JOdi Picoult manages to tackle a topical situation with aplomb. How one child's illness overshadows the needs of the other family members. A riveting sorrowful story that is excellecent for book club discussions. We had 40 attendees for a group and ALL enjoyed this book even if they found the subject matter painful and uncomfortable at times.

I personally was enlightened by the fact that Blacks were slave owners in the United States. This fact alone would have made this an interesting read but the real story here is one of community. "The Known World" takes place in a fictitious county in VA in the years before the Civil War. The plot is character driven and saga like in form. Discussionof the book brought up civil rights era perceptions of the North and South, issues of why Blacks would own Blacks, economic issues for land owners, etc. Some members had a difficult time with the many characters. I recommend the paperback version since it contains a list of characters at the back to reference and refresh one's memory.

Though our book club was not wild about this book, I personally found it quite interesting, though difficult to read large portions at a time. The author/narrator was obviously beloved by her students and a liberal academic in an increasingly intolerant society. The slow errosion of individual rights was reminiscent of other societies (i.e.-Hitler's Germany) and cautionary for our own with the creation of the PATRIOT ACT and its' removal of civil liberties in the name of "protection".

The characters are well developed though not necessarily likeable;the uber-successful couple who divorce, the lawyer co-worker who sets in motion the divorce and ultimate marriage to the older divorcee, his precocious son, the manipulative ex-wife, etc. etc. The setting is life amongst the priviledged New Yorkers with an emphasis on Central Park to be specific. For anyone who enjoys reading about believeable flawed individuals you will love this book. The author is herself a former lawyer (Wesleyan undergrad, Harvard Law) who started writing when she had her first child. She is the wife of Michael Chabon.

There are 35 menmbers in our club so satisfying everyone is tough. Liss did an excellent job of recreating 18th century England and the politics of the time period. It had a good dose of humor and was classified as a mystery/suspense novel. The main character is a repeat from A Spectacle of Paper. Generally a good read but many members found the politics of the Whigs and Tories to be less than riveting. Interesting to draw parrallels to our political climate today.

Though rather slow to start, once you get through the first 100 pages or so you realize Hosseini is building and enriching his characters so that the plot can advance. A history of the regimes that have occupied Afghanistan since the 70's and the utter disregard, abuse, misuse of the Afghani women. This beautifully written, if not painful, depiction of a country and it's twisted interpretation of the "laws of God". A wonderful book for discussion, highly recommended.

This novel of multi-cultural, multi-class level life is presented with humor and intelligence. Smith's writing is beautiful and her characters well drawn, even when they seem to be stereotypical. Life in the insullar world of academia with two Black/Multi-racial families lives intertwining is most entertaining. The discussion of this book was very thought provoking. I listened to the book on CD, something I don't usually do, and highly recommend it. The reader was as talented as the writer.

Jodi Picoult takes you on a journey back from the horific incident of a school shooting into the mind and heart of the shooter and victims. This book should be required reading for all middle school kids. Bullying is a problem that is nothing new but the way it has manifested in school shootings is a phenomenon of the past decade. Picoult's website has a platform for role playing that looks interesting. My group exceeds 35 people so it was not possible to do this exercise but would like to hear from any group that has tried it.

Ishiguro manages to mix mystery and morality in this tale of eerie circumstances. Well written with varied subplots. Excellent for discussion due to the subject matter (don't want to be a spoiler). Not a book that you fall in love with but one that makes you question current issues and events and the possibilities and outcomes.

Banks has written a fast paced novel Historical Fiction novel filled with class struggle, sex, murder, intrigue,and madness. A femme fatale drives the plot , in the beautiful Aiderondack Mountains of NY, surrounded by the haves and have nots in World War II America. The former blue collar class of society falls into a semi-servant society due to the Great Depression. The wealthy are untouched by the everyday struggles of the townspeople but harbor very dark secrets to save face time and again. A good not great novel but one which was enjoyable and interesting to discuss.

Patchett once again writes a clostrophobic novel set in a 24 hour span. The themes of race, religion, class,and family intertwine in an easy to read thought provoking novel.

This book has a lot of humor.Believe that part of the writer's point was to make the reader feel like an outsider by the use of slang Spanish as well as "game/book geek" knowledge. Too many footnotes though helpful with the storyline took away from the continuity of the story.

Michael Chabon is one of those writers who can take the written word and turn it into vivid technicolor photos. His dystopic history of the Jews of America sent off to a remote area Alaska brings to life 19th century Jewish shtetl life with 20th century innovations. The old clashing with the new. The lead character is Philip Marlow with a yarmalke. An enjoyable read, noir mystery. A basic understanding of Yiddish is helpful to truly appreciate all the double entendres, but you can still get the story without it.

