Janet Levine
Title and Author: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler Genre: Science Fiction
Why did you choose this book? Octavia Butler was recommended to me by a book club-member friend. Although I have traditionally avoided science fiction, I started exploring the genre over the past few years with very positive results. I chose this particular book because it takes place in antebellum Eastern Shore Maryland.
What is it about? The book follows a 1970’s African American woman as she is intermittently pulled from her LA home across time and place to her ancestral home. There she meets her ancestors, both white and black, enslaver and enslaved. She comes to understand that her role is to protect her ancestors so that they can create an important link in her ancestral chain.
What does this book do well? What qualities does it have that are unique, interesting or exceptional? The author succeeds in forcing us, through the experiences of her protagonist Dana, to confront the expectations for black women, either free or enslaved, in a society riven by slavery. We come to understand how one copes when living in a cruel, racist, misogynistic society. It is a compelling story.
What is your next read, and why? I am currently starting to reread Home Fire by Kamala Shamsie for a book club discussion. It is a moving story about love and family and obligation.
Tell us about yourself in one sentence. I am a lifelong joyous reader, never forgetting the wonder I experienced so long ago when I realized the pleasure one could get by reading a book. (Janet Levine, lives on W. Lanvale St.)
Susan Haun
Title and Author: The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar Genre: Fiction
Why did you choose this book? We were on a trip in Medellin, Colombia. when our taxi driver mentioned that this was one of his favorite books and suggested I read it.
What is it about? A young man returns home to India, after living in the United States since attending a university, to adopt a baby and to see his mother for whom he harbors strong resentment – before it’s too late.
What does this book do well? What qualities does it have that are unique, interesting or exceptional? It is a very gripping novel portraying the things that his mother lived through that he was unaware of. It demonstrates how circumstances in life can make you do things that you would have never done in other situations. And it makes you really feel for both of the main characters. I found the story heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking.
What is your next read, and why? I have not decided yet.
Tell us about yourself in one sentence. I am a recent retiree who enjoys physical activity, healthy eating, playing games, reading, traveling, meeting new people, and learning new things. (Susan Huan lives on Wilson Street)
