Nevermore: Democracy, James Baldwin, Owen Meany, Elizabeth Strout, Patricia Harmon, Anthony Doerr

Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore started out their conversation with a work of nonfiction titled How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.  Both Professors of Government at Harvard University, Levitsky and Ziblatt have long studied democracy and government in Latin America and Europe, respectively.  In their latest book, they take a long hard look at the breakdown of democracies across the world and give examples of how these governments have slowly slipped into authoritarianism—and how America can avoid the same fate.  Our reader shared How Democracies Die, saying it was an “interesting, insightful book.”  She noted it’s a bit on the short side, but it’s very easy to read and very enjoyable.  She recommended it highly to her fellow readers who enjoy a little side of politics with their history and government studies.

Next, Nevermore checked out Go Tell It on the Mountain, a compelling and emotionally charged novel by James Baldwin.  Semi-autobiographical, Go Tell It on the Mountain is a story featuring the life of John Grimes:  a young black man living in Harlem during the 1930s, who is merely trying to survive within the shadow of his violent, religiously fanatical stepfather.  Our reader stated Baldwin’s novel was “absolutely fantastic.”  After reading several of Baldwin’s other works, she picked up Go Tell It on the Mountain and she was thrilled by it.  “[It was] very good, very interesting,” she told her fellow Nevermore members.  “It is truly worth reading.”

Nevermore also checked out a couple of books from the library’s other book clubs:  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.  In All the Light We Cannot See, which was read by the BPL Book Club, Marie-Laure is a blind girl who lives in the seaside city of Saint-Malo and Werner Pfennig is a German soldier, a radio operator for the occupying Nazi force.  After an attack on the city, their paths cross in unexpected ways as they struggle to survive the carnage of World War II.  Our reader said she thought it was a good book, “but I didn’t like the way it was put together.”  She was enchanted by the story and she thought the characters were very well developed, but she wasn’t a fan of how time seemed to jump back and forth throughout the book.

In A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Wheelright becomes friends with a boy named Owen Meany.  Small, highly intelligent and possessing a “wrecked voice,” as the narrator states, Owen has an unusual story that John Wheelright feels compelled to recount—from the day Owen strikes a foul ball and kills John’s mother to the day he becomes “God’s instrument” in the most unexpected way.  Our reader has read John Irving’s novels in the past and she found A Prayer for Owen Meany to be an interesting addition to her list.  “It’s very moving,” she said, “but sort of tragic.”  She liked it overall, but she did admit to having some reservations.  She recommended it as a good novel, just perhaps not the best that Irvin has written.

Next, Nevermore stepped back into World War II with Once a Midwife by Patricia Harman.  In this novel, readers return to Hope River (a series by the same name) with Patience Hester, a trusted midwife who has helped her small town throughout the Great Depression.  But, with the United States poised on the precipice of joining a new war, Patience must find a way to support her family and fight for her husband who refused to return to war.  Our reader said she was quite pleased with Harman’s novel.  “It’s quite an evocative book,” she told Nevermore.  Moreover, it was interesting because it offered insight into the experience of rural, Appalachian towns and African Americans during World War II.  She continued, saying, “It’s a very neat little book.”  She highly recommended it to readers looking for something light and sweet to enjoy.

Last, Nevermore shared Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, which features a series of interconnected stories and returns with one of her most beloved heroines, Lucy Barton from My Name is Lucy Barton.  Our reader, who enjoyed Olive Kitteridge, picked up Strout’s latest book and quickly fell in love with it.  She has been switching between reading the book and listening to the audiobook, which she said has enriched her experience.  Overall, she has found the book to be a wonderful recreation of the human experience and she highly recommended it to all of her fellow readers, especially those who have already enjoyed Strout’s previous works.

Nevermore: Did You Just Eat That?, How Democracies Die, When the Lights Go Out, Daughters of the Lake, Alchemist's Daughter, Amy & Isabelle

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore is made up of a diverse crowd, some loving science, some digging into archeology, some solving mysteries along with books’ protagonists.  Sometimes someone will come in with a really fun book like Did You Just Eat That?: Two Scientists Explore Double-Dipping, the Five-Second Rule, and Other Food Myths in the Lab by Paul Dawson and Brian Sheldon.  Tackling those really tough questions brought up since the advent of microbiology, the authors examine just what kind of bacteria are out there and how they are spread.  Our reader said it was very fun, although now she shudders at the thoughts of how many germs are on restaurant menus.  Another reader said that at her age, if it hasn’t killed her yet….

