Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our April 2017 selection:

Dead Wake 
by Erik Larson

This month’s reading selection, Dead Wake by Erik Larson coincides with the 100 year anniversary of the United States entering World War I. This extraordinary nonfiction title tells the story of the final voyage of the Lusitania and her 1,959 passengers and crew, of which only 764 survived.

Our discussion was lively and free flowing. I am so glad most everyone enjoyed the book. One member could not get into the story. By the end of the discussion she is eager to go home and try again. The other seven members enjoyed Dead Wake and were happy we read it.

Larson’s detail of the passengers and their belongings is impressive. The amount of research and hours spent on this book shows and is well worth the effort. There is a Kansas City connection with the husband and wife travelers Theodore and Belle Naish. Belle survives and cannot stand blue skies because they remind her of the day the ship sunk. We each had favorite characters including Theodate Pope, Captain Turner, and Charles Lauriet. Another favorite is Margaret Mackworth; she survives the sinking and being sucked into the funnel and shot like a cannon out of the funnel.

One member is especially angry and upset that Winston Churchill let this tragedy happen to the Lusitania. Churchill and Room 40 had ample opportunity to warn Captain Turner, protect the ship, and change the course because they knew German submarines were patrolling the area. Room 40’s secrecy, though understood, seems too extreme for the damage it did to the Lusitania and other vessels. There should have been multiple ways around rerouting ships and protecting them that did not expose the fact Room 40 is breaking the German’s codes.

We all felt especially bad for Captain Turner. Turner did everything he could to avoid trouble and tried to save lives. There is a perfect storm of events that all lead to the sinking. If only a few things were different the ship might have made it to Liverpool. To blame Captain Turner is inexcusable. He did not have the appropriate knowledge of the submarine’s whereabouts. He receives conflicting reports

The Lusitania sinks so far, in only 18 minutes. We cannot imagine the panic and horror of the passengers. However, those aboard seem calm and are not worried the ship is going down. The failing lifeboats are particularly sad. There are more than enough life boats however, the ship lists so badly the ships are hanging over the side and cannot launch. We cannot imagine the horror of seeing one boat fall on top of another full boat.

We would not want to spend any time in a German submarine. Death is around every corner. There are many factors to control and get right and it changes all the time. Water temperature, depth, and current all affect the submarine. How much fresh water, number or torpedoes, and weight of food affect the pressure and planes needed to dive. There are so many things that could go wrong. Some of the potential deadly events include: asphyxiation from chlorine gas if water touches the batteries; water seeping in from valves left open; or being struck by a boat. The very close quarters and smell of the sub are other unpleasant things to consider. Most of us felt Captain Schwieger got what he deserved. A few years after sinking the Lusitania His sub blew up from contact with a mine in the North Sea.

Woodrow Wilson’s depression and almost apathy for the war is a surprise to all of us. Most did not know his wife died and he remarried while in office. Edith Gault is interesting because she knows how difficult it will be to marry the President. She will come under fire for everything she does. We are glad their love story works out and are happy they marry. Most of us do not realize it took nearly two years for Wilson to declare war after the Lusitania sinks. We all knew the sinking sparks a change in the way Americans view the war. Most members say their knowledge of WWI is much less than that of WWII. This book helps us understand the tragedy and world events surrounding WWI.   

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our March 2017 selection:

The Truth According to Us 
by Annie Barrows

Our larger than normal group all enjoyed The Truth According to Us. This novel contains a number of storytelling tropes: the coming-of-age-tale, historical fiction, mystery, and a story set in a small town. The story engages you and you feel like you’re walking the streets of Macedonia, West Virginia.

Willa is a fascinating character because she makes it her mission to discover the secrets of adulthood. Willa is wise beyond her years and can read people well. The Macedonia, West Virginia motto of ferocity and devotion is Willa’s new aspiration. Willa begins her story by telling us, “Everything began that day” (Barrows, 2015, p. 4). This statement is true; the arrival of Layla Beck starts a series of events that uncover secrets buried deep in the Romeyn family’s past. Willa is growing up and realizing her place in the world. Willa sees things with new eyes, like her father’s business and Cooey’s Red Apple and his relationship with Layla, and Jottie’s spinsterhood.

One member makes a great statement, “Felix is a sociopath” and the rest of us had to agree. Felix is also charismatic and smooth. Those around Felix explain away his shenanigans as fun and not hurting anybody. Most tend to look the other way, even though the town knows he is a bootlegger. When Felix tells Jottie to choose between him or Sol we all realized something bad is going on between them. Many of us wonder how he is so conniving with Jottie. How does he control her so completely?

