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Bookclub session 4/11/99
Place:
Charlene's apartment, San Francisco
Food:
yummy Salmon, crackers and some weird salad
Attendees:
Charlene, Branko, Soyeba, Holger
Minutes:
(Note: the text below the line is provided by Charlene - and is unedited!)
Warning: This list comes filtered though the author's lens. If you have any complaints
about the order in which books are listed, opinions expressed, or recommendations made,
too bad! Okay, you can rectify it by volunteering to be the secretary of next months
meeting! Until then, you are all subjected to my opinions!
After a rough slow start, the two unruly members (you know who you are) finally started
to behave like educated grow-ups. We initially came up with a list of books. In the end,
we agreed on a more interesting (and meaningful) list of qualities/characteristics to base
our book selections on. Specifically, the qualities are:
- EXPAND OUR LITERARY HORIZON. We don't discriminate base on race, age, gender, or mortal
status, however, books by dead-white-men are discouraged. (However, dead, white, or men
are okay; but not all three together in one author at the same time). This is because most
of what we read (or shall I say, forced to read) in school were written by dead-white-men.
- We love CONTROVERSY- why do you think it took us an hour to decide on the list?! So, we
want to read books - non-fiction and fiction - which are controversial, and even banned!
But you'll have to answer to me if you want to read any Asian/PRChina/female bashing
books. Trust me, it won't be pretty!
- DIVERSITY! This is a repeat of #1, or a kinder, gentler reframing of #1. We want to read
books that re/present different voices: authors from different racial, cultural, ethnic,
political, gender, age, religious, economic, backgrounds/views/experience. Since all of us
at the last meeting were all "foreigners," for better or worse, we all
appreciated "immigrant stories."
- Related to #3: We don't discriminate against NON-FICTION or fiction either. Some of us
have a like non-fictions - biographies and autobiographies, social
research/critique/public policy/civil rights/education (yes, can't you tell I'm a
bleeding-heart liberal from DC?!). Others are more avid fiction read. Let's expand each
other's horizon!
So, here's the initial list of books we came up with. Remember this was the very very
initial rough sketch of a list of books in no particular order. I am sure some of the
books on the list will not make the next cut, and others will take their place. So, bring
your additions/deletions to the next meeting at Branko's place:
- Memoir of a Geisha
- Dreams of my Russian Summer (autobiography)
- Einstein's Dream
- George Stepenapalous (??) books (title, Paul??)
- God of Smaller Things - Arundhati Roy
- Books by Toni Morrison
- Books by Garcia Marquez
- Stories/Books by Lu Hsun, including stories of Ah Q!
- History of Humanity
- Books by Anne Rand
- Lost in Translation (autobiography/social-linguistic analysis by Eva Hoffman)
- Book by Houston Smith.
- Book by Jonathon Livingston Seagull
- Book by Richard Back
- Short stories by Tolsky
- Bridges of Madison County (I take no part in recommending this! Okay, I guess we need
one book about middle America!)
- Color Matters (Cornell West)
- Enemies, a Love Story (Isaac Bashevis Singer)
There you have it, the List!!! Now go read!
Charlene |
