come to life.
A Tale of Love and Darkness, by Amos Oz – Written originally in Hebrew, but now available in English, this is partly an autobiography of the author, party a history of the birth of Israel, and partly a mediation on the Jewish journey from the 18th century to the present. Along the way, the author shares his recollections about life in Palestine during the British Mandate, the creation of Israel, the violence and deprivations of Israel's war of independence, and the growth of Israel since those days.
According to our reviewer, this is an instructive and inspiring story about the personal journey of the author, about some of the seminal figures of the Zionist movement, and about life as a Jew and a human being.
The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver – A quick read and a lot of fun, according to our reviewer. This novel is set in Mexico in the 1930’s and features such characters as Diego Rivera, his wife Frida Kahlo, and their houseguest, Leon Trotsky. Trotsky, of course, is eventually assassinated by Stalin’s agents, and various mishaps befall Rivera and Kahlo, and there is a description of the proceedings of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Despite all these dark events, this is an entertaining and informative look at a neglected facet of our history.
Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer – According to our reviewer, this is a great book by a promising your author. It was published in 2002, and Foer has been unable to match his level of accomplishment in his subsequent books, but he is still a young man, so who knows what may still lurk in his quirky mind.
In the meantime, this first book, published when he was 25 years old, is a masterpiece, partly Gabriel Garcia Marquez, partly Franz Kafka, partly Mark Twain, and mostly Jonathan Safran Foer. It starts out as a laugh-out-loud (LOL to our younger friends) comedy, but slowly, almost imperceptibly, turns into a touching, sad, and ultimately inspiring search for family roots and family history by the main character of the novel, known as the “Hero,” and coincidentally named Jonathan Safran Foer in the book. We leave it to the reader to determine to what extent this novel may contain some autobiographical elements.
The Hero’s search leads him to a tragic, and largely forgotten, history of Jewish settlement and life in an obscure and remote corner of Ukraine, in an area sometimes referred to as “beyond the Pale.” Jewish life in this area came to a brutal end at the hands of the invading Nazi’s, and their local collaborators, in 1941. However, some of the Jews managed to survive, and start new lives, including the maternal grandfather of our Hero.
A strong thumbs up from our reviewer.
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, by Wendy Mogel – A book filled with insights and much wisdom, especially for those among us who may be parents or grandparents. Because of time limitations, our reviewer left us with just a short tease about this book, and the promise to tell us much more about it at our next meeting.

BOOKS MENTIONED IN PASING:
The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen
In the Image, by Dara Horn
All Other Nights, by Dara Horn
American Jewry and the Civil War, by Bertram Korn

INCIDENTAL TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Two topics recurred throughout our discussion last night, seemingly at random. The first was the issue of Jewish assimilation: to what extent was it happening in our modern American society; what were its causes; what were its manifestations; in what sense was this a positive trend, and in what sense was it a negative trend; what if anything should we, or can we, do about it. Although we returned to this topic several times during our discussions about various books, it is fair to say that at the end of the evening the consensus was that we need to return to this topic again during future meetings, before we are ready to reach any conclusions.
The second recurrent theme was the fact that, in one way or another, most of the participants last night were either immigrants from Eastern Europe themselves, or descendants of such immigrants. The story of this great migration, and of our historical roots in eastern and central Europe, are topics deserving of further discussion at future meetings.

UPCOMING MEETINGS:
The TBI Book Nosh meets the first Tuesday of every month, at 7:45 pm, either at the TBI Library or the TBI Conference Room, depending on what else is going on at the building. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at 7:45 pm. We are still looking for a few more members. We welcome all ages, genders, and points of view. Come and join us at our next meeting.