<p>Hello everyone! The CC Summer Book Club is now the CC All-Season Book Clubwe have decided to continue with our reading, at a slightly more leisurely pace, through the school year. </p>
<p>The next selection is American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. Because the book is a bit longer than our previous choices, and because September schedules are often busy, we will not begin discussion until October 15th. That may seem far away, but its really not the Halloween decorations just went up at my neighborhood store!</p>
<p>I read that book last winter. It is well written, but the characters and plot are too close to the Bush family, which was disconcerting, because the fact and fiction are so blurred together. The author is great at writing snappy dialog, and there are some vivid characters and scenes.</p>
<p>A better book by Curtis Sittenfeld is “Prep”.</p>
<p>I just finished The Shack by William Young. Had mixed feelings about it. I felt that in trying to abolish tired stereotypes of God (white man with white beard and flowing garments), the author fell back on other tired stereotypes (big black woman who cooks up greens and says things like, “sho’ nuff”). I’ve also never been a fan of dream sequences, in either books or movies. Even though Mack’s experience was “real,” it read like a dream sequence and my attention wandered from time to time. On the other hand, any book that causes people (many people, if the number of holds at my library is any indication) to examine their relationship to God and to each other can’t be all bad. Young does raise some thought-provoking (although ultimately unanswerable) questions.</p>
<p>But I digress. I really bumped up this thread for those who might have missed it the first time around, and who would like to join us for our October discussion of American Wife. There’s lots of reading time left—discussion does not begin until October 15th. You might find it a welcome change from the Parent Cafe of late. Our recent threads have dwelt on a murdered student, another student who accidentally killed someone, a false accusation of gang rape, the execution of a sniper, fatal diseases, dementia, and the death of several notable celebrities. So think about curling up with a good book instead.</p>
<p>Hear hear! I read this in hardcover when it first came out. Loved it. I have since given that one away and just went out and rebought in paperback. Am re-reading on vacation next week for 10/15. I’m hoping to get my IRL book club to read it too so that it can be a twofer.<br>
I highly recommend this book.</p>
<p>I’m about half way through. I keep picturing George and Laura in my mind and just don’t see them being so intimate so early in their relationship. Maybe I’m just a prude.</p>
<p>Guess I’m in the prude club, too, Suzukimom. I’m not as far as you, but I had the same reaction to her guilt/grief-driven relationship with Andrew’s brother. No way, I thought, would Laura respond that way. And she probably didn’t. I had to keep reminding myself: This is fiction. It’s not Laura; it’s Alice!</p>
<p>Yea - that whole Pete Imhof thing was weird. It’s sometimes hard to separate fact from fiction. The book is fiction. I have to keep reminding myself too. The parallels to the Bush family are Laura’s job as a librarian and George from a well to do family that has a family estate in a resort area and who is involved with politics. Laura didn’t have a tragic event when she was 17, did she? I hope not. </p>
<p>I guess I should save all this until October 15. Sorry!</p>
<p>Actually, Laura Bush did have a tragic event that was very similar to what’s described in American Wife. </p>
<p>From Wikipedia: “In 1963, Laura ran a stop sign resulting in a fatal car accident that killed her friend in another car. The driver of the other car was her classmate Michael Dutton Douglas. According to the accident report released by the city of Midland, neither driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and no charges were filed. According to Bush’s spokesperson, ‘It was a very tragic accident that deeply affected the families and was very painful for all involved, including the community at large. To this day, Mrs. Bush remains unable to talk about it.’”</p>
<p>I think it’s o.k. to sneak a bit of conversation in before the 15th. It’s just a little background info, not spoilers. :)</p>
<p>I have American Wife out from our library…just started Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and will read American Wife next…so I will be able to participate on the 15th of October… thanks Mary13 for staying on this…</p>
<p>maineparent, please let us know how you liked “Girl”-- it’s one of those books that I look at and think I should like it but just haven’t got past the looking stage!</p>
<p>I was really surprised by American Wife. Strange there were so many things I didn’t know about Laura Bush…</p>
<p>Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is really fantastic! But, I got to a certain point in the middle of the night and just had to read right through to morning cuz there was no hope of falling asleep. Still, pretty riveting.</p>