Women From Away

Year Three Retreat:

Nominations for 2016-2017 season

September 9-11, 2016 Canmore, AB

2016-1017 year! 2017! That is wild! How do we still not have hover boards?!? On to the crew's book nominations for the new season. I thought to set it up a little bit differently this year. Opposed to hyperlinking the book's image to Goodreads reviews, we are adding a little blurb as to why we want to recommend the book. A more personal approach, I think!

Category One: Books Women From Away Love

I read this book last year and loved it. All of her books are amazing but this one really stood out for me. It's a love story between Ifemelu and Obinze that becomes complicated when Ifemelu leaves Nigeria for America leaving Obinze behind. It follows both their stories as they continue their lives in separate countries. It talks a lot about what race means in America. CNA is such a beautiful writer and I loved reading it and would love to talk about it with everyone!

I am not sure I can say that I was obsessed with Little Women growing up because I don't think I even read the book! But I was really into watching and re-watching the movie. I was fascinated with Jo!

This book covers all the bases! It has a strong female character (Francie Nolan) and it follows her as she grows up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. It was written by Betty Smith in 1943. A classic coming-of-age story about a young girl, it vividly depicts life in that particular time and place. I loved this book: Francie Nolan, the story, the setting, the author's own biography. It is one of those books that sent me to google to find out more because I wasn't ready for it to be finished.

Natalie Goldberg is an author I found this year, her words inspired me to write more. “Writing down the Bones” is all about creativity. The main focus being the creative writing process with a bit of Zen Spirituality thrown in. I read “Long Quiet Highway” by Goldberg this summer and ever since have been eager to read this, her most famous publication. I think we would all enjoy the wisdom of Goldberg, and also find ourselves inspired to write and be creative! It is a type of book we haven’t quite explored yet as a book club, more than a “how-to” on writing with a bit of spirituality.

When I first started reading Daring Greatly at one point I stopped and said "I hate you Brene Brown!" Well I think I used much stronger language...but whatever. This book messed with my long standing worldview that to be vulnerable meant you were weak and to show emotion meant you didn't have it together. Brene weaves personal stories with years of shame/vulnerability research to make this a game changer - not a self-help book. It takes real courage to be vulnerable and to read this book with an open mind can tangibly impact how you interact with those around you. Hands down the best book I've ever read.

Circa 1950's Southern lit with terrific characters, clever dialog and a story that hooks from page one. This is my idea of a book that is the full package – great character development, great setting, captivating from the very beginning, pushes all your emotional buttons, tragic, but manages to lift your spirits in the end! And to be honest, it really affected me. It is one of the only books that has ever given me goosebumps or made me cry. I’m not sure I can pin down exactly what it was that did it for me – maybe how wrapped up I got in the characters, maybe the intensity of the scenes, but it also could have been this idea about faith and believing in something bigger than yourself and the idea of miracles! I’m not sure… but I would love to see if this book touches any of you guys the same way it touched me.

Ok, put aside the idea of a cheesy movie starring Javier Bardem... Before LITTOC this was a Blockbuster hit it was an acclaimed book. Essentially this is a story about Ariza Florentino, who after being rejected by his true love at a young age, devotes his adult life to carnal affairs to heal his broken heart. But let's be clear - this book isn't really about the plot, or even love for that matter. On the contrary, it's about jealousy, desire, obsession, despair, civilization, disease, poverty, class and wealth, and ultimately for me: incredible, transportive writing.

Oprah has called LITTOC the "most romantic" book she's ever read. Other cite that this idea of "romance" is everything that's wrong with relationships today. Romantic or damaging? I want to know what the Women From Away think.

The first time I read this book I was looking to read a dark female story. At this time in my life though I am less interested in that line I am interested still in Atwood's early storytelling skill as opposed to her later science fiction works. This is the second novel she wrote, it's a short read and there is a lot to learn under the surface... Themes of Canadian nationalism, gender identity (specifically the marginalization of women), loss of family and the mystery of wilderness.

I really want to read this because it has been recommended by several different people, and on a purely aesthetic note, the cover is beautiful. The title may lead you to believe it is all about baseball, but it really isn’t. I’ve heard that basic knowledge of baseball will increase you liking this. (Like where does the short stop stand.. ) But anyways, don’t let that deter you. it has been often related to Middlesex so I think it has a great tie in to a book we have read before. There are a lot of male relationships so it might be an interesting contrast to some of our feminist books. Lots of reviews by women said they loved the male characters and wanted to be friends with them, for whatever that is worth.

Category Two: Historical Fiction

This book takes place in France in WW2 and follows two sisters as they try to fight the German occupation of France, each in their own way. It was inspired by the story of a Belgian woman named Andree de Jongh who helped downed allied pilots escape Nazi territory. It also has a rating of 4.53 on Goodreads! (Not that that matters :)) I read this last year as well and loved it. I thought the characters were well written and that it was an overall amazing story.

