I think it is a fair picture of what was happening. Some of the descriptions were so unexpected, but so absolutely true that they could only have been recorded by an eye witness. Details even a highly informed/researched writer would not be able to assimilate. One that sticks in my mind is the sound of shops closing in the middle of the day. I remember thinking that Alan Furst, who writes very realistic feeling novels about WW2 Europe, must have found this novel a treasure trove. I wonder how many aha moments he had reading this. Her own experiences must have colored her writing, but whose doesn't? She was writing this as a novel, right?
Maybe it is the translator, but so far the book does not feel unfinished as in polished. There may be loose ends/unfinished story lines by the end.
Which figure do you think is most reflective of her experience?
Weird, but since you asked, I identify with Mme. Pericand if anyone...having children I can relate to her circumstances. And **spoiler follows** I could not meaning to forget the Elder Monsieur Pericand if an opportunity came to save my children!!!
Showing posts with label Ellen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ellen. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Windfalls - Ellen
2. Melody ~ Melody burned herself on "the red spiral of the element" (pp. 133-134), just as Cerise had burned herself "against the hot edge of the iron" (pp. 21-22), leaving "stripes on Cerise's wrists [that]turned to scabs" (p. 30). Why do people do things like this? A young woman told me once that cutting herself was less painful than her life, but I don't understand that thinking at all.
I don't understand this thinking either, but I do know that some people do seem to sabotage their lives so that bad things happen to them. I wonder if this is just bypassing the waiting for pain. Maybe the physical pain is something they feel they can control. And if they can control the physical pain, then they know they can endure even more emotional pain? Not worrying about scarring may indicate they don't think they have much a future anyway...
3. NICU ~ When Ellen was born (pp. 137-146), she was rushed to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Have you ever been in an NICU? Tell us about it.
I have worked in a hospital and made rounds through a NICU (checking drug carts). It was amazing that the tiny creatures were human sometimes...and that they would ever be normal, their lives seemed so strange and extreme. I think I felt less emotion over seeing those poor babies than I did an older baby or child that was very sick. Maybe it will sound callous, but I think it is because I know that those babies had a chance, had been on course for normal lives. It was something extreme that was bringing them down rather than an extreme measure to ever have them live.
4. Respirator ~ One of my granddaughters (not the one I mentioned last week) was in the NICU for the first days of her life and then was on a respirator, like Ellen. If you have experienced anything like this, please share.
After my dad's open heart surgery he had to spend the night on a respirator. We were allowed to visit him for about two minutes post op before we were sent away for the night. He'd only been out of surgery and recovered for a short time. It was hard to go into the room and see him so pale and barely alive, his chest rising and falling with the pump and hiss of the machine. He wasn't groggy though. When he looked at me I saw desperation in his eyes. I knew that being on a respirator can be torture. You feel like you are smothering, even though just the opposite is true. He grabbed for my hand. I knew that he was begging me to make someone take that respirator out.
5. Cerise ~ After the fire in the trailer (pp. 157-160), Travis suffered "respiratory insufficiency" (p. 164) before he died (p. 171). That's hell in itself for a mother, but can you put yourself in Cerise's shoes enough to understand what she did after that?
As outrageous as her behavior was, I found it totally believable. Perhaps that was just a reflection of Jean Hegland's excellent writing to have set up Cerise's personality and situation so perfectly. But I can completely understand wanting to be totally alone with such complete grief. With no one else in the world, I could imagine wanting to jump off that bridge...but I would think knowing Melody was still in the world that would keep her going...I just can understand it. I don't understand how a parent could take care of the details of paperwork and burial. I would just want to run away--run home and lock the door...but of course Cerise did not have a home. And she could not forgive Melody. I can understand if I had to keep living, that I'd have to live as someone else.
6. Homeless ~ What would it be like to know, suddenly, that you were quite literally homeless? What would you do?
It is hard to even imagine. I have so many people I could turn to. It would be so humiliating. I would think hunger would drive you to the shelters, though I'd hate the thought of having to sleep there.
1. What would YOU do if your house burned down, leaving you homeless and with no material resources at your command?
It is hard to even fathom. I'd go to my parents' house, or my brother's or sister's or cousin's...without that support however...I'd turn to a church, look for a job, for sure. Hope that I could make it until a paycheck. Probably try to get into a situation like Cerise with a temporary home, but maybe that is because of reading the book.