A couple of different readers were trying to get through How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.  While touted as a comprehensive, enlightening and timely book (by the New York Times Book Review) our readers thought that the authors included perhaps too much information about the current political situation and left out some history about how the United States has previously helped to overthrow democracies in developing countries due to our own national interests.  While there is a lot of important information included, the consensus was that the authors did not do a good job of drawing it all together.

Another book club member read fiction this week, enjoying Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb.  Kate Granger is trying to regroup after her divorce, staying at a family home on Lake Superior.  When she discovers a woman’s body, she is shocked at the familiar face, known only to Kate herself.  The story moves forward and back in time, uncovering a tragic mystery from a hundred years ago.  Our reader was immersed in the ghostly sense of mystery and betrayal.

Fiction reading continued with Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout.  In this debut novel, a mother’s love and angst are on full display as her sixteen year old daughter Amy comes into her own sexuality.  Isabelle has secrets of her own that she would like to keep quiet in their small New England town.  Our reader claimed that this was well-written and she would recommend it to others.

Continuing the theme of daughters, this time a father-daughter relationship is explored with The Alchemist’s Daughter by Katharine McMahon.  In 1725, young woman Emilie Selden has followed in her father’s footsteps as a philosopher and alchemist.  But passion intervenes when Emilie falls in love with someone who may be the wrong man for her.  In London, Emilie’s life changes dramatically, and she learns more about the world than she ever knew in the English countryside with her father.

Finally (and still continuing the familial relationship plotlines,) another reader enjoyed When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica.  Twenty year old Jessie Sloane is devastated when her mother succumbs to cancer.  As she tries to find her way in a world without her mother, she finds that not all is as it seems, and she begins to question who she really is.  The story weaves back and forth from Jessie in her grief and sleeplessness to her mother Eden when she was a newlywed.  Our reader hinted at big plot twists and a shocking conclusion, but definitely recommended the book to her fellow readers.

Nevermore: No One Ever Asked, A God in Ruins, Queen Victoria, This Narrow Space, How Democracies Die, The Brightest Sun

Reported by Kristin

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert began this week’s book club discussion.  As a wealthy school district is forced to open their doors to students from a neighboring poorer district, racial issues bloom.  A young black woman is hired at the more affluent (and formerly primarily white) school, her narration providing the perspective of the black community.  Another white woman whose desire for a child leads her to an interracial adoption adds yet another view of the situation.  The PTA chairwoman who has worked so hard for her “perfect” school is disturbed by the potential trouble which might come with these less privileged students.  Our reader found this new book very socially relevant.

Another fiction entry came from Leon Uris:  A God in Ruins.  Known as a master storyteller, Uris tells the tale of Quinn Patrick O’Connell, a man in the running for the 2008 presidency.  Published in 1999, this book examines how personal history can affect political candidates who are so often in a very bright spotlight.  Our reader found this a very interesting story which spanned the years between World War II and the early years of the twenty-first century.

 Switching gears to non-fiction British royalty, another book club member read Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe by Deborah Cadbury.  A timely book as we approach Prince Harry’s 2018 wedding, Cadbury examines how Queen Victoria manipulated her children, grandchildren, and other world leaders during her reign from 1837 to 1901.  Our reader explained that the writing is very well researched and easy to read if you keep track of the family tree (whereupon she whipped out a very detailed sketch of the lineages!)

A very moving book, This Narrow Space: A Pediatric Oncologist, His Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Patients, and a Hospital in Jerusalem by Elisha Waldman captured the next reader’s attention.  American Dr. Waldman lived and worked in Jerusalem from 2007 to 2014, learning to navigate the cultural complexities in that part of the world while working to save some of the most vulnerable children with cancer.  Our reader was impressed by the compassion shown by the doctor in this embattled area.

Returning to the United States, our next reader laid out the theories proposed by two Harvard professors in How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.  With more than twenty years studying changes in world politics, the authors’ conclusion is that modern democracies most often die as a result of internal corruption and rot, rather than by military force.  Levitsky and Ziblatt foresee three possible futures for the United States in this time of polarized public opinion.  Our reader appreciated the theories laid out, but was disappointed by the lack of footnotes which would have provided more detailed support in each section.

Finally in fiction, The Brightest Sun by Adrienne Benson begins with Leona, an American anthropologist studying the Maasai people in Kenya.  When Leona unexpectedly becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl, she chooses to place the child with an African woman who desires a child.  The striking landscape as well as the complex characters make this debut novel a pleasurable read.