This story is a bit interesting in that it is set in plantation slave era USA, but from the perspective of a white orphanage living as a "house slave”.

I have had this book on my nightstand for the last few months and I really want to read it. Unfortunately life has gotten in the way, which is the only reason it remains unopened. It book looks so good. It is the story of two young people in World War II - a blind young french girl who is fleeing the Nazis, and a young German orphan who is drafted into the Hitler Youth. Lots of the reviews I've read say that this is an excellently crafted and written story and that the characters really connect with the reader.

A novel about a young Scottish woman during the Nazis occupation in France. Cate Blanchett starred in this movie made in 2001 and I've wanted to read the book ever since. The book not only dives into the history of the German's occupation of France in WW2 but also includes espionage and intrigue, with a woman as our hero!

Lord of the Flies was pretty contentious...so I have a feeling his second book would be a great group read. The story follows a family of Neanderthals as they first meet Homo sapiens and how they interact. It's told through the eyes of one of the younger Neanderthals and raises lots of questions for the reader such as: were Homo sapiens really the superior race? We see the ultimate demise of the Neanderthals (spoiler alert???) and get a unique perspective on this rather mysterious part of history.

This book is about the last instance of capital punishment in Iceland in 1829. It is a true story written as a fiction novel from the point of view of a woman awaiting her imminent death. My mom says it is very dark and bleak... but I think I might just like that kind of book. I have a friend who wrote a thesis paper on this book and raved about it. It addresses so many different themes – societal and family pressures on women, class struggle, racism, sexism, capital punishment… etc. I think it could spark a lot of very interesting historical discussions and also ties in our feminism category! Also – there is a movie called “Agnes” from 1995 which we could watch as a group after reading the book and I’ve heard rumors that Jennifer Lawrence may be starring in a new version…

Set in the Ottoman Empire, this multicultural story revolves around a small Anatolian town comprised of Muslim Turks, Christian Greeks, and Armenians who live together in relative harmony. When WW1 breaks out, the peaceful cohabitation is turned on its head. In our modern-day times of ISIS, terrorist attacks, and hate-crimes, I am curious to read about how neighbours of different religions and races struggle through forced exile and genocide in culture founded on mutual respect, friendship, and inter-marriage. Emotionally captivating, intellectually interesting, and filled with humour and sorrow, one GR contributor writes that this book has a message: "It looks at people and life and it says loud and clear how stupid we human beings are and how wonderful too!”

I haven't read this book but have always wanted to. It is Boyden's first novel and is a mix between historical fiction and his own family narratives. Set in 1919 after WWI in northern Ontario, France and Belgium. Two narratives in the story both trying to untangle stories of their family, of the past and of their current life. Three day road is a story about journey, inspired in part by real-life aboriginal World War I heroes Francis Pegahmagabow and John Shiwak.

How did a city which was once America's richest become is't poorest?

*Laura's note: just realizing now that the category is historical fiction... This book is most definitely non fiction, but I'ma leave it here anyways :)

Category Three: Feminist Literature

A book about a high school freshman who was sexually assaulted at a party and how she comes to find her voice to talk about what happened. I though this would be a good topic, especially since there has been so much talk recently about rape and jail time in the media. This is also a young adult book and it would be interesting to see how the author presents a topic like this to a younger audience.

Full disclosure: Carrie Brownstein is my spirit animal. Her work on Portlandia is hilarious and her fashion sense is everything but (what I gather from reviews) none or very little of that side of her is overtly present. I know I also wanted to stay away from memoirs this year because they are so challenging to critique, buuuut I think this could be a representation of the frustrations I have with how feminism is portrayed and how we each portray it in the world. Punk Rock/Hardcore/Metal music have played a huge role in my life and I am often frustrated that the feminist messaging isn't portrayed in the mainstream as much (and the reasons for that!). As Brownstein points out the rise of Riot Grrrl (Bikini Kill, Hole) also became popular at the same time as the Spice Girls, which I think parallels the "Kardashian" brand of empowerment and feminism that is controversial now.

I remember when Malala was shot - it was all over the news and I was one amongst so many who was shocked at the fact that the Taliban so brazenly targeted a child. I don't know why this story in particular stuck with me - maybe it is because Malala stayed in the news as they documented her recovery and then as she began her work championing education for girls. Maybe it is because this story really highlights the fact that gender equality still has a long way to go in the world. I am in awe of the person that Malala has become, and I would love to read her account of what happened and what brought her to where she is today.

