<p>I’ve enjoyed this discussion, especially the insights about Voice and people’s personal anecdotes. Now I can sound reasonably literate when my own book club discusses The Help in two weeks :). </p>
<p>What is the next book up on the CC reading docket? Is there a list posted somewhere?</p>
<p>Oh Dear!! I went back to read the proposal section. And probably I am just projecting here, but my interpretation was that Skeeter, either consciously or not, set up a situation where Stuart had the opportunity to prove he was the right man for her. He failed. She did everything wrong if her goal was to “catch” him, including her choice of dress for the evening – and revealing the book. If marrying him had been a priority - regardless of his character – she would have behaved very differently.</p>
<p>Am I completely off in left-field? where I usually spend all my time?</p>
<p>alh, and others, I want to thank you again for participating in this discussion.</p>
<p>Alh you wrote-“She (Skeeter) did everything wrong if her goal was to “catch” him”.
I never thought Skeeter wanted the “conventional path”, and Stockert depicted Skeeter, as a young woman who actually 'chose" a career over a man. </p>
<p>Skeeter was a “feminist” before the movement, or even the term emerged.
“The times they were a changin’”, and Skeeter’s character grappled with those Pre-Womans Right’s issues. </p>
<p>Faline- Please promise to come back here after your book discussion, in a couple of days, and share some of your club’s members views of this book.
It will be interesting to read your club report, especially, if you haven’t read this book.</p>
<p>Can someone tell me what the Junior League represents in a Southern community?
What ages are the Junior League members, and are they booted up to the Senior league when they come of age?</p>
<p>I googled the current Jackson, Mississippi’s Junior League, and it still exists and appears to be a integrated community service organization now. </p>
<p>Regarding all the previous CC books, each told an “individual’s” story.
This was the first one with multiple “main” characters, and what a great one it proved to be!</p>
<p>I’m going to join alh in left field. If Skeeter really wants Stuart, she can have him. However, Skeeter makes it clear to Stuart that his behavior on the first date leaves her cold. She pushes him to admit he still has feelings for Patricia the night her family has dinner with his family. I also think Skeeter has more than a fair idea that revealing the book will be the end of Stuart. Instead I think that Stuart overlooks - or rather chooses not to see - the real Skeeter, because he wants a wife and Skeeter might do. Skeeter’s lucky: Stuart’s mother would be the MIL from Hades.</p>
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<p>I thought The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society expressed many first person points of view - though all missives went to Juliet. Loved that book too. </p>
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Maybe … maybe not. The books have all been good, and technically that should be the criterion.</p>
<p>^^ good pt about The Guernsey Literary Society, but I will remember that book as Juliet’s story, and The Help will always be about so much more, than one woman’s life journey.</p>
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<p>^^^^^ Agree ^^^^^</p>
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<p>SouthJerseyChessMom, I’m sitting on my fingers waiting for someone else to answer your question because I already made a pill of myself talking about sororities on another thread.</p>
<p>I do think this League membership is really important in telling us who these women are in their community, at least in that particular time and place.</p>
<p>This discussion has been so much fun. I have to go away for a few days but if you are all still chatting on Monday, I’ll check back in. Thank you, Mary13!</p>
<p>Thanks to SouthJerseyChessMom and Poetsheart for the links. I’m going to be reading them all.</p>
<p>^ ok, we’ll miss you Alh, and I don’t know about your other thread, so please don’t hesitate to share with us. Your perspective is most interesting.</p>
<p>You’re welcome, alh—so glad you joined us. I hope you’ll be back, either for more discussion on The Help or a future CC book. </p>
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<p>Nothing has been selected yet. We’ve been operating on an every other month schedule, which would mean April for our next book. If anyone has specific titles they’ve been dying to read, please post them! (And of course, you’re right ignatius, a good book is a good book…I’m open to anything.)</p>
<p>With regard to Junior League, have you ever seen the Julia Roberts movie “Something to Talk About”? There is an excellent portrayal of the dynamic of what Junior League would have been about in a Southern town at that time. Callie (Carolyn) Khouri was the screenwriter for that film (and had previously won the Oscar for Thelma and Louise). Carolyn is from my hometown and that is why the League in that movie is called Charity League instead of Junior League because that is what we have. It’s essentially the same thing except that we have no national affiliation.<br>
While vastly different now, it was quite the big deal years ago and new members would have their pictures in the paper once tapped for membership. The League raised (still raises) quite a bit of money for our local Easter Seal Society and several other charities and with so many professional women involved now, the social aspect is diminished. However, in the 1960s (and even through my membership years in the 1980s), League membership was an important social activity. Few women worked outside the home, so Charity League provided a social outlet through volunteering and signaled acceptance in the community. In my mother’s generation (1960s) it wasn’t uncommon for members to utilize their help to assist with the less desirable chores of the League, primarily cleaning the League house after the weekly bridge game which consisted of a group of heavy smokers. Many heated words were exchanged at my first League activity because one member accused another of shirking her duty by sending her handyman to assist with spring cleaning (unfairly because the member accused was present in addition to the handyman). By the time I was in, it was clearly understood that you might have help at home, but you cleaned the League house yourself.
