Twelve of us met at Beni's Trattoria in Garnerville to discuss Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain. It was so wonderful to welcome Maureen Degnan as a new bookworm, and welcome back Diana Perez - the returning bookworm. Maria Rego rejoined us too, back from Florida. Thank you Miggy for popping in to visit before your Florida trip! I'm happy that most seemed to really enjoy the book. I loved it for the historical fiction elements, as well as the warm, believable characters and a great story. And, I'm a sucker for a happy ending!
The story was told in the voices of Ivy Hart and Jane Forrester - two seemingly very different women - but as it turned out they shared many things in common. Family values, social economic status, male/female relationships were some of the many topics talked about. We also discussed the surprising facts of forced sterilization - in the U.S. (including California, Pennsylvania and North Carolina), Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, China, Peru and other places in the United States and around the world. Some of the facts were shocking - In 1968 up to 1/3 of Puerto Rican women were sterilized. What a relief that the book ended on a happy note in so many ways.
We made text to self connections. As we went around the table, we all discussed #metoo. With one exception, we all experienced some kind of sexual advances as young girls or women. Yet none of us told our parents or any adult. Hopefully, the world is different now, than it was for us back then.
If you weren't there we missed you -- hope to see everyone on November 13, when Myrna will lead the discussion on The Two Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman.
XXOO,
Robin L.
Hi Bookworms,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely gathering we had.Thank you Robin for hosting. I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't wait to get in my car to listen to the CD. I learned so much regarding the Eugenics program. So much abuse and justification for it. It's great that there are people who fight for justice and human rights!!! I enjoyed our sharing and #me too. The incident I shared as a little girl has never been erased from my mind, I thank God that it didn't affect me deeply. I pray for many women that have been assaulted and continue to struggle with the memory and pain. We are so fortunate women and I look forward to our continued meetings and discussions. We too can make a difference. Blessings Ladies,
Mary
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to get together as always! I really enjoyed the book, but was horrified by how truthful the information in it was. I guess I never knew much about forced sterilization and how widespread it was in the US. Thanks Robin for a wonderfully enlightening and truly eye opening meeting. It was also amazing to have us bare our souls in a #metoo discussion, truly incredible! Welcome, Maureen and welcome back Diana! See you soon!
Hi everyone ,
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see you all as usual. Welcome Maureen to our book club. I really enjoyed the book and was glad to learn about a new topic. Although it is sad to know that this actually existed I am glad to learn that some people have the opportunity to make a difference. I am hopeful and believe there are still advocates out there to speak up when they find rules and regulations that need not be followed when they will harm helpless people.Sharing our experiences was also eye opening in knowing that we often have in common more than we know. Until next month!!!