Beyond the Hundredth Meridian by Wallace Stegner

In May Lucie, Margie, Libby, Joanie, Mary Lib and Saran (via Zoom) met at Mary Lib's hours after her return from Ireland to discuss 2 books: Margie's pick for April, (Beyond the Hundredth Meridian) and Mary Lib's pick for May (The Book of Hope).

Margie chose Wallace Stegner's book, Beyond the Hundredth Meridian, while camping in Dinosaur National Monument. Needing to change her book pick and being very limited with resources to choose a book, she chose Stegner's as she was inspired by the country that she was traveling through and wanted to learn more about the man who was so instrumental and influential in the discovery of and the policy formulation of the land she would be traveling through.

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly that John Wesley Powell was an amazing man in his own right. He was an intrepid explorer, a self-taught scientist, an expert on Indian language and culture and an incredible researcher. Wallace Stegner left no stone unturned in providing us with a biography of who this man was. Just as Powell was a researcher, Stegner was fastidious in the research he engaged in to give us such an all-encompassing picture of this man. Along these lines it is imperative to mention the profound effect he had on the politics of the time through his assistance in establishing the USGS and then becoming its second director. 

Mary Lib and Saran both 'loved' this book!  Mary Lib felt she learned a lot. In fact, she said, "it was the biggest learning experience in a long time." She felt this was a very important book and more people should know about it. Saran was struck by Powell's amazing and intuitive understanding of so many things, most notably his interpretation of the land. She especially relished the ending of the book and wondered what it would be like if more people had listened to him. Libby, too, really appreciated the book for what it had to offer. That being said, we unanimously agreed it was a difficult book to read. Saran remarked about reading the book slowly and was especially glad when the discussion was put off from April to May as it allowed her more time to really delve into the book and savor the many facts. Lucie and Margie did not complete the book and admitted to being a bit overwhelmed with all the information. Libby described reading it over 3 years on camping trips. 

We all were so very impressed with Stegner's account of the journey of exploration through the Grand Canyon. We found it remarkable that a man of such small stature, with only one arm, was able to successfully navigate the river (completely unknown territory) and climb the canyon walls. Additionally, we were struck by Stegner's descriptions of the natural beauty of the land. Stegner was referred to as a 'magnificent writer' having the ability to write numerous books that are so different. 

The comment was made that both Powell and Jane Goodall were self-taught, and incredible learners who lived their lives doing what they loved. That was a prefect segue to our conversation of the Book of Hope.  

 

 

RED LIGHTNING by Laura Pritchett

There were three of us gathered at Lucie's home on April 26th to discuss the book Red Lightning by our local author, Laura Pritchett:  Annie, Lucie, and Libby, with the fourth person coming on zoom from Hilton Head Island, Marylib. 

 

"How can I explain it? I need to find a path that leads to some sort of purpose, to mitigate the fact that the human race evolved or got plunked down to wonder and suffer and be afraid of death and afraid of pain - afraid because we don't know how to live this life, and not certain we're being judged, and if we are, by what elements? It's in the wondering itself that I'll find redemption in the red earth and the howl of the coyotes and the blue sky."

Libby (not the character in the book) felt that this is really the struggle of Tess in a nutshell.  Lucie listed the themes of the book:  immigration, wildfires, motherhood, redemption, child trauma.  And as the story developed, there were discreet sections in the book that were the elements of life itself:  WIND< AIR< WATER< EARTH <FIRE.  All represented danger but Tess needed to learn to GO TOWARDS THE DANGER.  

WIND was when Tess meets her daughter that she gave up ten years before

WATER was the forgiveness for her mother Kay who was less than a stellar mother, going back to Pritchett's prequel Sky Bridge.  

FIRE was making things right

AIR was Tess' hospital stay and seeing her mother die

EARTH was the funeral of Kay, and as the sisters stood there, the ashes blew back on to them, meaning the deeds of their mother can never be erased from their psyche.  Kay had the last word.

We all felt the book was a clever construction.  It showed the depth of Tess' agony.  a couple of us wondered why she went to help other people when she couldn't even take care of her daughter.  She was afraid of being a mother because her role model of a mother, Kay, was so horrible.  But kids do rise in certain situations and Baxter may have been that symbol of kindness that Libby and Tess desperately needed.  "Kindness actually takes an enormous amount of energy.  Like wind, like fire, like water.  And you know why we seek it?  The same way we seek water and air?  ...... That's why I am here sweeping.  You sweep up things too."