I have always been fascinated with body image and how we have been forced to conform to someone else's ideals. I found pregnancy especially liberating as I was surrounded by a community of women who did not care what they looked like, pregnant or post partum but began to embrace their bodies for what they are and what they are capable of. I would love to see all women start to see their bodies as beautiful and I would love to read this as a way to see how this change in how we see our bodies was first introduced.

Virginia Woolf’s most popular work, and my favourite piece by her. She weaves together the lives of eight individuals and stretches them out over a life span. The writing is poignant, witty and beautiful. How much more feminist can we get with Virginia Woolf? I love Virginia Woolf so much and if you haven’t had a chance to read any of her works before, now is a perfect time!

Despite being written 25 years ago this book is just as relevant today as it was then. Although women have increasing power in society the pressures on women to be perfect also continue to grow. The feelings of failure when these levels of perfection aren't achieved are reinforced and this ultimately leads to women not being able to actually achieve equality in society. It's a must read for women to start challenging our ingrained notions of what being a woman means and how to respond to increasing unrealistic stereotypes.

This was written by the same writer as The Kite Runner and my favourite out of his books. Set in Kabul over the last 30 years or so - it’s the story of two women growing up in Afghanistan and how their lives intersect. I would say the main theme of the book is life for women in Afghanistan and it was incredibly eye-opening first time I read it. Hosseini visited Afghanistan in 2003, and "heard so many stories about what happened to women, the tragedies that they had endured, the difficulties, the gender-based violence that they had suffered, the discrimination, the being barred from active life during the Taliban, having their movement restricted, being banned essentially from practicing their legal, social rights, political rights". This motivated him to write a novel centred on two Afghan women. He says the book is about love and family and he calls it a mother-daughter story. I personally think this is a must read for any feminist... or any person I should say!

To be perfectly honest, this book caught my eye at Indigo some time ago because I was intrigued by the title (and cover)! Though after some of the more feminist-inspired tales we have read at bookclub I began to question – why does a female, who may or may not choose to live an unmarried life, get titled a “Spinster”? I thought it would be interesting to read this narrative about how to “live independently, with cues from an assortment of non-traditional women” and “the joys of solitude”. I look forward to hearing the various perspectives from our group of diverse marital statuses, life experiences, and opinions.

“What’s surprising about “Spinster” is how … the book sets forth a clear vision not just for single women, but for all women: to disregard the reigning views of how women should live, to know their own hearts and to carve out a little space for their dreams, preferably a space with 11-foot ceilings”.

A series of essays written by Gay, published in 2014. She covered cultural topics as well as her own personal experiences. She speaks to the tension of loving some things that go against traditional feminism and where she finds herself in the modern day. Her back and forth struggle to understand a Feminist perspective through race, politics, sexual violence, body image, celebrities, etc.

Lean in is a book by the female COO of Facebook. It could be a good conversation book to add to the feminist category. It was a huge best seller and praised by Oprah, but also criticized heavily for being "faux feminism" or commercialized feminism.

Year Three Book Seven:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing by Maya Angelou

June 2nd, 2016

Overall rating: 3.8/5

Amy: I rated I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing 5/5! Why has it taken so long for me to read this one! Thank you Lacey for suggesting it and to WFA for voting for it! I will try to keep my thoughts short and succinct because I could comment on most chapters individually.

I think because this book focuses mostly on Angelou's youth, the idea of childhood oppression or a child's lack of agency really sticks out. Maya didn't get to choose to live with her Grandmother in Stamps, didn't get to choose to go back to her parents and back and forth.

"It was the same old quandary. I had always lived it. There was an army of adults, whose motives and movements I just couldn't understand and who made no effort to understand mine" (Ch. 11)

Aside from that, race and the dehumanization of black people in the South bares a lot of the same injustice that is common decades after this book was published. Chapter 18 and 23 made me cry in the telling of dirty, tired people returning from working cotton fields but cleaning themselves up to gather for an all night revival meeting to invigorate themselves to face their masters with "charity" which speaks to a level of resilience I will never understand and that such heavy topics of race and discrimination coloured and shaped Angelou's story.

"People whose history and future were threatened each day by extinction considered that it was only by divine intervention that they were able to live at all." (Ch.18)

"I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standards and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at a commensurate speed." (Ch. 18)

It was like the community was so tired and broken that these communal gathering to sing and encourage each other were vital to facing the next day and all the possibilities for violence they were expecting to encounter.

Chapter 23 had a similar moment when the Graduation speech turned into a "remind them of their place" situation and again, sings the Negro Anthem helped centre themselves again to face daily opposition. Which is maybe what spurred Angelou to go on to become San Francisco's first Tram Driver?!?

Overall, super heavy read and the poetry of the writing made it easier to absorb compared to books like Roots or Twelve Years a Slave.

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