It was great to be together again at book club this month. Thank you Debbie for hosting. It was a wonderful evening. Again, we enjoyed a book with a very strong woman. It is an incredible story of love and perseverance and how our love for our family can get us through anything. If you didn’t get a chance to read this book, we would highly recommend it. We must give credit to Mike Mullin for his wonderful swan centerpiece. It was truly a work of art. Thanks so much!
Margaret passed this message from a friend of hers to all of you:
I heard a radio announcement from Gonzaga University that Greg Mortensen, the author of the book "Three cups of tea" will be in Spokane on March 28th at Gonzaga University Athletic building at 7:00 p.m.
Very Cool. We read that book and all enjoyed his story. Thanks Margaret for letting us know.
Our next book club meeting will be hosted by Jane Bishop on Wednesday March 30th at 7 pm. Her pick is:
The riveting memoirs of one of the great moral & political figures of our time, an international hero whose accomplishments won him the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. Mandela shares the epic story of his life--its struggles, setbacks, & ultimate triumph.
A goodreads review:
This excellent autobiography details the struggles against apartheid in South Africa spanning almost 80 years. It is hard to believe that the first non-racial, one-person, one-vote election in South Africa took place as recently as April 27, 1994. Nelson Mandela chronicles the hardship and sacrifice that he and many, many others made to ensure the existence of that election and the subsequent establishment of true democracy in that country. My motivation in reading this book was to understand better how a man could be imprisoned, abused, isolated from his family and friends for 27 years and come out of prison preaching forgiveness and reconciliation. He was able to do this because the government never broke Mandela's spirit or his basic belief in the common goodness and humanity of each human being. Mandela tells the reader at the very beginning that he is a stubborn man -- that stubbornness, along with his iron will, his trust in true friends, his love for his family and his sense of dedication to the people of his country carried him through very difficult times. South Africa was blessed to have this man -- he & his associates kept South Africa from descending into violence and civil war. As the head of a transitional government, he managed to steer South Africa into a multi-racial, united country that values the culture, language and unique heritage of all of the people that live there.
This book is highly readable and well written. Mandela writes with humility and understands his faults. He makes clear that because he was a freedom fighter he gave up the ultimate joy that comes from being part of a loving, united family. He blames himself for the failures within his family, primarily his two divorces and being an absent father. So while this book is about the ultimate triumph of his & the cause of Black, Colored, and Indian South Africans, it is also a story of loss and heartache.
Enjoy your reading this month. Here are a few recommendations from our book club:
Richer by India by Myra Scovel
Matched by Ally Condie
An Epic Polar Adventure: Endurance by F.A. Worsley. This was Jenna’s pick for March but we will need to reschedule her hosting month.
We also had some ideas about purchasing books. Some of these will be for electronic copies. Try GoHastings.com or Fetchbook.com or ebookfling.com
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