Who's The New Kid?

Book: Who's The New Kid?
Basic Information : Synopsis : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group : Good Quotes : Table of Contents : References

Basic Information:

 Author:   Heidi Bond with Jenna Glazer

Edition: Read on the Nook
Read:October 29, 2016
185 pages, including three appendixes
Genre:   Biography, Diet
Rated: 3  out of 5

Synopsis:
Breanna has a weight problem which is something like calling a tsunami a wave. This started out when she was a toddler. With a doctor's poor advice and direction, Breanna's weight problem only grew until she could not breath or walk very much.

At this point Heidi Bond realizes that she has a serious problem on her hands and scrambles to do something about it. Through a combination of hard love, discipline, diet and exercise, she is able to  drive her daughter, and son, into dramatic weight loss.

This is a story about how that happened, along with advice for others in this situation.

Thoughts:

Chp 5: News Flash: Kids Can Be Cruel
Bond states that she would give anything for a “do over”. The idea would be that not only would it save her child from the physical affects of obesity, but also the social embarrassment. But would would a person really change? Recently I read Jesus story of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man when he died went to hell, but Lazarus went to heaven. The rich man begged God to send Lazarus to his family to save them from the torment he was experiencing. God said they have the law and the prophets to steer them and they are ignoring them so why would they believe Lazarus? Isn't that what we experience today? We have all of this information on how to live healthy and we ignore this information. Why will we  pay attention if we have a do over?

Children do not want us to meddle in their affairs. But they are not experience enough to handle everything. This is part of the parents role to determine when is something over a child's head and when the experience can build them up.

Chp 7: Resistance Training
… I didn't let my lack of knowledge stop us from making a start... That's one thing I've learned along the way: you just start. You dig in and start someplace, and then as you learn more, you revise your plan and fix your mistakes. Sometimes you just need to start something to figure out a plan of attack. This is why a pilot project can be effective. Also hindsight gives you much insight about things you did wrong.  In reality it should also give you thoughts about what you did right.

Interesting family dynamic. Heidi Bond telling her husband not to walk with them. Wonder about the background to that discussion. You can tell Heidi Bond does not feel supported by her husband, or at least she feels he isnot on the same page as her.

The Mom sets the goals for the daughter without any buy in from the daughter.

Bond realizes that God has given her her daughter even if Bond is not up to taking care of her properly. This realization that we are not up to a situation is the same thing as what her daughter did not realize earlier-God had given her a mother and father to take care of her as she matured. This is a lesson for us all. We are inadequate.

Chp 9: Peaks Plateaus and Valleys
Two principals: We need to be there with the person we are trying to help and we cannot let ourselves “go” to aid someone else.

Bond set a goal weight-in the middle of her daughter's weight range and what she felt was right. While this worked out good, I am not sure that is really a good way of doing it. Shouldn't there be a better way of measuring this besides just putting your finger in the wind and guessing?

Hard ==> Hardest ==> Easier ==> Under my feet (piece of cake)

Chp 10: So This is What Its Like to Be Healthy
Who is Dr Mark Hyman? I am thinking this is a doctor which my brother reads. He has written books like: 10-Day Detox Diet,    Eat Fat, Get Thin, and Blood Sugar Solution. Bill Clinton endorses him.

Chp 11: The New Kid
Look up references to Heidi and Breanna Bond on the Internet. She states that there was countless stories written about them. In my experience, this is a matter of perspective. Such as when I post something on Facebook, I think 50 people responding to a post is good. But when there are 100's of separate articles to some that is normal. In doing a brief scan on Google, there are a good number, but there are also other Heidi Bonds which makes counting difficult. She has been on Biggest Loser, CNN's Good Morning America!, and various print articles.

Whenever you do something good, there will be someone ready to pull you down.

How do you handle situations where someone gives you bad advice or counsel. That is what happened to them. Their pediatrician said that Breanna would grow into her size, do not worry about the weight. Also losing weight would slow her growth. This is the opposite of what the medical advice should have been. When Breanna went in for her checkup, the doctor was frosty. The Bonds changed doctors.

Chp 12: Just the Beginning
Don't be tied to the numbers, but look at the objectives.

Bond says that losing weight and maintaining weight are not two different objectives, rather an extension of the same goal: a healthy, sustaining lifestyle.

Small indulgences can add up.


Evaluation:
 This is a book which can be used to encourage the parents of overweight children that there is hope. The author walks you through her daughters and hers story of weight gain and loss. Also both the social harm done to an obese person and the limits to acceptance after weight loss. Bond is open to her here contributions to her daughters problems, as well as the starts and stops in this struggle. She also shows that once she grabs the tail of the obesity tiger, she does not let go.

The book as a memoir is what you would expect  from a first time author. But I do not think that is why the author wrote this book. It was to help others with the problem of childhood obesity. In that respect, I think she helped to give parent tools to fight this problem.

 
Notes from my book group:
Dinner with Heidi Bond on November 10, 2016. She was very open that she was not the author who wrote the book, Jenna Glazer put the words on the page. But Glazer was the one who was able to make her story cohesive.Not many questions were asked in the form below and many other questions was asked from me and the group.

• Jenna Glazer co-wrote this book. Do you intend to write another one? On your own or in partnership? If so, thoughts on the topic?
• What skills do you need to have to write a book like this? To work with a co-author?
• Did the book effectively reflect your voice or a commingled voice?
• It was Heidi's voice.
• Chp 5: Are do overs effective, or desirable?
• Chp 7: Could you talk a bit more about the dynamics between your husband and you and how to address your daughter's weight? It sounded like you two had the same goals for your children, but different approaches. How did you two work it out?
• Chp 9: You make a statement: ...goals aren't really worth having if they're not big and audacious.  Can you elaborate on this a bit? One of the things which I have heard from Dave Rasmey is to take baby steps to reach your goal.
• You talk about how after Breanna lost her weight, there is the bigger goal of living a healthy life. Would you like to talk a bit more about this stage of growing up? 
• Has being in the spotlight helped or hindered Breanna's continued goal of living healthy?
• I am not sure how to ask this question, but it seemed like most of the drive towards being healthy was your doing, not Breanna or your husband. Has this been transitioned or are you still the big push towards the family being healthy? (Did I mis-read the book on this part?) 
• I noticed that you blog ends on Sept 1, 2015. Is there a reason why you have stopped publicly recording your journey? (But your are still on Facebook)
• Were people of faith supportive of her and her family? What kind of reactions did you get from them? How can we be supportive of people who are struggling with health issues, particularly weight issues?

