Comments from the Book Discussion Group at DeSoto Library regarding our September 2010 selection:

Just Janeby Nancy Moser

Below is a summary of the group's collective observations of this work.

Just Jane is a docu-novel based on the life of Jane Austen. The author specializes in this type of work and does considerable research on her subjects prior to writing each work that mixes fact supplemented by supposition.

The group enjoyed a lively discussion of the position of women during Austen's lifetime, including the often precarious situation of single women. We compared Austen and her sister to single women today. We also discussed differences in child-rearing practices between then and now and how well we thought the author captured Austen's undocumented thoughts and feelings at various times in her life. Several group members felt that Just Jane would enhance their reading of Austen's novels.

Comments from the Book Discussion Group at DeSoto Library regarding our August 2010 selection:

One Thousand White Womenby Jim Fergus

Below is a summary of the group's collective observations of this work.

This book was selected because of its unusual plot which proposed a fictional situation in which the U. S. Government enrolled white female volunteers in a program in which the women agreed to marry American Indians and produce a child as a means of integrating the two cultures. The narrative is presented in epistulary and journal formats as written by one of the characters.

The selection generated much discussion about the good and bad elements of both societies. Some felt that many situations in the story were contrived and that the time frame was too compressed to feel realistic. Overall, however, the story did provide insights into the less well known physical and cultural aspects of Indian life as well as generate some interesting discussion.