Now Reading in Albuquerque

Participants at the South Broadway Library will be discussing Beloved by Toni Morrison, on Saturday, December 17, from 2-3:30 pm.     

Intro to John Cheever and Questions for Goodbye, My Brother

Hello everyone!  I am writing this post as a brief biography and background about John Cheever and am giving you a few questions about the first story we are discussing.

John Cheever was born on May 27, 1912, in Quincy, Massachusetts. His father owned a shoe factory until he lost it due to the Great Depression of the 1930s (a time of severe economic hardship). His mother owned a gift shop and supported the family with the shop's profits.

The style of writing that John Cheever is known for follows the plot line:  the characters are good people who begin life with a sense of well-being and order. Later that order and well-being are stripped away and never quite fully restored.  These are themes that inundate a genre of literature known as "Cheever country."

In the end Cheever could not fit the image he carefully developed for himself— much like the fictional characters he created. John Cheever died of cancer on June 18, 1982.

By now you should have read the first story in The Stories of John Cheever.  In "Goodbye, My Brother," there are several themes:  paralysis, letting go, change, acceptance and denial.  These are all brought together in the story of a family.  Consider the following questions as you read or re-read the story:

1.  How does the house symbolize the relationship between family members?
2.  What do the wedding dress worn by Helen and the old football uniform worn by the narrator symbolize?

3.  What role does Lawrence play in the family?  What role does he play in the events of the story?
4.  Who changes in the story and who doesn't?  

Post your thoughts or questions if you have any about this story.  Stay tuned for more questions about "The Five-Forty-Eight." 

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao discussion photos- South Broadway Library

Group Photo

Great discussion

More great discussion

Never a dull moment

Here are some photos from the South Broadway discussion of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao on September 17, 2016. 

Discussion Wrap-Up - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - South Broadway Library

The discussion group met on September 17, 2016, to discuss The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.  The language, specifically the Spanglish, found throughout the book was a hot topic.  Most members believed that it added authenticity to the story and that it was Diaz’s way of portraying the Dominican Republic’s culture in an honest and forthright way. Some members felt that the sheer volume of foreign words and phrases was a little overwhelming and slowed down the reading pace.  One person remarked that they needed a glossary to get through the book.  Another major facet of the book was the idea of fuku, the curse mentioned early in the book.  There were several ideas about what the fuku was and whether or not Oscar’s family would get through it.  The level of suffering and tragedy that the family endures is legion. Each generation had its own trials and each one was literally a matter of life and death.  Each generation loses family members and it seems the next generation is achieved only because one family member survives through harrowing circumstances to procreate.  The group also discussed the way the book handled masculinity in the Dominican culture and Oscar’s struggles to live up to the expectations.  Ultimately, the big question in the book is whether or not Oscar dies a virgin or not.  While the book tells us that he does not, the evidence is self-reported by Oscar and thus, leaves room open for doubt.  The group was split on this issue. Our next book is The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever and we will meet October 22nd at 2:00 pm at the Public Library Albuquerque and Bernalillo County | South Broadway branch.

Albuquerque Dialogues Picking up Steam

Check out this video of the very first discussion at the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Public Library's South Broadway library, on Louise Erdrich's Plague of Doves.

Hello everyone!  I am about halfway through the book and I'm sure all of your have noticed that there are many references throughout the book to mythical creatures, historical persons, and mucho mas Spanglish and Spanish phrases and idioms.  There is a wonderful website that will help decipher much of it.  It is especially wonderful because it is grouped by chapter and each entry is listed in the order in which it appears in the book.  Of course it is too long to print out but it is a handy reference if you want to cross reference as you read.  The website is called The Annotated Oscar Wao and the URL is http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/index.html . 

Please check it out and have a great day.  I can't wait to see you all next Saturday.

Malcolm

Diaz's Language in Oscar Wao

The first thing you'll notice reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is the language. If you Google the title you'll find article after article discussing the code-switching, the use of "Spanglish," no explanation of the Spanish words, and whether Diaz did this just to frustrate readers or he did it to make a point. There is a lot to discuss in "Wondrous," but I can't imagine having a discussion on this book and not talking about the language.

Why did Diaz choose not to include English translations to his Spanish words and phrases? What effect does the seamless blending of Spanish and English create? Why does Diaz choose not to italicize Spanish words the way foreign words are usually italicized in English-language text? These are just a few things to think about as you embark on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I've also included a recording of a 2008 NPR interview with Junot Diaz discussing his Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It's a great jumping off place for getting into the book!

