Bermuda Island Readers Book Club

2007-05-23T22:22:00.001-03:00

Book Club Meeting – Monday, March 5th, 2007
Present: Willow Pearce, Alison Carr, Craig Harris, Carolyn Boatman, Ian Boatman, Amin Smith, Martha Ferguson, St. Clair Trott

• The meeting was held at the home of Willow Pearce and began at 6:15PM.
• Conversation began informally on the subject of Poetry. Willow shared details of his recently published book of poetry – “A Drop in the Ocean”. This book is currently available at www.lulu.com
• It was reiterated that to avoid future difficulties the club should resume the practice of being ‘one book ahead of themselves’ in the selection and ordering process. This lesson was previously learned and the membership agreed it was a sound policy.
• Our last selection “Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China”, by Paul Theroux, was debated.
• The majority consensus was that the members had enjoyed reading this book. Martha ‘liked it’. Craig ‘loved it’. Alison ‘liked how it was written’. Willow appreciated ‘how he wrote about the English’.
• Craig did note that he found Theroux’s treatment of his fellow Western travel companions stereotypical.
• Martha added that she thought he was ‘a bit snobbish’.
• Interestingly, Willow noted Theroux’s numerous failed marriages and questioned how these influenced his writing.
• Commenting on Theroux’s writing style, Martha observed that he ‘wasn’t very deep’.
• There was some discussion on the element of ‘escapism’ evident throughout the book. Examples included the eagerness that some people’s displayed in obtaining consumer goods such as televisions and cassette players.
• Amin thought that the characters Theroux described were not ‘nice’ characters.
• As the book had aroused initially good sentiments amongst the members, yet there were also numerous complaints, the question was posed as to whether or not the members ultimately really did like the book?
• Craig cited it as a very good travelogue.
• Martha criticised it for ending so abruptly – like ‘a Chinese banquet’.
• It was then debated as to what kind of experience did Theroux actually have in China? Did the Chinese know who he was? The book at times suggests, and it was agreed, that he was probably known and welcomed as a famous Western writer. It was thought that the Chinese government probably hoped to elicit favourable reviews from him in print.
• Mentioning the varieties of laughter that the author described Martha questioned if this accurate? She also noted that while the Chernobyl disaster had been mentioned at the beginning of the book it was then ignored throughout the remainder of the book. Some in the group considered that this might have been purposely done to highlight the Soviet government’s reluctance to release information on the event.
• Considerable discussion ensued on Theroux’s ability to meet so many common Chinese citizens and engage them in conversations on issues ranging from the Cultural Revolution and Mao’s legacy to the behaviour of the modern Chinese government. Could this really have occurred so freely and easily? Did it seem plausible? The members seemed divided on whether this was an accurate portrayal of his interaction with the people he met on his journey. The theory was advanced that perhaps there was a measure of ‘creative license’ used in his recounting of these events.
• Several members had visited China and shared their own experiences. Martha described her opportunities to meet common Chinese citizens in her travels there.
• There was some discussion of the country’s single child policy and the ensuing spoiled children that this has created.
• Referring again to the Chinese people’s interest in obtaining Western consumer goods, Craig noted that the growing preponderance of televisions and satellite dishes would be likely to have an adverse effect on China’s society and culture.
• The group reminisced about Bermuda’s small Chinese population.
• Martha kindly shared a DVD of her 2004 visit to China, a trip that included visits to many of the same locations depicted in the book.
• It was suggested, and agreed, that the club will host another movie night. The film to be shown will be Bertolucci’s “The Last Emperor”. This will be organised for an evening after the next meeting.
• In the ‘Page Turners / Page Burners’ portion of the meeting Amin offered Joe Miller’s ‘Cross X’. This is a recently published book that he said was proving very interesting. Craig brought two books to the attention of the members. These were “Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the World” by Leo De Hartog and “Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-Shek and the China He Lost” by Jonathan Fenby.
• Amin selected the next book to be read. It is the Russian novel “Fathers and Sons” by Ivan Turgenev. Craig selected the following book to be read. That will be “The River of Lost Footsteps. Histories of Burma” by Thant Myint-U.
• The next meeting date will be May 7th.
• The meeting ended at 8:05PM.

Minutes 1/29/2007

2007-02-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

BOOK CLUB MEETING MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2007

PRESENT: Willow Pearce, Martha Ferguson, Amin Smith, St Clair Trott, Craig Harris, Alison Carr, Ian Boatman, Carolyn Boatman

· The meeting began at 6:10PM

· The club welcomed three new members: Ian & Carolyn Boatman and Alison Carr.