Good Quotes:

• First Line: Mommy! He called me fat!
• Last Line: My daughter is living proof that with a pair of tennis shoes and some motivation, you can choose a bran-new life.
• ...goals aren't really worth having if they're not big and audacious. (chp 9)
• The difficulties made the rewards that much sweeter. (Chp 10)

Table of Contents:

•     She'll grow into it
•     Bad habits start early
•     Childhood lost
•     Sugar fix
•     News flash: Kids can be cruel
•     180
•     Resistance training
•     Tough love
•     Plateaus, peaks, and valleys
•     So this is what it's like to be healthy
•     The new kid
•     Just the beginning
•     Yes, you can!
•     Appendix 1: Forty-day meal and exercise plan
•     Appendix 2: Recipes
•     Appendix 3: Shopping list
•     Appendix 4: Q&A with Breanna.

References:

•  Publisher's book page
• Book's Facebook page
• Author's Web Site
• Author's Facebook
• Amazon-Book
• Amazon-Author
• Barnes and Noble
• GoodReads-Book
• GoodReads-Author
•  CNN site
• YouTUbe video
• Jen and the World blog 
• Real Fit, Real Food Mom blog
• Healthy Brownies with Nathan
• Nathan Recites a timeline
• Heidi Bond's YouTube Feed
•  

The Lord of the Rings

Book: The Lord of the Rings
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Edition:eBook from Fresno County Library
            
Read:Many Times
1,911 pages on eBook including the many appendixes
Genre:  Fiction, Fantasy
Rated: 5  out of 5

Synopsis:
Six parts to this story, plus numerous appendixes, how to sum it up? One ring which evil regains will make Sauron almost indestructible. A lowly hobbit's task is to destroy it. The only way to destroy it is in Mt Doom, in the midst of Sauron's empire. Frodo, the hobbit has 8 companions to accomplish this task, including his faithful servant Sam.

Thoughts:
These are only a few of the thoughts. I am sure when I re-read this again-for the who knows how many times, I will be adding more. This is not only a good fiction book, but one which causes me to ponder one's place in the battle of good and evil.

Another thought which I was having is that Tolkien was a Christian of the Catholic flavor. I wonder how this book would have been written if he did not have that loaming as an undertone to his thought. Would it have been more like The Worm Ouroboros by  E.R. Eddison-a very good book, but maybe lacking the conflict which we can identify with?

Tolkien describes the place of the Christian in God's arms: The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Book II, Chp 3: The Ring Goes South

...never before had he been so suddenly and so keenly aware of the feel and texture of a tree's skin and of the life within it. He felt delight in wood and the touch of it, neither as forester nor as carpenter; it was the delight of the living tree itself. Book II, Chp 6, Lothlorien  Tolkien gets to the heart of the matter in these two sentences. Do we appreciate something for what it can do for us or what it is? This is both when we are doing with human or non-human life. Ultimately it reflects back on how we understand something got here.

One of the things about the hobbits, particularly Frodo and Sam, is how inadequate they feel for the task of destroying the Ring. you haven't put yourself forward; you've been put forward.  Book IV, Chp 10, The Choices of Master Samwise That realization that Sam is chosen, not one who has advanced himself gives strength. It is not about him, but the task. Ultimately Sam makes the decision that he will take up the burden and complete the task. It is a major part of the story talking about inadequate people taking on a huge task, struggling and accomplishing that task. Just by reading this, it inspires readers to take on tasks for good, even if they are too small for it.

Part of understanding this we are not the story, but only a part of the story. The story continues on even after we end. This relieves us of the burden of being responsible for the whole story; we are responsible only for ourselves.

We also wonder as we go through our lives, what story have we landed in. Usually this is the darkest parts of our story. Those in the story do not know the outcome as they are going through it. It is only at the end, do they realize what the story is. That is the struggle of the character and that is struggle of our lives also-understanding our part in the story and playing that part-whether great or small.  Book VI, Chp 8, The Stairs of Cirith Ungol

He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment. While this is a description of Saruman, it is also a description of modern man and capitalism. How can something serve to make money. Anything else should not be considered. This is not the Christian thought of being stewards of the earth until God comes back. What will He find when he returns? An Earth torn up and corrupted. Where is the garden he left us to tend?

Doom may not be brought only by the mighty. The mightest man may be slain by one arrow, ... Book V, Chp 1, Minas Tirith. Plans can go astray due to a pebble in the road. Appeal to God to guide us and make our way sure.

His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom. Book V, Chp 8,  The Houses of Healing. Memory to instruct and guide us not only knowledge, but understanding and gentleness.

Contentment in the small things saves Sam from using the Ring for his own power. The one small garden of a free gardener was all he need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command. Book V, Chp 1, Minas Tirith, Something to learn-to be content with my plot in life.

All destruction has its source in evil. Some routes to find evil may be less straight than others. It is a lesson to learn what evil looks like and avoid it.

filled with a sadness that was yet blessed and without bitterness. Book VI, Chp 9, The Grey Havens. That is something to ponder. Hard to achieve. Not resignation, but a deepening.

Faramir is the most likable person in this whole book, full of characters which you just want to meet off the pages of the book. he is grave, wise, able to keep and give counsel, aide to those who are trustworthy, a man of peace having to defend Gondor. He has a balance where he loves his country and is called to defend it, but prefers to have the sword sheathed than drawn.

Sam upon seeing his first battle decides he does not like war much. Movies glorify war or at least I have never seen or felt the pain, the ugliness which is the result of war. This is what Sam saw.

Do not mistake the sweetness of Frodo for being blind to the evil lurking around him.

being a cheerful hobbit he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed. Book IV, Chp 3, The Black Gate Is Closed  hope will win out over despair, it puts rays of light in gloom. But we must also cling to that hope.

Sauron is the master of evil in this story. But there are others such as Sauruman, Tolkien notes that Sauron enjoys the evil imitations until it is his time to crush them, it is a form of flattery. But Tolkien hints in places that there is something even deeper than Sauron. That Sauron is only the current holder of evil.


Evaluation:
I am a true believer. This is not the first time I have read LOTR, nor the second, nor the third. To me, the less said the better it is. Tolkien has written the best book I have read. Lets just leave it at that.