Libby and Ed were the rocks for Tess and they raised Amber to be a thoughtful child.  They were definitely kind people.  We were impressed at how accepting and mature Amber was.

A few of us had problems with the gunfire scene at the end, that it happened all tidy, like a movie.  And we were also wondering if illegal immigrants do actually carry drugs with them as they make their way through Colorado.  

All in all it was a good quick read and a nice meeting together on a beautiful spring day.  The prequel Sky Bridge is worth reading to bring all the characters into the light and their history.  Maybe there will even be a sequel!  

THE WILD BIRDS by Emily Strelow

      On March 29th, 2022, there were five of us at book group to discuss The Wild Birds, chosen by Joan and held at her home on a rainy afternoon:  Joan, Marylib, Saran, Lucie, and Libby.  In one way or another, everyone found the book refreshing, readable, interesting, and containing certain depths in the characters.  Joan said she was drawn by the title when she bought the book, and she could not stop reading it, even if it was hard at times to go back and forth between the different places and times.  The author presents three scenarios with different characters and the time frames jump around back and forth which some found confusing or annoying.  The stories were all connected by a silver box of different bird eggs that happened into some of the character's possessions, and we all asked, what did this box mean for each person.  The box connected the characters to nature yet nature was also important for every character.  We all felt that a book that was tied to nature was a done deal to read.  

     The settings were the Farallone Islands off of the coast of San Francisco, Burning Woods, OR, and Arizona and various desert locations.  Marylib said at times it was hard to follow.  Lucie said she just gave into it and she had fun reading it, as did Libby.  Lucie brought up the roll of women struggling to make their way in the world.  Olive was brave to dress as a man, and made her way to the islands, but in the end she was rescued by a man.  Sal was a true independent woman but overtaken by her love for Alice.  So many of the characters were trying to find out where they belonged in the world, and this was all stitched together by the thread of the silver egg box.  Victor who was not accepted by his well off family in Seattle, was wandering to find himself and find acceptance for who he was.  He wanted to be his own man.  What kids of shelters do we make in this life until we find one we can call home.  Were those eggs in that box representing a shelter for each species, each character.  Sal was doing work finding and counting bird nests in the desert, symbolic of her search. 

     Libby felt there could have been a whole book about those mystical, historic Farallone Islands.  Saran said that Olive and Warren were a great couple to have their story expanded.  The whole history of the eggers was fascinating.  The young first time author was brave to create and put together such an ambitious book, and we all felt that if you let it wash over you as you read, it was worth reading.  Saran said that people are rare birds.  I think that expresses the characters in this book, there being a certain depth and differences of the situations and characters.  

     Some of the birds we met were the Northern harrier, the blind hawk, a tanager, the sea birds, cactus wrens, the green tailed towhee, and the murrelet.

     All in all it was a fun afternoon, a good choice of a book, and we are curious what this first time author has next in her repertoire.  

The Midnight Library  by Matt Haig

We met at 644 Peterson Street on 2/22/2022 – a cold day in Fort Collins. Present were Libby Edwards, Mary Lib Sovick, Joan Ritchie, Margie Karuzas, Annie Sjoberg, Paige Noon, and Saran Twombly. 

Our discussion of The Midnight Library was a lively one, largely because our reactions to the book varied considerably. Here is an incomplete summary:

Some of us were attracted to the book because it tackles what we thought a universal struggle to find one’s role in life amidst regrets for opportunities not seized, doors closed, failures, and disappointment at realizing that we couldn’t do anything we wanted (Mrs. Elm’s advice to Nora). Others found this premise either trivial or unconvincing. Did Nora not want something in life that would guide her actions? Why did it take her so long to get her act together?

Some of us found Nora believable while others did not – again, did she want nothing? What took her so long? For others of us, her despair was a bit more tangible.

This difference caused us to reflect on our own experiences 

. We have reached a stage in our lives when we are relatively or entirely content with what we have and who we are. How did we get here? How long did it take us? What ‘alternate lives’ did we try out en route? Even for those of us who were not fond of the book (Annie, Margie), there were points in their lives that took them on new paths that were more satisfying. Annie is no longer pushing levers in ‘business school’ for example. Would she have pursued occupational therapy and education on her own? Mary Lib found her true interests and skills when she failed to get a job she really wanted. Libby talked about doing a different job every year that she lived in Europe, and none of these was what she trained or planned to do. Paige’s aspirations were forestalled by having a family. Our paths have all wandered.