2. Was there anything Cerise could have done to make a better life for herself?
It seems like she could have confided in someone...but then she could not be that new person anymore...that made Honey back into Cerise. Then she would have to talk about it, face it.
3. How was it a good thing that Anna and Cerise met each other at this time in their lives?
It was good for them both, it got Anna back on track, and helped her face her past, and I think it helped remind Cerise what life could be like, gave her hope of something greater, and made her think she was strong enough to face Melody. I wonder if she would tell her about the battery.
I wonder if the loss of the family farm haunted anyone like it did me! I wanted to blame her husband for that complete loss of the past! It was like Anna's home had burned down too.
I think Jean Hegland is a beautiful sensitive writer! But I found the book very depressing in parts, almost difficult to go on with. I could not imagine how it would end, so for that and for the heartwrenching writing kept me turning the page.
I don't understand this thinking either, but I do know that some people do seem to sabotage their lives so that bad things happen to them. I wonder if this is just bypassing the waiting for pain. Maybe the physical pain is something they feel they can control. And if they can control the physical pain, then they know they can endure even more emotional pain? Not worrying about scarring may indicate they don't think they have much a future anyway...
3. NICU ~ When Ellen was born (pp. 137-146), she was rushed to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Have you ever been in an NICU? Tell us about it.
I have worked in a hospital and made rounds through a NICU (checking drug carts). It was amazing that the tiny creatures were human sometimes...and that they would ever be normal, their lives seemed so strange and extreme. I think I felt less emotion over seeing those poor babies than I did an older baby or child that was very sick. Maybe it will sound callous, but I think it is because I know that those babies had a chance, had been on course for normal lives. It was something extreme that was bringing them down rather than an extreme measure to ever have them live.
4. Respirator ~ One of my granddaughters (not the one I mentioned last week) was in the NICU for the first days of her life and then was on a respirator, like Ellen. If you have experienced anything like this, please share.
After my dad's open heart surgery he had to spend the night on a respirator. We were allowed to visit him for about two minutes post op before we were sent away for the night. He'd only been out of surgery and recovered for a short time. It was hard to go into the room and see him so pale and barely alive, his chest rising and falling with the pump and hiss of the machine. He wasn't groggy though. When he looked at me I saw desperation in his eyes. I knew that being on a respirator can be torture. You feel like you are smothering, even though just the opposite is true. He grabbed for my hand. I knew that he was begging me to make someone take that respirator out.
5. Cerise ~ After the fire in the trailer (pp. 157-160), Travis suffered "respiratory insufficiency" (p. 164) before he died (p. 171). That's hell in itself for a mother, but can you put yourself in Cerise's shoes enough to understand what she did after that?
As outrageous as her behavior was, I found it totally believable. Perhaps that was just a reflection of Jean Hegland's excellent writing to have set up Cerise's personality and situation so perfectly. But I can completely understand wanting to be totally alone with such complete grief. With no one else in the world, I could imagine wanting to jump off that bridge...but I would think knowing Melody was still in the world that would keep her going...I just can understand it. I don't understand how a parent could take care of the details of paperwork and burial. I would just want to run away--run home and lock the door...but of course Cerise did not have a home. And she could not forgive Melody. I can understand if I had to keep living, that I'd have to live as someone else.
6. Homeless ~ What would it be like to know, suddenly, that you were quite literally homeless? What would you do?
It is hard to even imagine. I have so many people I could turn to. It would be so humiliating. I would think hunger would drive you to the shelters, though I'd hate the thought of having to sleep there.
1. What would YOU do if your house burned down, leaving you homeless and with no material resources at your command?
It is hard to even fathom. I'd go to my parents' house, or my brother's or sister's or cousin's...without that support however...I'd turn to a church, look for a job, for sure. Hope that I could make it until a paycheck. Probably try to get into a situation like Cerise with a temporary home, but maybe that is because of reading the book.
2. Was there anything Cerise could have done to make a better life for herself?
It seems like she could have confided in someone...but then she could not be that new person anymore...that made Honey back into Cerise. Then she would have to talk about it, face it.
3. How was it a good thing that Anna and Cerise met each other at this time in their lives?
It was good for them both, it got Anna back on track, and helped her face her past, and I think it helped remind Cerise what life could be like, gave her hope of something greater, and made her think she was strong enough to face Melody. I wonder if she would tell her about the battery.