New Words:

• bole: the trunk of a tree
• mere: in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.
• hythe: A small haven.
• puissant: having great power or influence

Good Quotes:

• First Line: When Mr Biblo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.
• Last Line: 'Well, I'm back' he said.
• Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. Book I, Chp 2, The Shadow of the Past
• Advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise, and all courses may run ill.  Book I, Chp 3, Three is Company
•  Courage is found in unlikely places. Book I, Chp 3, Three is Company
• Short cuts makes long delays. Book I, Chp 4, A Short Cut to Mushrooms
• He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom. Book II, Chp 2, The Council of Elrond
• It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish. Book II, Chp 7, The Mirror of Galadriel
• I would not have come, had I known the danger of light and joy. Book II, Chp 8, Farewell to Lorien
• we must guess the riddles, if we are to choose our course rightly. Book III, Chapter 1, The Departure of Boromir
• It is best to love first what you are fitted to love.  Book V, Chp 8, The Houses of Healing
• it is nor our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to til. Book V, Chp 9, The Last Debate
• It needs but one foe to breed a war, not two. Book VI, Chp 5, The Window on the West
• Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart. Book VI, Chp 5, The Window on the West
• It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing. Book VI, Chp 8, The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
• when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. Book VI, Chp 9, Shelob's Lair
• Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil. Book VI, Chp 9, Shelob's Lair
• The treacherous are ever distrustful. Book III, Chp 10 - The Voice of Saruman
• One who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters. Book III, 9 - Flotsam and Jetsam

Table of Contents:

• CONTENTS

  PREFACE                                                                 
  A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS                        
  CHRONOLOGIES, CALENDARS, AND MOONS                              
  PRELIMINARIES                                                   
  THE MAPS OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS                               
  THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
  FOREWORD                                                                        
  PROLOGUE                                                                        
  BOOK ONE
  I       A Long-expected Party                                                   
  II      The Shadow of the Past                                                  
  III     Three Is Company                                                        
  IV      A Short Cut to Mushrooms                                                
  V       A Conspiracy Unmasked                                           
  VI      The Old Forest                                                          
  VII     In the House of Tom Bombadil                                            
  VIII    Fog on the Barrow-downs                                         
  IX      At the Sign of The Prancing Pony                                        
  X       Strider                                                                 
  XI      A Knife in the Dark                                                     
  XII     Flight to the Ford                                                      
  BOOK TWO
  I       Many Meetings                                                           
  II      The Council of Elrond                                                   
  III     The Ring Goes South                                                     
  IV      A Journey in the Dark                                                   
  V       The Bridge of Khazad-d-m                                                
  VI      Lothl¢rien                                                              
  VII     The Mirror of Galadriel                                                 
  VIII    Farewell to L¢rien                                                      
  IX      The Great River                                                         
  X       The Breaking of the Fellowship                                  
  THE TWO TOWERS
  BOOK THREE
  I       The Departure of Boromir                                                
  II      The Riders of Rohan                                                     
  III     The Uruk-hai                                                            
  IV      Treebeard                                                               
  V       The White Rider                                                 
  VI      The King of the Golden Hall                                             
  VII     Helm's Deep                                                             
  VIII    The Road to Isengard                                                    
  IX      Flotsam and Jetsam                                                      
  X       The Voice of Saruman                                                    
  XI      The Palant¡r                                                            
  BOOK FOUR
  I       The Taming of Sm¿agol                                           
  II      The Passage of the Marshes                                              
  III     The Black Gate Is Closed                                                
  IV      Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit                                              
  V       The Window on the West                                          
  VI      The Forbidden Pool                                                      
  VII     Journey to the Cross-roads                                              
  VIII    The Stairs of Cirith Ungol                                              
  IX      Shelob's Lair                                                           
  X       The Choices of Master Samwise                                   
  THE RETURN OF THE KING
  BOOK FIVE
  I       Minas Tirith                                                            
  II      The Passing of the Grey Company                                 
  III     The Muster of Rohan                                                     
  IV      The Siege of Gondor                                                     
  V       The Ride of the Rohirrim                                                
  VI      The Battle of the Pelennor Fields                                       
  VII     The Pyre of Denethor                                                    
  VIII    The Houses of Healing                                                   
  IX      The Last Debate                                                         
  X       The Black Gate Opens                                                    
  BOOK SIX
  I       The Tower of Cirith Ungol                                               
  II      The Land of Shadow                                                      
  III     Mount Doom                                                              
  IV      The Field of Cormallen                                                  
  V       The Steward and the King                                                
  VI      Many Partings                                                           
  VII     Homeward Bound                                                  
  VIII    The Scouring of the Shire                                               
  IX      The Grey Havens                                                 
  APPENDICES
  A       ANNALS OF THE KINGS AND RULERS                          
  B       THE TALE OF YEARS                                               
  C       FAMILY TREES                                                    
  D       CALENDARS                                                               
  E       WRITING AND SPELLING                                            
  F       The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age; On Translation      
  EXTRACTS FROM A LETTER BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN TO MILTON 
  WALDMAN, ?LATE 1951, ON THE LORD OF THE RINGS                   
          
  NOMENCLATURE OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien 
  CHANGES TO THE EDITIONS OF 2004-5                               
  LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED                                         
  INDEX                                                                   

References:

• Publisher's Web Site for Book
• Author's Web Site
• Wikipedia-Book
• Wikipedia-Author
• Amazon-Book
• Amazon-Author
• Barnes and Noble
• GoodReads-Book
• GoodReads-Author
•  Lord of the Rings Wiki
• Huffington Post - Tolkien talks about the meaning of the Lord of the Ring
• Slate review
• Tolkien Library
• 
  

Book Group Reads: 2016-2017

Book Group Reads: 2016-2017

Month	Book	Pages	EBook	Fresno Library
July 14, 216	The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith	242	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
August 11, 2016	The Rosie Project: A Novel  by Graeme Simsion	295	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
September 8, 2016	You Could Look It Up by Jack Lynch	453	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy
October 13, 2016	The Martian by Andy Weir	435	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
November 10, 2016	Mystery Guest
December 8, 2016	The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu	229	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
January 12, 2017	I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai	327	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
February 9, 2017	Quiet the Power of the Introvert by Susan Cain	333	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
March 9, 2017	Still Alice, Lisa Genova Note: She is speaking at the Valley Townhall in April.	293	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
April 13, 2017	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin	281	Kindle Nook	Hardcopy eBook
May 11, 2017	Free Reign by Rosemary Aubert	321	None	Hardcopy

The Kitchen House

Book: The Kitchen House
Author: Kathleen Grissom
Edition: Paperback
Read:May 13, 2017
365 pages
Genre:  Fiction, Fiction-History, Slavery
Rated: 2.5  out of 5

Synopsis:
Written as a contrast between a white indentured servant, Lavinia, and a black slave Belle. The story follows Lavinia as a young child living with black slaves in the late 1790's near Williamsburg. Lavinia does not understand she is white and her "family" are black and what difference this makes.

As Lavinia ages, she is expected to take her place in white society. But she feels more attachments to her black family than white society. So she is sent off to her mistress' family in WIlliamsburg to live in white society and learn how to live that society. The expectation is to be married into that society.

And that is what happens. Her master's son takes an interest in her after a villager tries to take advantage of her. The problem, is the son is seeking a trophy wife. He has other ways to satisfy his coarser lusts. Eventually there is a scene where Lavinia has to escape. She seeks protection from a friend. But the price? Is the death of some of her black "family". That is how things end.



Evaluation:
How can a book be too slow and too fast?  Kathleen Grissom has found a way. The first third of the book, I kept wondering how will I make it through this book. Then you start getting a bit interested in the characters in the middle. But either I whizzed through the end of the story-I needed to read it before meeting with my book group--or the story just whizzed by me. I suspect the later. It seemed like Grissom felt she needed to end the story and quickly.