Trigiana is fun to read. You will enjoy her sensual look at New York and Italy. Her love of these places is evident in her writing. You will never look at a pair of shoes again without thinking of the Roncalli family and their handmade shoes. There is no thinking or analyzing to be done. Its a confection of a book to be savored. Bon Apetit.

A murder mystery which points to Lisbeth Salandar, our heroine from Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, as the murderess. Mikael, is instrumental in clearing her name but the seedy side of traficking in human flesh is uncovered. A fast paced adventure that will shock and entertain you every moment.

A well written novel of taking place inJackson Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement and the attitudes of the towns people i.e. Whites as opposed to the experience of "The Help" i.e Blacks. One of "the ladies" decides to step out of the bounds of the rules and write a book about how the help is treated in this southern town. A very enjoyable book and great for discussion of Civil Rights and the changes over the past 50 years.

I have never read DeLillo before. He is regarded as one of the great post-modern writers. The style was a difficult read and getting to the end was challenging. The last chapter gives meaning and understanding to the book. In retrospect, i could not have tolerated a novel about 9/11 that was light and breezy. Delillo captures the numbness of a family in the aftermath of the tragedy. The inability of the protaganist to move on in his life after having been in the north tower during the attack is realistic and moving. Again, a difficult read but our discussion of the book was fantastic. If your club is up to reading literature and enjoys taking apart a book than this is a book you should consider.

A decent read, very easy, no thinking involved. A story of friendship, hope and life in the gold mines during The Depression. This is not prize winning literature but it is enjoyable and fun. This book was originally suppose to be a collection of short stories and the disjointed writing reflects the attempt to merge the stories into a novel. The characters are well drawn and you are drawn into their community.

CeeCee is a delightful precocious 12 year old who has been dealt a bad hand of cards....an all but absent father and a loving mother who is psychotic. Living life in Ohio during the mid-60's and filled with shame everyday is a struggle. Until she goes to live with her Great Aunt Tootie in Savahnnah. CeeCee is enveloped in the love of a Black housekeeper Oletta and a cast of characters who heal CeeCee and themselves in the process. A delightful book along the lines of the Secret Life of Bees.

Henrietta Lacks, poor, black and gravely ill gave cells from her cervix unbeknownst to her that have changed the course of medicine for all individuals. A compelling graphic study of the advances in medicine, the family she left behind and the monies made by everone on her cells but the Lacks family. Science made easy to understand and a human face placed on the immortal HeLa cells.

A delightful book filled with quotable inspiration delivered with humor by Enzo. This book in the hands of a less skilled writer could be maudlin and depressing but Stein takes difficult life situations and makes them funny and poignant by having the narrator being a dog who aspires to be a human in his next life. A definite "don't miss". I haven't met anyone yet who didn't enjoy this book.

This book is a difficult read. If you\'re looking for fluff don\'t read it but if thought provoking discussion is what your club enjoys go for it. It is complex in nature and style. Obreht moves from the literal to magical realism failrly seamlessly. Her lyrical writing will take you away. She takes on the difficult subjects of life, death and the different ways cultures/ethnicities/people deal with them. Our book club came away liking it much more after we discussed this multi layered novel. A book that begs to be read again because there is just too much to ingest on one reading.

Tartt has been compared to Dickens in her writing. Here she has written a literary thriller. Each sentence propels you with interest to the next. The multi layered symbolism slowly unfolds in this coming of age story of the tragic Theo Decker. It's a big book but not one word is wasted. I defy you to read it and then not immediately start rereading the beginning. One of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

Groff has the ability to turn a phrase like few authors. Her elegant prose in succinct readable sentences is truly beautiful. There are so many levels to this book. You can read it as you would any work of fiction just skimming the surface. You can submerge your head and see all of her obvious metaphors or you can dive to the bottom of the deep end if your knowledge of literature is broad and get every last morsel of deliciousness. A gifted writer like few.

Four siblings, four life paths all looking for their anticipated inheritance. The oldest and most irresponsible makes an ill conceived decision that leads to tragic consequences draining the inheritance. What ensues is the unraveling of lives and lies. Lies people tell to themselves, their spouses, their siblings. A well written flowing read. One step above a beach read.

Jones deals with a well know problem of being falsely accused and incarcerated if you are a black male in America. She doesn't stop there though. She weaves a story of class, money, ambition and abandonment. Done in primarily an epistolary style it allows the tension between the characters to build. You feel empathy for all the characters and resolution though not neatly tied up in a bow is satisfying. An excellent read.