There were five people at the Zoom discussion of Leaving Mother Lake on May 26th; Maddy, Margie, Marylib, Paige, and Saran. Perhaps the poor attendance reflected lack of interest in the book, but some later said that a Zoom discussion was much better with fewer people. Margie and Maddy liked the book, of course because Maddy chose the book. Her family has ties with China and moving to the US. Maddy made the point that the language was simple because Namu was not a native English speaker. Maddy's mother went to college in the US from China and was not able to speak English well at all.
Some wondered what about the anthropologist who helped tell the story, wouldn't her part in the book help the language be more readable? The anthropologist Christine Mathieu did write an Afterword which some felt was the most interesting part of the book, since it cleared up where the Mosuo people fit into the peoples of the region, which in parts was fascinating. Namu actually wrote a short afterward of sorts called The Last Word, which was good writing and poignant, much different than the rest of the book she wrote.
Some felt the story of the Mosuo women was culturally interesting but the simple way it was told got in the way of some enjoying the book.
In these times, the Zoom way is all we have safely right now. There were many complaints about Zoom, but it was a way to connect. Some felt that Zoom is tiring and weird. We are wondering how long we have to put up with it.
