Since my first CCR Book Group post, the group has read and discussed a superb book, an extremely good book, and a good book.

October:  The superb book was The Round House, by Louise Erdrich.  I probably wouldn’t have read this novel if the book group hadn’t chosen it.  The book is about the isolation of Native Americans on a reservation: from opportunity, respect, and justice for crimes committed against them with impunity.  When Joe Coutts is 13, his mother is raped and beaten, and a young woman is murdered, in the Round House, an abandoned building that had once been used by the reservation’s residents for Native American spiritual ceremonies.  As Joe and his father Basil desperately try to bring Geraldine Coutts back from her deep anguish and shame after the attack, Joe watches as law enforcement focuses on determining which police agency has jurisdiction over the case, instead of investigating the crimes with the vigor necessary to find the rapist/killer.  Joe and his three friends, showing more initiative and dedication to justice than the police, find clues to both the crime that devastated Joe’s family, and the greed and corruption behind the crime.  The members of Joe’s close-knit extended family and Joe’s relationship with his closest friend Cappy come to luminous life as Joe remembers the tragedy and its aftermath many years later.  This is a great and important book: the themes of historic injustice and betrayal of America’s native peoples are more clearly expressed in this universal story of friendship and family loyalty than anything I have ever read.  I was eager and excited to discuss the book with other readers, and the group’s discussion exceeded my expectations, making the experience of reading the book even better.

November:  The extremely good book was And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini.  Like Louise Erdrich, Hosseini is a celebrated and successful novelist whose books I had never read.  I loved the way the book’s multiple points of view and narrative styles humanized its Afghan characters against the sad history of their country, instead of making them one-dimensional victims.  Themes of secrecy, betrayal and regret could have happened anywhere at anytime (universality), but the settings in Afghanistan, Paris and the United States grounded the themes and made them come to life through the characters and their stories.  The theme of deracination, being torn from, driven from or running from your home and culture tied all the stories together.  The courageous, competent devotion of the European doctor and nurse who voluntarily came to Afghanistan makes an effective counterpoint to the triumphs and tragedies as the stories of those who left and stayed in Afghan villages and towns diverge then come together as the novel ends.  This novel inspired one of the most spirited and enlightening discussions ever in the book group.  (Note to self: It’s not good to wait too long to write about books, I can’t remember any of the characters’ names.)

December:  The good book was Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction, by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd.  The first sections of the book were stale and didactic pointers on style and grammar.  Since I have no ambition to write articles or books, this advice didn’t resonate with me.  The book came to life when Tracy Kidder, a celebrated and successful nonfiction writer whose books I had never read, and his long-time editor Richard Todd started writing about their long and fruitful collaboration.  The details about choosing, abandoning and Eureka! finding topics for Kidder’s books were especially compelling.  And my vague intuitions about the importance of editing made Kidder’s specific description of how a good editor makes all the difference to an author a welcome and useful revelation.  So that’s how great books happen!  The highlight of the group discussion came when a former journalist talked about her own experiences in choosing topics for magazine and newspaper features.  Maybe this book will ultimately be the inspiration to read Tracy Kidder’s famous books about a teacher and her students, and the dawn of the computer age.

Looking forward, the next books to read are:

• January:  The Girls of Atomic City.  I feared this one would be a long, dry book, but I’ve started it and the language is lively and engaging.
• February:  Those Angry Days.  I am so interested in the topic of the fight between the isolationists and the FDR administration, I volunteered to lead the discussion on this book.
• March:  Half the Sky.  Co-author (with his wife) Nicholas Kristof is a fellow Oregonian, and an expert on women’s issues in the developing world.  His columns about these and other topics in the NYT are passionate and authoritative.
• April: The Burgess Boys.  I am excited about reading another novel after a string of four nonfiction books.  The description of this book looks exciting.