As a story, Grissom's book has some potential. Working through what did it mean to be a white indentured servant living with black slaves and the differences between the two could be of interest. And Grissom does talk about that. But there is something lacking-what it is, I do not know. Maybe it was the initial pedestrian pace of the book which made me more like prodding through it rather than a pleasure trip. Not so much that a book has to be light to be enjoyable, but at the end of the book, I am not sure there was anything particular to chew on.

 
Notes from my book group:
General comments:

• Over the top
• There is no redemption presented in this book, only bad choices
• Why did Marshall marry Lavinia? It makes no sense.

What is an indentured servant? How is it different than a slave? How does Grissom show the differences between the two in this story? How are they the same?

 Pretense of ignorance could serve me well (266) How does this statement show the shape of this book? How does Lavinia show herself ignorant of her surroundings throughout the book? How was ignorance help her? How does it cause trouble?

In parallel with the ignorance statement, Grissom has Mama Mae saying that Lavinia thinks like a child (276) and that she doesn't know that when she married Marshall, she's gonna take on his world. Was Lavinia able to change Marshall, or even modify his ways? Was he able to modify her ways? How did either of these come about? Paul writes, And do not be conformed to this world (Rom 12:2). After reading this story, how is the world stronger than us? How does it transform us? How can we resist?

We read The Invention of Wings as a group. The Invention of Wings also uses the thoughts of two women, one black and one white. What do the two stories have in common? How are they different? What do they show us about the relationship between whites in the South during this time and blacks? Does Grissom use this style and contrast effectively? What does she bring out through this style?

When Lavinia becomes mistress of the house, what constraints does she find on her? Why is this surprising? What constraints do we find when we are put into a position of power? How is that frustrating? Does she seem like a slave to you? Or what term would you call her place?

How does Lavinia escape her situation? Is this how Miss Martha escaped hers? What other options did she have?

The Captain, Marshall, Rankin, Will Stephens, Mr Madden, Papa, Ben, and Mr Boran all have roles in the book. I find most of the stronger roles are negative. 





Question from LitLovers
1. Why do you think the author chose to tell the story through two narrators? How are Lavinia's observations and judgments different from Belle's? Does this story belong to one more than the other? If you could choose another character to narrate the novel, who would it be?

2. One of the novel's themes is history repeating itself. Another theme is isolation. Select scenes from The Kitchen House that depict each theme and discuss. Are there scenes in which the two themes intersect?

3. "Mae knows that her eldest daughter consorts with my husband. . . Almost from the beginning, I suspected their secrets" (page 107). Why does the captain keep Belle's true identity a secret from his wife and children? Do you think the truth would have been a relief to his family or torn them further apart? At what point does keeping this secret turn tragic?

4. Discuss the significance of birds and bird nests in the novel. What or who do they symbolize? What other symbols support the novel?

5. "When I saw their hunger I was struck with a deep familiarity and turned away, my mind anxious to keep at bay memories it was not yet ready to recall" (page 24). Consider Lavinia's history. Do you think the captain saved her life by bringing her to America as an indentured servant? Or do you think it was a fate worse than the one she would have faced in Ireland? Discuss the difference between slavery and indentured servitude.

6. Marshall is a complicated character. At times, he is kind and protective; other times, he is a violent monster. What is the secret that Marshall is forced to keep? Is he to blame for what happened to Sally? Why do you think Marshall was loyal to Rankin, who was a conspirator with Mr. Waters?

7. "I grew convinced that if she saw me, she would become well again" (page 188). Why does Lavinia feel that her presence would help Miss Martha? Describe their relationship. If Lavinia is nurtured by Mama and Belle, why does she need Miss Martha's attention? Is the relationship one-sided, or does Miss Martha care for Lavinia in return?

8. "Fortunately, making myself amenable was not foreign to me, as I had lived this way for much of my life" (page 233). Do you think this attribute of Lavinia saves or endangers her life? Give examples for both.

9. Describe the relationship between Ben's wife, Lucy, and Belle. How does it evolve throughout the novel? Is it difficult for you to understand their friendship? Why or why not?

10. "I was as enslaved as all the others" (page 300). Do you think this statement by Lavinia is fair? Is her position equivalent to those of the slaves? What freedom does she have that the slaves do not? What burdens does her race put upon her?
(Questions issued by publisher.)


New Words:

• vasculum (177): a collecting box for plants, typically in the form of a flattened cylindrical metal case with a lengthwise opening, carried by a shoulder strap.

Good Quotes:

• First Line: There was a strong smell of smoke and new fear fueled me.
• Last Line: Her headstone was engraved: Belle Pyke  Daughter of James Pyke
•  

References:

• Publisher's Web Site for Book
• Author's Web Site
• Wikipedia-Author
• Amazon-Book
• Amazon-Author
• Barnes and Noble
• GoodReads-Book
• GoodReads-Author
•  Lit Lovers
• Good N Crazy blog - does not like this book
• Boston Globe review
• The Book Shop blog - mixed review
• Wall Street Journal review
• 
  

Island to the Lost

From New Zealand's Maritime Museum

Book: Island to the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
Author: Joan Druett
Edition:Hardback from the Mountain View Public Library
Read:April 9, 2016
284 pages
Genre:  History, Biography
Rated: 3.5  out of 5

Synopsis:
Two shipwreck stories, taking place on the Auckland Islands, are told in this book with the concentration on the demise of the Grafton. The other tells the tale of the Invercauld.

The Grafton story talks about the mission of this crew-to find minerals on an island. Finding none, they go on to the Auckland Islands where a storm runs them aground. Things look pretty dismal because of the isolation, the cold and lack of food. The food problem becomes manageable by eating seals. This also provides other things like oil and skins for clothing and other things. Such as after 20 months of survival they build a lightweight craft out of the skins and sail to an island off of New Zealand. Where they are received and rescue the other two survivors. All of the five crew members survive both the shipwreck and the ordeal.

During the time when the Grafton crew is on the Auckland Island, the Invercauld runs aground on a different part of the island.  So the two crews never see each other. While the Invercauld's crew landed in a much more hostile area they are not as resourceful as the Grafton. Consequently all but three of the crew die-the Captain, the second mate and one seaman. The officers are worthless. Without the seaman all would have died. If others had followed the seaman, more would have survived. They are eventually rescued by a passing boat.

Thoughts:
As I read the book, the thought of Would I be able to survive in a situation and as long as they did? continued to run through my mind. My guess is no. I become squeamish about killing things and that would have been the only way to survive.  On the other hand I think I would have done ok at other basic survival skills. But the Raynal far exceeded my abilities at creativeness.

Killing of seals-both hunting and needing to survive. Efficiency in killing a seal: club it over the nose, between the eyes where the skull is its thinnest. Gory stuff.