I wonder if the loss of the family farm haunted anyone like it did me! I wanted to blame her husband for that complete loss of the past! It was like Anna's home had burned down too.
I think Jean Hegland is a beautiful sensitive writer! But I found the book very depressing in parts, almost difficult to go on with. I could not imagine how it would end, so for that and for the heartwrenching writing kept me turning the page.
Friday, May 9, 2008
WF ~ answering the discussion questions
Ellen D. commented:
I thought it a shame that the grandmother's revelation did not somehow come before Anna's abortion, that would have been her only chance to rethink the decision. I wanted Anna to think about her decision more (though it was more realistic that she did not), so that Anna could see that even after a lifetime, she won't stop thinking about the baby that could have been. It seems Anna never really considered anything but abortion. Honestly, from her point of view, I think that is what I would have done in that point of my life--but I am so grateful that never was an issue. Someone that age college/career oriented would let a medical procedure and a few yucky days of healing stop her...they think they can forget...they forget biology...evolution...however, in hindsight...so even if I see that Anna did not think about this nearly enough...but at that point in her life, as smart and educated as she was, it was all about her. She could only see one future.
Interesting that her grandmother's revelation was not devastating to Anna--the knowledge that the aborted baby would not disappear from memory--but healing to Anna. I guess for the first time she realized she was not alone?
The uneducated Cerise wanted the baby to right all the wrongs of her childhood...and frankly, she wasn't capable (?) of envisioning a future like Anna's. She just wanted someone to love her. But so far, she seems like a pretty good mother.
I was 8 in 1973. I didn't know what the word abortion meant until I was probably 12 or 13. It didn't sound so awful then. I think that is like seeing it from the perspective of Anna. That a teen pregnancy would ruin your vision of your life. You think about yourself in those years, not anyone else, and certainly not being a mother (very out of fashion for a college woman in the 70s and 80s to think about a family). Now seeing it from the point of view of a mother--I would opt for life every single time. I would raise my daughter's baby. They are all a blessing.
My view on abortion: it is not a government issue, it is a personal one. Why the big stink? It is not something that affects my life. If you want an abortion, go right ahead, if you can find a doctor who will do it for you. But any doctor shouldn't have to perform abortions if he doesn't believe it is right or safe.
I do know a girl that is raising twins without a husband, but she is living with her parents and so it is like she has 3 parents. It is a loving situation and I think the babies will grow up fine. I have a cousin that had a miscarriage and am always surprised she remembers her lost baby's due date a day of sadness and is certain that the baby she lost was her girl (she has 4 boys).
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Part One Discussion - Ellen
1. Do you have a question we could ask the author? It may be about the book, or its characters, or the actual Camel Bookmobile in Kenya, or why she wrote the book, whatever. (Masha, we would be very pleased if you choose to add your own comments and questions to our discussion.)
Question: How did you make the transition to writing fiction from news reports? Do you have several projects going at one time or concentrate on just the fiction?
How many people does the camel bookmobile reach?
2. Fiona Sweeney had found that "the assumptions people made about one another were invariably wrong" (p. 11). If you struggle (as Shirley is struggling) with whether Westerners should disrupt the lives of people like those in Mididimi, ask yourself about Fiona's assumptions, and also about the assumptions made by some of the Kenyans: Mr. Abasi the librarian, the elders who believe it is "far better to learn to read animal scents on the breeze or the coming weather in the clouds" (p. 15), Neema's brother-in-law Elim who believes that "the hours you waste staring at pages ... is a rotten sin" (p. 33). Then compare their assumptions with what the teacher Matani thinks: "How the Camel Bookmobile offered the only chance of survival for this collection of half-nomads with only one toehold in the future" (p. 39).
>>I don't think we have to decide if it is right or wrong. The community can decide to not allow the bookmobile, or families and individuals could decide not to participate. I certainly think it should not be forced upon them. The reading of the scents of animals and lay of the land, etc...is a great wisdom of its own.
3. Jwahir, the teacher's wife, thinks the books are "for the foolish or misguided of Mididima" (p. 48), but even she found something good about Library Day. What was it? Do you agree with her assumption that it's a good thing?
No, she's taking advantage of the distraction to be disloyal to her husband, who so wants to please her.
4. "Mididima ... means Those Rooted in Dust" (p. 25). How is this a metaphor for the lives of the villagers? In what ways are their lives changing, for the better or for the worse?