Jottie lost years of her life because of Felix’s lies. Jottie is a favorite for many. Some felt surprise that Jottie does not marry Sol. This is Jottie’s chance to live her life and enjoy being a married woman. The others were surprised Jottie became engaged to Sol in the first place. Most understand why Jottie chose to keep her life of independence. Jottie’s love of Vause Hamilton is too big to let go and Sol will never fill his place. Even though Jottie never marries, she lives life as an independent woman running a house and taking care of her nieces. We all love Jottie’s career later in life as a writer of ghost librarian tales.  

Many of our members like Layla Beck the best because she grows and changes so much. Before coming to Macedonia, Layla does not have the opportunity to explore her writing. When Layla first joins the Works Progress Administration under the Federal Writers’ Project, she cannot understand why she must work and is overly dramatic about her living conditions are like. As Layla gets to know people, especially the Romeyn family she begins to enjoy her assignment. Layla ends up feeling closer to the Romeyns than her own family in Washington D.C.

Layla’s growth as a character surprises most of us. Surprisingly, Layla moves beyond being a spoiled, dramatic, rich girl going through the motions of writing the history of the town. Most did not expect Layla to get to know the townspeople and enjoy the town’s history. We also did not see Emmett Romeyn and Layla marrying. However, we are all glad they fell in love and Layla became part of the Romeyn family.

The twins Mae and Minerva make us all laugh because they cannot live apart from each other during the week. We all wish we knew more about them.

The secondary characters are richly drawn and you feel like Barrows knew these people in real life and incorporate them into her novel. Mrs. Bucklew’s relationship with Willa is unexpected. We did not expect Willa to be a bootlegger like her father and wonder how this relationship came to be.  

Having multiple characters tell the story from their point of view leads to a more well-rounded tale. We see into the minds of Jottie, Layla, and Willa giving us a wider view of the story. Barrows does a nice job providing a different perspective and voice for each character. The mix of prose and letter is an enjoyable touch and adds authenticity to the time and characters.    

The title of this novel is a perfect way to describe the arc of history. The truth of history is dependent upon the person telling it, which Layla discovers repeatedly. Many see their families’ history as the only version. However, other people know more details and the other side of the story, which Layla is happy to write because it adds to the history of the town.   

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our February 2017 selection:

I Will Send Rain 

by Rae Meadows 

I Will Send Rain is an emotional story of an Oklahoma farm family living through Dust Bowl. The members of our group enjoyed this novel. Meadow’s pacing brought the reader into the Dust Bowl slowly. The way Meadow’s develops each character pulls you into a world where each day is a struggle to survive. I Will Find Rain is gritty and raw. You feel for the characters and want it to rain so badly.  

It is hard to imagine the tough farm life. The Bells scrape the dust off a pie then eat it which sounds horrible. Also, none of us can imagine living in a dugout home or going into the cellar with bugs and snakes to protect ourselves.

The Bells are each suffering in their own way and each tries to find a way to forget the hardship. We all understand Annie’s desire to feel feminine and alive again during such a hard time. Her attraction to the Mayor is a way for her to escape the hopeless feeling on the farm. Samuel does not know what to do, so he turns to God and decides to build an arc for the flood that is surely coming. Fred, the eight year old mute boy, is one of our favorite characters. Fred is wise beyond his years and sees things the other characters do not.

Birdie is a typical teenager who wants to find her true love. We all felt sorry for her when her boyfriend Cy moved to California with his family. We all had interesting stories of what happened to Birdie later in life. We appreciate the way this story came full circle for Annie and Samuel. They find their way back to each other because of Birdie’s choice.

The story is wonderfully told through beautiful and stark prose. Fans of William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, and John Steinbeck will enjoy the Bell’s story. 

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our January 2017 selection:

The Atomic Weight of Love 

by Elizabeth J. Church 

The Atomic Weight of Love is an outstanding debut novel. Meridian Wallace puts her dreams of a Masters and PhD. on hold and follows her husband, Alden Whetstone, to Los Alamos, New Mexico where he helps with the atomic bomb. Meridian’s unfinished scholarly work in ornithology leads her to question her life with Alden, who becomes more interested in his work and must lead a rather secretive life. Clay Griffin, a Vietnam veteran, changes the course of Meridian’s life when he teaches her the value of an equal relationship and following your own path. Meridian’s growing interest in women’s liberation and her affair with Clay show how discontent simmers below the surface when potential cannot be fulfilled.

Our members love this story because Meridian is so real. Meridian has dreams, setbacks, hardships. Meridian wants to learn new things and have a partner who loves her for her mind. Her foundation, Wingspan, helped Meridian fulfill her life’s passion for education and helps young girls find their potential.   

We are all surprised Alden is so secretive, even when he did not need to be when talking about mundane things or what Meridian is thinking. Alden is also too controlling with money. He gives Meridian a small allowance to run the household each month. She scrimps and saves to make ends meet; little does she know Alden is a millionaire. When he dies and leaves Meridian an even smaller monthly allowance we were all shocked and happy Meridian fought the trust and won. Alden’s actions towards Meridian did not justify the affair with Clay; but they show us how Meridian is thrilled by Clay’s attention.