The question then arose of whether the appeal of this book changes with one’s age? Would someone in his or her 30s have a different (more extreme, more damaging?) impression of the book than someone in her 40s or 50s or beyond? Is the book ‘safe’ for everyone to read?

Mentioned above is that some of us found Nora’s successive lives tedious or confusing. Why did she have to revisit so many? And why did she never really know what was happening when she reappeared in a life that she formerly lived? Not recognizing the scar from a Cesarean birth, what songs would she perform, what happened in Chicago last year,  where her brother was caused anxiety – how would she resolve this? How would she rescue herself? We all agreed that there was no resolution in any of the stories. Nora left abruptly when unpleasant parts of her ‘new’ life emerged.

Her evolution then, as we could follow it, was incremental. Each life brought a lesson. Each brought up a desire to explore another life. We talked quite a bit about whether this incremental education is what happened to each of us, or whether it is an exaggeration to tell a story. The exception was the final story – her life with Ash and Molly. We could figure out why she left to return to her real life; but as with all other stories, the progression and lessons and reasons were not well articulated or tied together.

And why is this book on the New York Times’ Best Seller List week after week? This surprised many of us. We didn’t find the writing all that terrific, but books on this list are best sellers, after all, and not the best written books. Throughout the book, though, were wise life lessons, sometimes in the name of philosophers (Camus, Thoreau, Sartre), sometimes from physics (parallel universes) and sometimes in the author’s own words. Paige collected over 2 pages of these ‘lessons’ – these are the real lessons of the book / life transmitted through Nora’s struggles.

Finally, each of us was interested in some stories (Hugo on Svalbard) more than others (the failed TED talk). Some found Hugo hilarious; others were stuck with is parallel universes. We found Haig’s choice of a library to be interesting; we often read books to experience different lives. This library existed solely for Nora, and she had the opportunity to experience her own different lives – more than she could handle. She survived; life comes after despair.

FORTY AUTUMNS by Nina Willner

Forty Autumns is a family memoir tying together the members that lived in the east, how they managed in a changed communist totalitarian environment for forty years, with a daughter in the west.  Willner uses this family history as a lens to retell the story of the Cold War and the communist takeover in east Germany.  Many in the group felt it was a relevant read for the story of our lives but also a jumping off point for what is going on in the world today.  

The group was held at Annie's home even though the book was chosen by Libby.  Libby's house is being dismantled by two 18 month old twin toddlers, so Annie graciously offered her home.  It was a lovely calm afternoon, the beginnings of a snowstorm, with Joanie, Annie, Paige, Saran, Lucie, and Libby in attendance, and Marylib on FaceTime which worked out well, as she had some good things to say.  

Libby was mostly interested in how the members of the family coped in those times.  Oma used her garden to feed the family and keep her occupied in loving the earth.  Opa had the worst time conforming first to Nazism and then abruptly changing to the communist doctrine as a teacher.  And eventually he could not hold it inside and for his talking out, he and Oma were sent to a smaller village, and eventually he was sent away to an asylum.  The youngest Heidi held on to her five year old memory of meeting Hanna in Heidelberg to use as a light through the communist regime. Heidi and her husband Reinhard made their tiny plot of land their "freedom" with building the Paradise Bungalow.  And they never joined the communist party.

Joan mentioned that fear is a major way suppression can exist.  Opa later in life just lost his fear and was thus a threat to the regime.  Paige also mentioned that these type of regimes certainly tap into fear to do what they want with the people.  Annie felt that the people in East Germany lost trust in neighbors and even in family members, and to live that way, all must be paranoid.  

Marylib and Paige and Libby all had some experience being behind the Iron Curtain, Libby in the 60's and Paige in the 70's, and Marylib had family members that were effected by the Iron Curtain, but who were in so much disbelief when the "wall" fell and everyone was free to leave or travel!  Libby brought some old album pictures of East Berlin, including a notebook from a crumbling building that might have once been a school.

Saran marveled that without this book how would we have known what the people went through in East Germany, and to some in the eastern system it was a fine way of life.  Everything was taken care of, there were some opportunities.  And if you were a world class athlete such a Cordula, the world was easy.  All of the athletes could not believe it when the wall fell, and some had already defected in overseas competitions.

At the end we did talk roaming all over the world problems, which made us leave on a slightly depressing note. But I look back on Oma's quote:  "We have survived East Germany with our dignity intact.  This life has not always been easy, but it has not made us bend.  It has actually made us stronger.  And we are strong because our souls are free".  I am leaving now on a positive note!