They are nomadic, so travel from place to place like dust, lighting somewhere for a while only to move again when the pressures of water and food urge them on.
5. Mr. Abasi considered Miss Sweeney meddlesome: "These foreigners couldn't understand that literacy was not the only path to education. In tribal settlements, the tradition was an oral one..." (p. 51). What do you think about a librarian with this attitude?
He has a point...but should he not be interested in somehow preserving these oral stories?
6. What do you think about Mr. Abasi's rule that losing even a single book means the camel bookmobile will not return to the village? What was Mr. Abasi's ulterior motive for making such a rule?
Well, it may be an ulterior motive, to not have to stop there any more, but the people do have to learn the value of a book, something that may not have much meaning for them if they don't read. I don't think it is such a bad rule unless they have some other way of paying back what they lose.
7. Why do you think educated people are feared by the illiterate? "Mothers watched with a mixture of envy and resentment as she [Kanika] shared some mysterious secret with their offspring. They didn't respect her any more than ever. But they were afraid of her ... afraid of the skill she possessed that they didn't have" (p. 16).
I can see that words on a page would seem like nothing at all to someone who is not familiar with written language, but then to have someone come along and read it and give the characters meaning...and then another to come along and get the same meaning from those patterns might seem like some sort of magic or telepathy. Reading would seem like a great skill (it is!) that could be used unpredictably for good or bad.
Question: How did you make the transition to writing fiction from news reports? Do you have several projects going at one time or concentrate on just the fiction?
How many people does the camel bookmobile reach?
2. Fiona Sweeney had found that "the assumptions people made about one another were invariably wrong" (p. 11). If you struggle (as Shirley is struggling) with whether Westerners should disrupt the lives of people like those in Mididimi, ask yourself about Fiona's assumptions, and also about the assumptions made by some of the Kenyans: Mr. Abasi the librarian, the elders who believe it is "far better to learn to read animal scents on the breeze or the coming weather in the clouds" (p. 15), Neema's brother-in-law Elim who believes that "the hours you waste staring at pages ... is a rotten sin" (p. 33). Then compare their assumptions with what the teacher Matani thinks: "How the Camel Bookmobile offered the only chance of survival for this collection of half-nomads with only one toehold in the future" (p. 39).
>>I don't think we have to decide if it is right or wrong. The community can decide to not allow the bookmobile, or families and individuals could decide not to participate. I certainly think it should not be forced upon them. The reading of the scents of animals and lay of the land, etc...is a great wisdom of its own.
3. Jwahir, the teacher's wife, thinks the books are "for the foolish or misguided of Mididima" (p. 48), but even she found something good about Library Day. What was it? Do you agree with her assumption that it's a good thing?
No, she's taking advantage of the distraction to be disloyal to her husband, who so wants to please her.
4. "Mididima ... means Those Rooted in Dust" (p. 25). How is this a metaphor for the lives of the villagers? In what ways are their lives changing, for the better or for the worse?
They are nomadic, so travel from place to place like dust, lighting somewhere for a while only to move again when the pressures of water and food urge them on.
5. Mr. Abasi considered Miss Sweeney meddlesome: "These foreigners couldn't understand that literacy was not the only path to education. In tribal settlements, the tradition was an oral one..." (p. 51). What do you think about a librarian with this attitude?
He has a point...but should he not be interested in somehow preserving these oral stories?
6. What do you think about Mr. Abasi's rule that losing even a single book means the camel bookmobile will not return to the village? What was Mr. Abasi's ulterior motive for making such a rule?
Well, it may be an ulterior motive, to not have to stop there any more, but the people do have to learn the value of a book, something that may not have much meaning for them if they don't read. I don't think it is such a bad rule unless they have some other way of paying back what they lose.
7. Why do you think educated people are feared by the illiterate? "Mothers watched with a mixture of envy and resentment as she [Kanika] shared some mysterious secret with their offspring. They didn't respect her any more than ever. But they were afraid of her ... afraid of the skill she possessed that they didn't have" (p. 16).
I can see that words on a page would seem like nothing at all to someone who is not familiar with written language, but then to have someone come along and read it and give the characters meaning...and then another to come along and get the same meaning from those patterns might seem like some sort of magic or telepathy. Reading would seem like a great skill (it is!) that could be used unpredictably for good or bad.
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