The advent of two income families have changed the dynamic in my town and I believe in others as well. The selection process is no longer secretive and selective and young women can now initiate the application process. In my organization, after serving for 5 years, you can elect associate status which allows you to still attend the annual banquet and to stay apprised of League activities, but no more selling tickets to Snowball or Follies, no more collecting “treasures” for the Bargain Fair, and no more chores.</p>
<p>2VU0609, thank you. Your explanation clarifies a lot for me (and I’ve seen “Something to Talk About,” so that helps too). I understand Celia’s motives better now. There were times—such as after her umpteenth unreturned phone call to Hilly—when I wondered where was her pride? Her self-esteem? Why couldn’t she just find another group of women friends? But now I see that the Junior League was the be-all and end-all, and if she wasn’t accepted there, she’d always be “the white trash girl,” as Minny put it. In that respect, the future doesn’t look too bright for Celia. She doesn’t have a prayer of being welcomed into the Junior League; she can’t have children, so it’s not like she can turn her attention to raising a family; she lives at a time when working outside the home isn’t really acceptable; she is lacking an extended family support network; and she doesn’t have much of an education. She’s got Johnny’s money, but even so, she’s facing a pretty lonely life.</p>
<p>I have enjoyed each of the four cc book club books I’ve read so far. I do hope to read Dreamers of the Day at some point; I’m less certain about Sarah’s Key. Anyway, the books chosen so far have been really good. Kudos to Mary13 and all who suggested books.</p>
<p>I have read none of the books listed below, but all have been highly recommended to me - in some cases, by more than one person. Mary13 suggested stretching ourselves a bit, so I listed some nonfiction choices first.</p>
<p>Nonfiction:
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard</p>
<p>Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson</p>
<p>The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson</p>
<p>What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell <em>Collection of essays</em></p>
<p>Fiction (male authors):
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and Reg Keeland</p>
<p>The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley</p>
<p>A few of these books are listed on [Reviews</a> of Books - Book Reviews](<a href=“http://www.reviewsofbooks.com%5DReviews”>http://www.reviewsofbooks.com) so you can check out a variety of reviews.</p>
<p>Hmm, while looking to see which books might be reviewed at the above site, I noticed The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. I delved further and found an interview on Amazon (mid-page) between Sarah Blake and Kathryn Stockett:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The Postmistress (9780399156199): Sarah Blake: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/dp/0399156194/?tag=reviewsofbooks1-20&link_code=as3&creative=373489&camp=211189]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/dp/0399156194/?tag=reviewsofbooks1-20&link_code=as3&creative=373489&camp=211189)</p>
<p>Maybe we don’t need to stretch ourselves :). (One of the reviews also refers to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society). Does anyone know anything about The Postmistress?</p>
<p>Again, I’ve read none of these books, so I really have no idea whether or not any would be a good book choice for the cc book club. I just thought I’d start the discussion on choice of next book by throwing out some titles.</p>
<p>^^ I think you’d like Dreamers of Day- try to get to it. I bought it for my MIL this Christmas.</p>
<p>Ignatius, sorry, I can’t offer an opinion about any of the books listed above, because I haven’t read any. I have zipped through a couple of Malcolm Gladwell’s books. </p>
<p>Am half way through Isabel Allende’s The House of Spirits for RL book club. Not suggesting this one, just letting you know I do read something ;)</p>
<p>Devil in the White City is a very interesting book on the building of the Chicago’s World Fair - 1893 - so inspiring about the men who worked so hard to brin it to fruition…that said, it is a very depressng book - revolting - in alternate chapters about the mass murderer.</p>
<p>My bookclub reads The Help in April.</p>
<p>March is The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery.</p>
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<p>All good choices, ignatius. Do you have a preference? I would go with anything you select (thus ensuring that there are at least two of us discussing!!) One exception: I would eliminate The Devil in the White City because I’ve already read it and didn’t like it enough to give it a second go-round. Ditto what memphismom said.</p>
<p>bookworm, I gave my daughter The Elegance of the Hedgehog for Christmas. I haven’t read it yet, but plan to at some point. Let us know how your March group likes it!</p>
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<p>Okay - Devil in the White City eliminated. </p>
<p>However, eeek … I can’t … eeek … select the next book. I thought I’d just start the discussion of titles. Whoever selected the others - Mary13? - needs to select again. Anyway, the discussion of titles has begun; others need to chime in about the ones listed and include other titles. Perhaps cost and availability should play a part in the choice also.</p>
<p>Has anyone tried Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Pessl? Very nice, told from the point of view of a teenage girl.</p>
<p>^ Yes, I read it and enjoyed it. It was a nice mix of being a “fun” read, while still raising a lot of complex issues about friendship, family loyalty, and the virtue–or not–of being honest with the people you love.</p>
<p>I was tempted by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but looking over the reviews at Amazon, phrases such as the following kept jumping out at me: “series of horrible crimes”…”shocking sexual violence”…”gratuitously graphic sadism.” I think I might be too squeamish for this one. If I’ve jumped to conclusions, somebody who has read it can set me straight.</p>
<p>Another possibility: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zaf</p>