Dear Bookclub,
Gleefully converging on the Veranda, we were in full force to continue our bookclub magic in person. Taking command of a highly appropriate round table under the ideal Southern California sky, our discussion of Laila Lalami's "The Other Americans" was the second act to our catching-up performance.
Time moving forward through a pandemic does not pause for exceptional personal events and our roundtable had much to share, both joyous and heart-breaking. Strengthened by our elbow-to-elbow chain of conversation, appreciation of our gathering graced our sisterhood.
Book-chat, our cornerstone goes on. As each member presented her thoughts on Lalami's novel, an unfolding of perspectives mirrored the multiple angles of the book's characters and events. Thoughts and opinions included the book being too broad, unfocused, unlikable, brilliant brushing, insightful, well-written and clever.
Being familiar with Twentynine Palms and the surrounding area brought an easiness to picturing much of the book's settings. Morocco's political scene and the surprise, to me, that this family had emigrated from there was less familiar. To surmise a quick google education, from Wikipedia:
"Upon the death of Mohammed V, Hassan II became King of Morocco on 3 March 1961. Morocco held its first general elections in 1963. However, Hassan declared a state of emergency and suspended parliament in 1965. In 1971, there was a failed attempt to depose the king and establish a republic. A truth commission set up in 2005 to investigate human rights abuses during his reign confirmed nearly 10,000 cases, ranging from death in detention to forced exile. Some 592 people were recorded killed during Hassan's rule according to the truth commission."
What a beautiful place to leave:
Ginger's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"The Island of Sea Women" Lisa See
"Deacon King Kong" James McBride
"How Beautiful We Were" Imbolo Mbue
"The Beekeeper of Aleppo" Christy Lefteri *chosen
Up Next:
Happy reading,
LK
