February Book Discussion - Getting Mother's body

Last night we discussed Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks. Ms. Parks was born in Kentucky and lives in Manhattan. She holds degrees from Mount Holyoke College and the Yale School of Drama. A 2001 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Award, Parks received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play "Topdog/Underdog." She is known for her ability "to capture the explosive patois heard on the inner-city streets and in the rural backwaters of America." (Iris Fanger in Christian Science Monitor, April 12, 2002). Getting Mother's Body is her first novel.

The discussion was lively with topics like poverty, morality, sexuality, race relations, rural Texas, abortion, teen pregnancy, and religious beliefs. Some members didn't like that the narrative skipped between all of the characters in the book and also had a hard time with the "patois" of rural Texas blacks in the 1960s. The book was easier to read the second time and most of us thought the ending was satisfying. Several members thought Billie was headed down the same road as her mother, who died from a self-administered abortion.


I want to welcome a new member to our group, Jennifer Wilson, who came last night and was a great addition to our discussion. We missed those who couldn't make it this month. Hope to see you in March.
The book for March is The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. “Captures the delicate balance of class and gender in contemporary India as witnessed through the lives of two women--Sera Dubash, an upper middle-class housewife, and Bhima, an illiterate domestic hardened by a life of loss and despair.” HCPL Catalog.

Here is the revised schedule for this spring and summer (subject to change):
April 8 - Stormy Weather by Paulette Jiles
May 13 - Bitter Sweets by Roopa Farooki
June 10 - Painted Veil (movie)- based on the book by W. Somerset Maugham
July 8 - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
August 12 - Consumption by Kevin Patterson
September 9 - Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
October 14 In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

I had to move the movie to June due to room scheduling conflicts.Please continue to send me suggestions for the group to discuss. I can change any of the titles in June - September if a member of the group has a better suggestion.