In chapter 12, the crew of the Grafton makes the discovery of a rudder and some planks. But Druett will not tie the pieces together for us and say that these came from the Invercauld.  But there is there a clear tie in from how she tells her story?

It was hard work ... that saved them from brooding over their miserable fate and giving way to depression. (chp 9) Also Raynal says that the projects left us little leisure to think of our misfortunes. This is the kind of stuff I like in a book. Where you are given pause to think. Usually we humans shy away from hard work. But here Raynal recognizes that hard work has its virtues. It draws your mind away from worries and gets your body to take over. Of course, in this case it is a matter of survival. Also work which breaks a person and their spirit does not fall into this benefit. But it is worthwhile remembering the above when comforting someone. Get them involved.

Raynal notes when faced with what appears to be a human appeal from a young seal pup for mercy, We were much moved and hesitated long; greatly tempted to spare them, yet forced by necessity to obey reason rather than sentiment.  (ch 10) What does rationality have to do with survival? Maybe if you can look at things of either this seal dies or I die. But I think Raynal is trying to read to much enlightenment into survival.
 
Druett takes her sources from many places and tries to reconcile them. She notes in many places where the sources do not match ad she speculates about which one is correct or is at least more plausible. This is good because she has examined much of the source material -she also makes it sounds like it would be a good thing to read some of the journals.

But where she crosses a line is in some places she tries to fill in the gaps because what the journals say and things she imagines must have happened. In itself, this is not a bad thing. But because Druett does a good job of researching out things, you are lead to believe these fill in materials are also part of the record. This is the kind of thing I fear from historical fiction, which this is not.

Organization

• Leadership, organization, knowledge, skill and innovation win out over numbers and resources. Druett shows this through her comparison of outcomes between the Grafton and the Invercauld. While there was a power structure where the captan was in charge on the Invercauld, he did not performed and used it as a means of saying everyone should serve him.
• But Musgrave of the Grafton while wanting his men to honor his position was willing to work with the men, recognizing their strengths and being one with them. There was a community with a leader rather than a dictator. Musgrave would be a good example.
• There is another component as well. The men needed to follow. Musgrave's willingness to work with them allowed them to feel respected. So they willingly followed him. This partnership allowed them to survive.

People

• Raynal had a catholic faith which helped him in times of despair. He also had experience fixing things, including making bellows, as well as a good mind to figure things out. He could bring men together to help point them in the right direction.
• Musgrave was subject to melancholy. He knew how to lead. Also had a good head on his shoulder which allowed him to make the right moves.

Evaluation:
If you like a shipwreck of a book, this is book is for you. It traces two ships which ran aground on Aukland Island. Druett does a good job of telling the stories of how the crews of the Grafton and the Invercauld survived. These stories are told from the journals of the main people from each ship.

As a good storyteller, she makes the characters have personalities you can follow. But in some ways, that is her weakness. She inserts into her characters motives and actions which are not there in the journals. Still, you could spend your time in lot worse ways than reading The Island of the Lost.

 
Notes from my book group:
At our OSHER group, we were asked to supply some questions.My questions are:

1) If you were thrown into a situation of survival, how would you do? What attitude would you have?

2) What is the differences made it so the crew of the Grafton was able to survive vs the crew of the Invercauld dies, except for three people? How did the social structure of each ship affect the outcome?




New Words:

• hawse pipe (chp 3): the pipe passing through the bow section of a ship that the anchor chain passes through
• binnacle (chp 2): a built-in housing for a ship's compass
• scudded (chp 3): move fast in a straight line because or as if driven by the wind
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Book References:

• Albert Cook Church Whale Ships and Whaling
• JC Yaldwyn Preliminary Results of the Auckland Islands Expedition 1972-1973
•  Francois E Raynal Wrecked on a Reef: or, Twenty Months Among the Auckland Isles. A True Story
•  Thomas Musgrave Castawy on the Aucklands: the wreck of the Grafton, from the private journals of Thomas Musgrave
•  Madelene Fergueson Allen Wake of the Invercauld
• Captain Dalgarno Narrative of the Wreck of the "Invercauld" among the Auckland Islands
• And many more found in the Author's Note

Good Quotes:

• First Line: It was Octber 1863, early springtime in Sydney, Australia.
• Last Line: Thomas Musgrave, without a doubt would have thoroughly approved.

Table of Contents:

• One        A Sturdy Vessel
  Two        Open Sea
  Three        The Islands
  Four        Wrecked
  Five        Shelter
  Six        Prey
  Seven        The Cabin
  Eight        Democracy
  Nine        Routine
  Ten        Dire Necessity
  Eleven        The Jaws of Hell
  Twelve        Privation
  Thirteen    The Hunt
  Fourteen    Equinox
  Fifteen        Summer
  Sixteen        Raynal's Forge
  Seventeen    Boats
  Eighteen    Escape
  Nineteen    Deliverance
  Twenty        A Sentiment of Humanity
  Twenty-one    Rescue
  Twenty-two    Reunion
  Twenty-three    Answers
  Aftermath
  Author's Note

References:

• Author's Web Site
• Wikipedia-Author
• Amazon-Book
• Amazon-Author
• Barnes and Noble
• GoodReads-Book
• GoodReads-Author
•  Francois Raynal's Wrecked on a Reef; or, Twenty Months Among the Auckland Isles
•  Thomas Musgrave's Castaway on the Auckland isles: a narrative of the wreck of the ʻGrafton ̓and of the escape of the crew after twenty months' suffering
•  New York Times Sunday Book Review
• AV Club review
• Everything Non-Fiction review
• World of the Written Word - a blog entry by Joan Druett
• Kirkus review
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The Martian

Book: The Martian
Basic Information : Synopsis : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group : New Words : Good Quotes : References

Basic Information: 
Author: Andy Weir
Edition: eReader Nook Book
Read:March 20, 2016
          October 14, 2016 (Book Group)
304 pages
Genre:  Science Fiction
Rated: 4  out of 5

Synopsis:
Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars when a forceful evacuation takes place and the rest of the crew thinks that Mark is dead. But he survives an antenna through his suit and into his chest. Mark has to figure out how to survive without communications, limited vital resources, and damaged shelter.

His crew mates and Houston are unaware that he is still alive until a tech notices changes happening at the project site from satellite photo's. Things are moving around the site which needed to be evacuated. Watney is smarter than the average cookie and has figured out how to adapt and survive the hostile environment of Mars. Even more so, he has a knack for working things out. He figures out that if he can get to an old probe he would have communication with the earth-which is what he does.

At least communications enough to get a plan together  on his rescue. Of course, then disaster strikes again and he loses communications  and Watney has to travel across Mars about 2000 miles to a lift off point. With heroics on Watney's part and the crew which abandoned him, he is rescued.