Plague of Doves Recap

The first Pulitzer Challenge discussion on Saturday was a wonderful experience for us here at South Broadway Library. The dialogue was lively and people were engaged and enthusiastic. The discussion mostly centered on themes in the Plague of Doves: religion, doves, racism, guilt, the Land, small towns, Native American customs, and storytelling—just for starters. I feel like we just barely scratched the surface on some of the topics that were brought up; we certainly could have talked about the book for another hour! Not everyone liked the book and some had a difficult time with certain parts of it, but I think we all came to appreciate, or at least have a better understanding of, what Louise Erdrich was trying to accomplish with the novel.

One of my favorite parts of our discussion was digging into Dr. Cordelia Lochren’s character a bit and why she did the things she did. The notion of her family’s murderer walking around all those years with no one the wiser is unsettling. There are still some unresolved mysteries in this book. I would love to hear some thoughts from people who attended. What was your favorite/most significant part?

Stay tuned for the video coverage of the discussion!

Horror and Humor in The Plague of Doves

It's not long now until our first book discussion and we've got a good number of people registered. This novel is so rich it's hard to decide what to focus on. One thing that got my attention right off is the way Louise Erdrich uses dichotomies in The Plague of Doves to create conflict. There are the obvious ones, of course, like indigenous vs. white culture and Christianity vs. the Chippewa religion, but I’m intrigued by the contradictions of the sacred vs. the profane and humor mixed with horror that arise, especially in Mooshum’s stories; in particular, the use of humor before the lynching. I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts on these ideas, and more!

More Discussion - Plague of Doves

Hello everyone!  I will be sending a group email to everyone who has signed up so far.  One of the instructions will be for you to find this blog and make a post.  We have people still signing up and taking the challenge.

Today I would like you to think of Mooshum and his role as storyteller and historian about the events that take place throughout the book.  How believable are his stories? What is your first impression of him as you meet him on page 6 and learn of his fear of outhouses and the reason why. Evelina Harp describes him as, "our favorite indoor entertainment, next to the television."  Do his stories serve to humor, to educate, or to preserve history?  Or all three.  It is a treasured personality trait to be a good storyteller in Indian culture.  The ability to tell a good story is a rare gift and should be appreciated.

I look forward to our meeting on August 27th.  Feel free to post comments or questions to one another, this is a great forum to prepare for our discussion group.  See you soon!

And we're off! - Plague of Doves

Hello everyone!  First of all, let me thank you for taking the challenge with the South Broadway Library.  As you begin to read "The Plague of Doves," please remember to check the blog regularly as I will be posting questions to help facilitate our discussion on August 27th.  Please post any ideas or questions you might have.  The blog is intended to be a tool to keep us communicating as we read.

The first question I would like you to consider as you begin the book or even you're already on page 74 like me is, "Why do you think Erdrich uses a series of different narrators who tell their own stories, going backward and forward in time? What effect does this narrative style have? How do the voices of multiple storytellers reflect the novel’s broader themes?"  It may help to keep a list of characters (and there are quite a few) and their relationships with one another.  

Happy Reading and we'll see you August 27th.

Albuquerque, Are You Ready for the Pulitzer Challenge?

Albuquerque Bernalillo County Librarians in the South Broadway branch are ready to celebrate five months of Pulitzer winning literature.  Although we're just focusing our discussion groups on three novels and two short story collections, these wonderful librarians have assembled a broad collection! 15 lucky participants can sign up here to receive free copies of the books to be discussed.

First up, Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich, on August 27.

South Broadway Library announces Pulitzer discussion dates and times!

The South Broadway Library announces the dates and times for the 2016 Reading Challenge.  The object of this challenge is to read 5 Pulitzer prize winner/honor books in 5 months.  The dates and books are as follows:

The Plague of Doves                                                                     August 27th

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao                                     September 17th

The Stories of John Cheever                                                        October 22nd

Lovely, Dark, Deep                                                                   November 19th

Beloved                                                                                    December 17th

All discussions will be from 2:00 - 3:30 pm at the South Broadway Library, 1025 Broadway SE in Albuquerque, NM.

The first book, The Plague of Doves, is available to those taking the challenge at the front desk of the South Broadway Library.  Quantities are limited to the first 20 challengers.  You may also sign up online at http://libevents.abqlibrary.org/event/2655740.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact the South Broadway Library at (505) 764-1742 or southbroadway@cabq.gov.   

The Public Library ABQ-Bernco | South Broadway Library located in Albuquerque, NM, is looking forward to beginning the Read Five in Five Months Pulitzer Prize reading challenge. We are honored to have been selected to participate in this exciting discussion celebrating 100 years of the Pulitzer Prize.

The reading group facilitator is Malcolm Alonzo, the Site Supervisor of the library.  The discussions will begin in August 2016.  The discussion order and meeting times will be determined soon.  If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here or email Malcolm at malonzo@cabq.gov.  

The library is located at 1025 Broadway SE in the heart of the South Broadway neighborhood of Albuquerque, NM. We are co-located with the South Broadway Cultural Center.  You can also visit our website at South Broadway Library.