The history of this novel shows how far women have come in the past few decades. The best moments of our meeting came from other members discussing how they were treated in the 1960s and 1970s. On a job interview one woman was asked if she was on birth control because the boss was not going to invest time and money in her if she was going to leave in a few months. Another member was asked about having more children because it might interfere with her job. None of the women could open a credit card in their own name; they had to be an authorized user on their husband’s account. Another member was questioned by a bank teller if she was planning on divorcing her husband and would not cash a check he had written for her savings account. These stories demonstrate what it was like to be an American woman not that long ago.   

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our December 2016 selection:

The Boys in the Boat 

by Daniel James Brown 

We had so much to talk about with this amazing book. Our discussion last two hours and we had a great time. The Boys in the Boat is an inspirational story that will stay with you long after you finish reading. This nonfiction adventure is one of the best books I’ve read this year. The University of Washington rowers shows how hard work and teamwork pay off. We all felt these resilient boys had strength and courage beyond what we have today.

The personal stories of our group members will stick with me the most. Hearing about how one member’s grandfather had to leave the house at age 14 because it was too hard to feed growing boys was shocking. Hearing members describe their trips and experiences of living in Germany was very interesting. One member lived in Munich. The people were very different and were not helpful or pleasant to her. Everywhere she went people seemed to think her politeness were an affront to them. Her hilarious stories showed how different our cultures are. 

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our October 2016 selection:

Fates and Furies 

by Lauren Groff

The more we dislike a book, the more there is to talk about! This is definitely the case with Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies. Most of us had to force ourselves to read Fate and Furies. Instead of looking forward to the experience, we were dreading having to read more. Groff’s back-and-forth in time is one of the many reasons this book fails to grab the reader’s attention. The characters in this novel are difficult. Their personalities are different than most characters. They are flawed, narcissists, and in Mathilde’s case sociopathic. Mathilde is too conniving and keeps too many secrets from Lotto for us to trust her.

The book is cut into two sections, “Fates” is Lotto’s section and “Furies” belongs to Mathilde’s life. The order of this novel is important because you see the happy side of the marriage first. Then you see the behind-the-scenes work Mathilde put into the marriage to make things go smoothly. Mathilde’s section is eye-opening because she hides so much of herself. She was born in France, may have killed her brother, was sent to live with her uncle, and became an escort to Ariel to get through college.

Surprisingly we all agree that Lotto and Mathilde have a good marriage and happy life. Mathilde hides so many things from Lotto that he is blissfully ignorant of her entire past, her sterilization, and her ongoing feud with Antoinette, his mother. Had Lotto known all these things we all feel the marriage would have quickly ended. By the end of the novel we feel Mathilde has grown as a character because she does not ruin Chollie’s business. However, this is one of the only times she decides not to wreak havoc on others.

Our discussion is fascinating and many issues including marriage, mental health, and Greek myths are brought up because of this novel. 

Comments from the De Soto Book Discussion Group regarding our August 2016 selection:

The Boston Girl 

by Anita Diamant 

The Boston Girl is a delightful story that none of us were expecting to find so enjoyable. The characters of this novel were richly brought to life through dialogue and action. Diamant pulls you into Addie's life so effortlessly that you do not want to leave. Addie is a smart, plucky, and strong-willed girl who sees the changing role of women first-hand. As the first American born child in her family Addie goes to school, befriends girls from other backgrounds, and finds lifelong friends at the Settlement House’s Saturday Club.

The Boston Girl reads like a biography because of the historical elements throughout. Herman Levine is Addie’s brother-in-law and he helps the whole family through the depression and beyond. Levine is also a great character who helps time and again but does not get recognition from his in-laws for all he does. Levine makes shirts for World War I, two of Addie’s nephews die from the Spanish Influenza, Addie dates a World War II vet, and her husband helps pass Child Labor laws. The historical elements of this novel add so much to the story and we are all enthralled to read about how these big events shaped the lives of our characters.

The group is hurt by Addie’s mother, Memah, because she treats Addie poorly throughout the novel. Some members think Memah was mentally ill. Others wonder if Memah does not like Addie because she is born in America and is flourishing in life, while two of Memah's children die trying to get to the U.S. and Memah blames America for their deaths. Either way Addie has a hard time with her mother. Memah thinks Addie is lazy, stupid, and needs to work harder for her place in the family. Relations between them do not get better with time or after Celia’s death. Celia is such a fragile girl who could not deal with the realities of life and was not prepared to be a wife and mother to two boys. The stress and isolation drove Celia to her death. We wish we knew more about Celia and even Betty who is always there but somewhat of a mystery. But Diamant perfectly shows how an older sister is not always well known, but is there for support. 

Our discussion of this novel is lively, amusing, and we are all happy with this selection.