Thoughts:
I enjoyed the book, but I did not find this a particularly deep book. I think it can be broken down into these parts:

• Accidents do happen, be prepared
• Through intelligence, attitude and work, you can overcome obstacles
• People will try real hard to help others, even at the sacrifice of themselves.

There is little religion in the book. To me this is more of a symptom than a statement. Weir is more interested in weaving a good story with scientific information than looking into the mysteries of life.

There is one exchange between Commander Lewis who avows she is an atheist and Martinez, a Catholic. But all which it  was said is that Lewis lacked faith, maybe faith of any kind or in anything. There is one more scene where Watney finds Martinez' wooden crucifix and needs something to start a fire with. Watney burns the cross. I had more of a feeling it was not a metaphor for burning away religion to make way for survival and science, but only because it would be appropriate for Martinez to have a crucifix stowed away.

Weir notes that the sandstorm he describes would not happen--the atmosphere on Mars is not very much so the dust would not be enough cause that kind of damage nor push over a lander.

I like how the phrase in Slate.com says it, not science fiction but fictional science.

Weir published this in installments on his web site. That way he made corrections as he published.


Evaluation:
The first line in The Martian is very indicative of the book. It goes I'm pretty much [f'ed]. Well maybe a bit more forward than my slight modification. The line contains Mark Watney's circumstances, the feeling of frustration throughout the book, along with an undercurrent of what am I going to do about it. It also has the language which the author Weir will  liberally use.  The tension in the statement is resident in the book, which makes it work.

Andy Weir blends the technical with a good story line. As what others have pointed out, it is like Apollo 13 meets Tom Hanks in Castaway.  While much of the book deals with the technical issues of survival on Mars, Weir does a good job of not bogging down the story with too much science. Science is more of a method to move the story along. Being someone who enjoys understanding, I liked how he brought in science into the story.

Being along, the resourcefulness, the knowledge, optimism and the drive all make for this to be a read you will want to sit down and read in a night. Oh yeah, did I mention that Weir brings in enough irony into the story that you will be snickering through your read? Enjoy.

 
Notes from my book group:

BookGroup:
Most of my questions was based upon, but modified from, the LitLover's questions:

• What would you have done if you were on Mars and something like the storm happens and a crew member was presumed dead?
• A journal or diary can be a tool to reflect or serve as a companion. Do you keep one? How does it help you in dealing with your issues?
• Did you find Weir's book plausible? Was it readable? Many times an author cannot combine the two.
• How does The Martian compare to other science-fiction books? Do you think it will be something which people will be reading in ten years? This book group is not much on science fiction.
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From LitLovers
1. How did The Martian challenge your expectations of what the novel would be? What did you find most surprising about it?

2. What makes us root for a character to live in a survival story? In what ways do you identify with Mark? How does the author get you to care about him?

3. Do you believe the crew did the right thing in abandoning the search for Mark? Was there an alternative choice?

4. Did you find the science and technology behind Mark's problem-solving accessible? How did that information add to the realism of the story?

5. What are some of the ways the author established his credibility with scientific detail? Which of Mark's solutions did you find most amazing and yet believable?

5. What is your visual picture of the surface of Mars, based on the descriptions in the book? Have you seen photographs of the planet?

7. Who knew potatoes, duct tape, and seventies reruns were the key to space survival? How does each of these items represent aspects of Mark's character that help him survive?

8. How is Mark's sense of humor as much a survival skill as his knowledge of botany? Do you have a favorite funny line of his?

9. To what extent does Mark's log serve as his companion? Do you think it's implicit in the narrative that maintaining a log keeps him sane?

10. The author provides almost no back story regarding Mark's life on Earth. Why do you think he made this choice? What do you imagine Mark's past life was like?

11. There's no mention of Mark having a romantic relationship on Earth. Do you think that makes it easier or harder to endure his isolation? How would the story be different if he was in love with someone back home?

12. Were there points in the novel when you became convinced Mark couldn't survive? What were they, and what made those situations seem so dire?

13. The first time the narrative switched from Mark's log entries to third-person authorial narrative back on Earth, were you surprised? How does alternating between Mark's point of view and the situation on Earth enhance the story?

14. Did you believe the commitment of those on Earth to rescuing one astronaut? What convinced you most?

15. To what extent do you think guilt played a part in the crew's choice to go back to Mark? To what extent loyalty? How would you explain the difference?

16. How does the author handle the passage of time in the book? Did he transition smoothly from a day-to-day account to a span of one and a half years? How does he use the passage of time to build suspense?

17. Unlike other castaways, Mark can approximately predict the timing of his potential rescue. How does that knowledge help him? How could it work against him?

18. When Mark leaves the Hab and ventures out in the rover, did you feel a loss of security for him? In addition to time, the author uses distance to build suspense. Discuss how.

19. Where would you place The Martian in the canon of classic space exploration films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apollo 13, and Gravity? What does it have in common with these stories? How is it different?

20. A survival story has to resonate on a universal level to be effective, whether it's set on a desert island or another planet. How important are challenges in keeping life vital? To what extent are our everyday lives about problem-solving and maintaining hope?

New Words:

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Good Quotes:

• First Line:  I'm pretty much f'ed.
• Last Line: This is the happiest day of my life.
•  No plan survives first contact with the enemy. pg 233
• every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. pg 304

References:

• Publisher's Web Site for Book
• Author's Web Site
• Wikipedia-Book
• Wikipedia-Author
• Amazon-Book
• Amazon-Author
• Barnes and Noble
• GoodReads-Book
• GoodReads-Author
•  NPR Interview
• Science Friday review of the movie
• Science Friday interview with Andy Weir
• Space.com - Is the movie as good as the book?
• Slate.com  review
• Business Insider - How The Martian got published

The Pope Who Quit

Book: The Pope Who Quit
Author:Jon M Sweeney
Edition:Softbound from the Mountain View Public Library
Read:February 8, 2016
249 (288 including end notes and index) pages
Genre:  History, Biography
Rated: 3 out of 5

Synopsis:
The author follows the life of Peter Morrone of becoming a contemplative of some renown. In his 80's he is selected as a compromise person for becoming pope. But whether because of age, desire, or ability, he fails as being pope and quits. Even after quitting, he is viewed as a threat and is taken into prison and dies there.

Note: This book was written before the resignation of Pope Benidict XVI's.

Thoughts:
Introduction
Hermits did not live in homes. They didn't aspire to anything permanent. Is Sweeney right on this? Didn't he get this backward that hermits aspire for the permanency of eternity, not the temporal of the material we see around us?

Notes that many Christians have boring lives. But then something awakens them (Spirit of God). Around the time of St Francis there was an outbreak of mystical experiences among the common folks.   The lesson I take from this is that we are called not to seek after the extraordinary, but to be true to our Lord. He will send his Spirit to us as needed.

