
A few days ago, my book club met to discuss ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN: THE JOURNALS OF MAY DODD by Jim Fergus. I think our group would agree that ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN was a fantastic discussion book. Everyone really enjoyed and appreciated the story, and we found so much to talk about. I'd say it was one of our top discussion meetings.
I knew it was going to be fun to dissect each of the characters and their actions, and it certainly was. I found it very interesting how each of us perceived their behaviors; and at times, there was even a little bit of disagreement -- nothing heated of course! I think everyone liked how the women managed to adapt to their new environment in different ways (although we did question how quickly they seemed to immerse themselves in the culture.)
Since ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN is historical fiction, I think it's natural that our discussion eventually led to the feasibility of the book. There were certain parts of the story that just didn't ring true to some of us. In addition, we talked about whether the author (who was male) realistically portrayed a female character and some of her thoughts.
I don't think you can read ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN and not be affected by what our country did to the Native Americans. We spend quite a bit of time shaking our heads and questioning how it all happened; and we even found it interesting that many of our kids are studying Native Americans and not getting the entire story.

Next month's meeting will also be our annual Holiday one where we each bring a wrapped book (new or used) and exchange them. I always enjoy seeing what books everyone brings, and I have been known to steal them from my friends!!!
Summary: Julia Child single handedly awakened America to the pleasures of good cooking with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she didn't know the first thing about cooking when she landed in France.
Indeed, when she first arrived in 1948 with her husband, Paul, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever. Julia's unforgettable story unfolds with the spirit so key to her success as as a cook and teacher and writer, brilliantly capturing one of the most endearing American personalities of the last fifty years. -- Anchor
7 comments:
I haven't seen the movie, but I LOVED My Life in France!! J'adore Julia Child! On the other hand, I couldn't finish Julie & Julia...blech!
Carl read My Life and France and talked about it the whole time. I had to keep telling him to stop because I want to read it too.
I loved My Life in France. I actually had to read it for a law school class (I know, right?) and I'm so glad I did.
One Thousand White Women looks very interesting.
My Life in France is a great read. Julia Child was an amazing woman and a real pioneer not only in the cooking world, but in women's rights. It's a fantastic book and I'm jealous you get to read it and discuss it with a book group. Oh, how I wish I had one of those!!!
My book club is discussing the Julia Child book on 12/1 - I look forward to seeing what you think about it!
I told my family My Life in France is one of the book ideas on my Christmas list!
I have this book and have not gotten around to reading it but I picked it up in a neighborhood coffee shop that leaves books on a shelf for customers to swap in and out.
Post a Comment