Good Earth: Questions to ponder

I am only through the first hundred pages or so, but I have to say I love reading this book. I always loved to read about rural life, about farmers. I hope you are enjoying it too; these questions are not meant for your answers, but just some of the initial conversations that we may have when we meet:

1. What are your first impressions of Wang Lung and his wife? There are lots of surprising details to me; what are the details appealing/interesting/surprising to you?

2. What about Wang Lung's characters? We really don't know too much about his upbring, but he is such a decent guy to his wife. What are Wang Lung's attitude to his new wife?

3. What do you think of O-Lan's child birthing experience? What was amazing or what?!

4. O-lan's big plan for her return to the Great House? What are our childhood dreams that we want to impress someone or make a statement for ourselves?

5. Wang Lung the invester of the land? Perhaps Dayang can inject a few tips for us for investing? Wasn't he very smart of planning for his future? Are there people "born" smart?

6. Hunger and more hungers. Starvation have changed many, what did the villagers do to each others, what are the rumors?

Good Earth: 9/24th meeting schedule

Here’s a schedule for the 9/24th meeting:

· Planner’s plan for us this year (Xiaoying: 10min )

· Reading of Good Earth,
a. General introduction, (3 min) Liana
b. Discussion of the themes, characters, and historical time (5 min of each person or each questions) (land, farming, migration, hunger, marriage, children…)
c. Good earth, the movie, schedule a time to watch at another time if enough interest from the group (2 min.)

· 30 min of individual announcements or sharing of what’s going on reading or non reading wise in their lives (3 min for each person)

· Wrap Up/what’s next reading (10 min, Xiaoying and Da Yan)

Tied-in with The Good Earth--extra homework

I’d like to add one small book to this month reading. It is a bit of extra and you don’t have read it if you are not interested. On a Chinese Screen by W.S. Maugham, a travel book first published in 1922. Sorry Wenan, it is even older than The Good Earth 

Another book of China through foreigners’ eyes. It is actually “a series of acute and finely crafted sketches of Westerners who are culturally out of their depth in the immensity of the Chinese civilization” (quote from the back cover of the book)

Btw, W. Somerset Maugham is my all time favorite.

Read it online

Survey of Reading List

Please vote the books you want to read. Thanks.

Click Here to take survey

Thanks to everyone who made it happen. So far 7 people have cast their votes and the result is:

 

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan – 5 votes – recommended by雪

The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing – 4 votes – recommended by 电影迷 (中文译本)

Atonement by Ian McEwen – 3 votes – recommended by电影迷 (中文译本)

 The Pearl by John Steinbeck – 3 votes  -- recommended by 大雁 (中文译本)

 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – 3 votes – recommended by 竹林子 (中文译本)

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi – 3 votes recommended by 大雁, 电影迷 (中文译本)

Cry, the Beloved Country by – 2 votes recommended by 大雁

Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott – 2 votes -- recommended by雪

The Year of Pleasure by Elizabeth Berg – 2 vote -- recommended by雪

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts – 1 vote -- recommended by Alice

 Note: 中文译本= through Interlibrary loan or in IU collection.

 We can read in this order or pick and choose from the list. New recommendations are appreciated and please add to悠游读书会推荐书单  http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df25hkpb_76fjdkv8

推荐人 Alice, 雪, 电影迷, 大雁, 竹林子, please prepare to defend your choices J Why do you think we should read it, etc.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Reading Season Starts with Good Earth

Hi, readers: thanks to Xiaoying and Da Yan (and Alice's gentle reminder), the new reading season starts on September 24th, same time, same place. Xiaoying has already put the online Chinese version out so please check that out. For those of you wanting to read the English version, I checked out an extra copy from the public library. Just let me know and I can bring it to you this coming Sunday.

One of you may have checked out the audio version of the book, right? It is being checked out from the library.

Anyone wishes to say something about the author, the book, or China during that time, just post your thoughts here. I will propose a meeting schedule to Xiaoying early next week.

Happy reading!

A walk in the woods (July 4th -- 6th, 2008)

Hi all,

This is the my part of summer trip report. Due to the fact that we don't have enough time for so many items on the agenda, I will not go into details of the trip. You are welcome to see the photos and short movie and ask me any questions.

Thanks.

同样主题的小说《姐姐守护人》和电影《左右》

都是为救生白血病的女儿，电影《左右》注重于与前夫要再发生性关系生个孩子救女儿而给再婚后的两个家庭带来的冲击。小说姐姐的守护人（My Sister’s Keeper）则是着重于孩子生下来后的种种矛盾。中国电影偏重于婚外性是否道德？而美国小说则探讨人身权利可否剥夺？着重点的不同也因此看出东西方文化的不同。会长有电影，强烈推荐。
为了救患急性骨髓性白血病的女兒Kate， Sara 利用现代医学科技生下了与Kate基因可以完美配型的Anna，从一生下来Anna就开始了无穷无尽的手术，来供应Kate所需的血液、白血球、骨髓、干細胞，最后甚至自己的肾脏，Anna终于忍无可忍，上法庭控告她父母侵犯她的“人身权”，《纽约时报》畅销作家 Picoult从人物不同的角度的来叙述故事的发展，对「爱」有着不同寻常的诠释，她将人与人之间脆弱敏感且又错综复杂的关系刻画得淋漓尽致，将一個极具争议性的话題展现在读者面前。