The Bizarre Papal Election of 1292–94
Methods of reasoning was taking over. Knowledge came from the Muslims/Arabians on how things were. Emphasis from authority to hypothesis, research and evidence.  Which is better? In my mind, it is better to have both-inspiration backed by reasoning.


A Most Unlikely Decision
there was an understanding that time was connected to destiny. This was the statement introducing that a letter which Peter Morrone sent to the Cardinals arrived at a divinely appointed time.  As I am reading the book, I think that the Cardinals were almost all oriented around power. But this letter seemed to them a divine entry. Were these men all about power? Or were they people who thought the power was the way to achieve God's goals on this earth?



They Came to Take Him Away
 Hypothesis: the more a man was able to live every moment of earthly existence as a gift from the Creator, the higher the spiritual state he would achieve. Is this true? What does Sweeney mean by live? If he means activity, I think the statement is false. If he means that each moment is moving the person a step closer to God, then yes. But what does that look like? Feeding the poor or the contemplation effort of Peter Morrone?


The Hundred-Meter Fast
Morrone sought the mountains to both be alone but to also be close to God. Sweeney  indicates that at least the thought in those days was that the higher you got, the closer you are to God. I will admit, when I go to the mountains, I feel closer to Him. But having said that, I think it is there I can contemplate the beauty God has put in there for us. For others it might be the beach, or a sunset or the flight of a bird.

I do not know what Sweeney means by saying that a hermit takes his own suffering into his own hands. Does he mean that the hermit seeks out suffering, or that he has the capacity to understand that his suffering draws him closer to God.




Riding on an Ass
Best line in the book: Every pope before him had died in office. That's what popes do.

The World is Falling Apart
 Sweeney notes that Celestine V was the latest and for many the last hope of those who believed that a man could wield both political and spiritual power, ... Isn't this the hope of most evangelical America? To find a righteous person who can weld the power of the political process? But from what we learned in this book, that may not be possible. To be spiritual says we will not indulge in the shenanigans of the muck of politics. We will love, not despise our enemies. Politics does not allow for that which appears to be weak. Sort of makes politics hopeless for us. Maybe on a local level where a persons reflective goodness can show.

It is noted that until the 14th century the rulers felt a burden to rule under the Church's moral authority. This did involve, to some extent, being involved in the welfare of the people. Isn't this one measure of a good ruler? After that the era of cynicism began. Maybe that is how come we cannot have a united spiritual and political ruler.

Is Saint Enough?
This was the work of Peter Morrone's entire life: to keep praying despite whatever happened... to abdicate as evidence that he understood his most important calling of all--to be a contemplative. Is this really his entire calling? Sort of reminds of the modern phrase of being so holy that you are of no earthly good. Also it sort of makes you wonder if this statement is true, what good is a pope who thinks that he is the primary attraction of the Church, not Christ.

A. N. Wilson is quoted in the New Yorker magazine as saying:  I bend my knee to the unwilling holy man who knew there was no meeting place between the pursuit of power and the worship of God. At least to know the limits of each one of these.


Evaluation:
As a history, Sweeney does a good job of laying things out about who Peter Morrone was. As a story, he lacks a necessary rhythm to keep the reader excited about the biography. There are places which Sweeney throws in some points which I do not think he supports particularly well.

But the conclusions he draws should be well taken. You have a contemplative person selected to be pope, who tries to infuse his spirituality into the politics of the 13th century Roman Catholic Church and gets chewed up and spit out.  As such, you wonder, can you really join together the spiritual with the political? Isn't this where American politics and religion have can astray?  Just for this insight, it is a book worth reading.

 
Notes from my book group:

What pictures does the book evoke on who Peter Morrone was before becoming Pope Celestine V? Where does Sweeney draw his facts from?

Do you see any reasons to trust a hagiographical account of a life? What do you think of the Italian saying quoted by Sweeney on page 72 that translates as: “A lie well told is worth more than a stupid fact”?

Sweeney has in his first chapter that Hermits did not live in homes. They didn't aspire to anything permanent. Is he right? Is that what it means to be spiritual?

The outbreak of new ways of knowledge was just starting at this time. How did the starting of emphasis on reason with hypothesis, research and evidence as the basis cause a change in how power is obtained? If you were the leaders of that day, what effect would that have on you?

Starting chapter five, it is stated, the more a man was able to live every moment of earthly existence as a gift from the Creator, the higher the spiritual state he would achieve.Is this true in what ways? How does this get worked out? Did this show up in the book?

Peter Damian's disciplines served as an inspiration to Peter Morrone. Much of this seems foreign to us in our day and age, unless you remember the Albino in the Dan Brown novel. How does discipline contribute ti spirituality? Are there limits? Did Peter Morrone exceed those limits?

Also in THE HUNDRED-METER FAST, Sweeney talks about how a hermit will take(s) his suffering into his own hands. How do you parse this statement? Does causing your own suffering bring you closer to God?  How does this fit into fasting? Or Nietzsche suggestion that saints and martyrs attempt to dominate the rest of us with these ways of being “holy.”

Contrast how Sweeney describes how popes were in Peter Morrone's day with our current day popes?  How much politics do you think goes into making a pope today? To make him successful? Is this true of other spiritual leaders? What part does cynicism play in today's leaders or at least in how we view the?

Sweeney in his summary chapter notes that Peter Morrone was a great spiritual man who did not operate in the political and power structures of his day. How do you think a spiritual man would operate as President today? (I am thinking of Jimmy Carter, Harold Hughes, and Ben Carson)

What do you think of Sweeney’s concluding thought, that Peter Morrone/Celestine V was a quitter, yes, but that by quitting he also showed himself to be enlightened?


Penguin-Random House Reader Guide
1. Part I — When the Unexpected Happened

A LETTER THAT CHANGED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
The opening paragraphs of this chapter begin to tell you something about who Peter Morrone was. Can you picture him? Have you known a strong, religious person in your life? Do you have positive or negative associations with such people?

2. THE BIZARRE PAPAL ELECTION OF 1292­–94

How would you describe the typical medieval pope? Is he someone that you would want as your priest or spiritual leader? Was it a sign of his virtue, rather than his weakness, that Peter Morrone was ill-fit for the late medieval papacy? This is a theme that we will return to many times in The Pope Who Quit.

3. A MOST UNLIKELY DECISION

How do you imagine the room in which a papal conclave is held? Who are the characters in that room? Can you imagine the various motivations that the cardinals held in that room in July of 1294 – some good, some not?

4. SPREADING THE NEWS
Much of the power of the medieval papacy came as a result of one of the most famous (and successful) forgeries in history known as the Donation of Constantine. See page 56. This forgery claimed that the fourth century emperor Constantine donated a great swath of imperial land to the office of the papacy, then held by Pope Sylvester I. The early humanist scholar, Lorenzo Valla, began to expose this forgery in the 1440s. A popular twelfth century legal textbook (known as Gratian’s Decretum) explained what was believed up until that time: “The Emperor Constantine yielded his crown and all his royal prerogatives in the city of Rome, and in Italy, and in western parts to the Apostolic See…. On the fourth day after his baptism Constantine conferred this privilege on the pontiff of the Roman Church, so that in the whole Roman world priests would regard him as their head, as judges do their king.” [See Lorenzo Valla, Discourse on the Forgery of the Alleged Donation of Constantine, for the text of his exposure of the forgery, in both Latin and an old English translation, at http://history.hanover.edu/texts/vallapart2.html]

5. THEY CAME TO TAKE HIM AWAY

Where was Peter when the news of the election was brought to his doorstep? See page 66. The Roman poet Petrarch says that Peter actually turned and ran, attempting to flee. Should he have?


6. Part II — Peter of Morrone, 1209–93

NOW I WILL TELL YOU OF MY LIFE

Sweeney begins Part II of his book by briefly explaining the use of hagiography in telling a story such as that of Peter Morrone. Do you see any reasons to trust a hagiographical account of a life? Have you read any such accounts of religious figures in the past? What do you think of the Italian saying quoted by Sweeney on page 72 that translates as: “A lie well told is worth more than a stupid fact”?

7. I BECAME A MAN WHEN I BECAME A MONK

What do you think of Peter’s family background and how it may have affected his professional course in life? How do you see him as compared to other prominent religious figures, including previous popes, of his own century? How has your own family “determined” your future – for good or ill?

8. A HERMIT LOVES HIS CAVE

Peter Damian’s writings and reputation had a profound influence on Peter Morrone’s life and thought. Sweeney describes Damian as a zealot, a pessimist, and a reformer. By this point in The Pope Who Quit, do you see Peter Morrone that way, too? Or not?

9. THE HUNDRED-METER FAST
We return to the theme of asceticism. Ascetic acts were ever-present in Peter’s life. It was the nineteenth century philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, son of a Lutheran minister, who first called asceticism a religious person’s way of gaining power over. Nietzsche suggested that saints and martyrs attempt to dominate the rest of us with these ways of being “holy.” He saw an insidious “will to power” in fastings and other physical denials. He called it a “striving for distinction,” nothing other than a way of trying to dominate. What do you think?

10. WALKING TO LYON

This chapter sees Peter Morrone living among the men of power of his era. How do you think those men regarded the hermit? How might Peter have regarded them?


11. Part III — Turbulent Times

OBSESSED WITH SALVATION

Do you see more or less “obsession” with salvation today, as compared to Peter’s era?

12. RIDING ON AN ASS

See pages 141-146. How did the image of Saint Francis of Assisi impact the world of the thirteenth century? Prophecies of Joachim of Fiore foretold a century before Francis were believed to have been fulfilled by him. Poets writing in the century after Francis wrote about how he was a “new Christ.” There were more followers of Francis in the first half century of his movement than had joined any other monastic movement previously. How was Francis different from other religious figures who’d come before him? Was Peter Morrone at all like Francis?

13. THE COLORFUL KINGS OF NAPLES AND SICILY

Fathers and sons. The history of the world could probably be told through the lens of sons sometimes modeling and sometimes rebelling against, their fathers. How would you describe Charles I? And how about his son?

14. FIFTEEN DISASTROUS WEEKS

Do you see any similarities between Pope Celestine V and any of the popes who have lived and ruled during your lifetime? Is it conceivable that a pope would make some of the same mistakes that Celestine made, today?

15. AWKWARDNESS IN ROBES

In Sweeney’s telling, the papal curia, Castle Nuovo, and the College of Cardinals all become like “characters” in the story, each influencing the “angelic” Pope Celestine. How did they each impact him – for good or ill?


16. Part IV — The Passion and the Pity, 1294–96

I, PETER CELESTINE, AM GOING AWAY

One of the enduring questions from the life of Peter Morrone/Celestine V is this: Was he guileless and saintly, or was he something else? In the final chapter, Sweeney concludes by weighing in on this topic. But at this point, what do you think?

17. THE NEW ADVENT OF FRIAR PETER

There have been many stories in history of a religious figure running for his life. One thinks, for example, of the 14th Dalia Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, fleeing the Chinese communists across the Himalayan mountains from Tibet to India in 1959. A more ancient example might be Celestine’s spiritual model, Jesus Christ, who of course lost his life and never tried to flee. What do you think of Celestine’s running from Naples?

18. MURDERED BY A POPE

Did Cardinal Gaetani have Celestine V murdered? What do you think? What evidence is missing that would allow a legal case to be made?

19. THE WORLD IS FALLING APART

The undercurrent of this chapter is also an undercurrent that marks different religions and spiritual teachers from one another. That is, is this the only world or is there another to come? And then, are there ways to be faithful to God that have nothing to do with living in this world? How would you describe Peter Morrone’s beliefs on these topics – based on his actions?

20. IS SAINT ENOUGH?

What do you think of Sweeney’s concluding thought, that Peter Morrone/Celestine V was a quitter, yes, but that by quitting he also showed himself to be enlightened?


New Words:

• hagiography: the writing of the lives of saints.
•  eremitic: A recluse or hermit, especially a religious recluse.

Book References:

• Many of them-see the notes at the end of the book

Good Quotes:

• First Line:Toward the close of the Middle Ages, in 1285, there lived three men whose lives would intersect and forever change history.
• Last Line: And for that single act, he showed himself to be enlightened, not naive.

Table of Contents:

• Time Line of Events
• Prologue
• Introduction
• Part I: When the Unexpected Happened
  • A Letter that Changed Just About Everything
  • The Bizarre Papal Election of 1292–94
  • A Most Unlikely Decision
  • Spreading the News
  • They Came to Take Him Away
• Part II: Peter of Morrone, 1209–93
  • Now I Will Tell You of My Life
  • I Became a Man When I Became a Monk
  • A Hermit Loves His Cave
  • The Hundred-Meter Fast
  • Walking to Lyon
• Part III: Turbulent Times
  • Obsessed with Salvation
  • Riding on an Ass
  • The Colorful Kings of Naples and Sicily
  • Fifteen Disastrous Weeks
  • Awkwardness in Robes
• Part IV: The Passion and the Pity, 1294–96
  • I, Peter Celestine, Am Going Away
  • The New Advent of Friar Peter
  • Murdered by a Pope
  • The World is Falling Apart
  • Is Saint Enough?
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• Index

References:

• Publisher's Web Site for Book
• Author's Web Site
• Amazon-Book
• Amazon-Author
• GoodReads-Book
• GoodReads-Author
•  Kirkus review
• Interview with the Christian Science Monitor
•  Baker Bible House review
• Penguin-Random House Reader Guide
• Patheos review
• A.N. Wilson quote in New Yorker magazine