· It was noted that in the last month there have been approximately 25 enquiries, via email, to the club. These enquiries were generated via a posting on the e-moo.bm website. It was agreed that the club should maintain this posting indefinitely as it apparently garners a lot of attention and interest. The club thanked Willow for his continuing efforts on this project.

· Conversely, it was also noted that although there have been numerous enquiries there appears to be little follow-up interest from most people. The club members noted, and agreed, that this club was not to everyone’s taste and we were pleased to attract quality members rather than aim for ‘quantity’. There are two others who did express interest in attending tonight but were unable to – they have advised they would like to be informed of our next meeting date.

· Details of the club meetings, and our philosophy, were discussed with the new members and they were in agreement with our goals and methods.

· The last book read, “Murder in Amsterdam” by Ian Buruma, was discussed. This book details the death of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and the struggle in the Netherlands to remain tolerant of Muslim immigrants.

· Amin opened our discussion by confirming that he had liked the book. The other members who had read it agreed. Amin explained that he was intrigued by the ‘open society’ of the Netherlands as well as the broad social assistance they offered to their citizens.

· Willow interjected that although the Dutch were known as being very liberal they were actually quite bigoted.

· Continuing with his point, Amin opined that one cause of unrest between the ethnic white Dutch and Muslim immigrants in the country was that the immigrants were not assimilating. They were maintaining a separate existence in every way possible including their appearance. As an example of integration he described the United States where ‘immigrants were proud to be an American’ and said it was ‘easy to spot an assimilated American’.

· Craig disagreed with this last assessment noting that many immigrant groups now arriving in the United States, such as those from Mexico or Latin/South America, were not assimilating. They were, in fact, attempting to change American culture to reflect their own.

· Alison, who is from the UK, described the situation in the Leeds/Bradford area where she has lived. It was her experience that Muslim immigrants to this area were ‘sticking together’ and ‘forming their own communities’. She highlighted the fact that there was much distrust between the native English in this area and the recent Muslim immigrants. She suggested this could be the result of neither side meeting and talking to the other.

· Loosely quoting the Koran, Craig said that Muslims were taught that there are only three ways to interact with a Christian – ‘to convert them, to subjugate them or to kill them’. He also reminded the group that very often the Imams teaching the Koran were as poorly educated as their students. Many could not actually read and understand Arabic and so their ‘teachings’ were often circumspect.

· Amin questioned whether better treatment of immigrants in general might improve relations between the two communities?

· Carolyn commented that the way the West has generally treated immigrants or the populations in their colonies has been ‘morally wrong’. This instigated considerable discussion on the history of colonialism, such as in the Belgian Congo. There were also parallels drawn between the large expatriate populations in many Arab countries, and even in Bermuda, and how they interacted with the indigenous population of their host country.

· Martha made the point that Bermuda’s difficulty at times in assimilating and living harmoniously with foreigners would be exacerbated if the foreign population outnumbered the local population here, as it does in many other countries.

· St Clair spoke on the effects that the influx of foreign workers has had on Bermuda’s society. He mentioned the cost of homes and how many Bermudians cannot afford to purchase one.

· Both St Clair and Willow lamented the demise of the Technical Institute.

· Returning to the book, Craig described his personal experiences of the mainstreaming of the Turkish community in the Netherlands. He drew attention to the fact that they were not described in the book as being a problem in the country in the way that the Moroccans were.

· Discussion continued on the benefits of colonialism in the form of infrastructure, language, the civil service, etc.

· Craig suggested many of Holland’s problems might be the cause of their own ‘white guilt’. He commented on the current backlash against this philosophy in many white, Christian countries.

· Amin countered that he was skeptical of the Dutch sense of atonement.

· In the ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment of the meeting St Clair again brought the book ‘The Tower’ to the attention of the club. Craig mentioned that this book had figured heavily on many year-end ‘Best’ lists. Willow professed to not liking the book very much. Craig suggested the group might enjoy ‘The Embarrassment of Riches’ by Simon Schama. This is an interpretation of Dutch culture in the Golden Age and a good primer for understanding modern Dutch history. Amin again recommended ‘Fathers & Sons’ by the Russian author Turgenev.

· The group agreed to meet again on Monday March 5^th.

· Willow and Amin both volunteered to choose the next two club selections.

· The meeting adjourned at 8:10PM

Minutes 12/10/2006

2006-11-02T15:58:00.000-04:00

Book club Meeting October 12th, 2006
Present: Willow Pearce, Craig Harris, Amin Smith
Regrets: Martha Ferguson, Laura Sweet

The meeting was held at Willow’s house and began at 6:15PM.
To generate further publicity it was decided to ask the Bermuda Bookstore if they would kindly add a link to our blog on their website. Craig is to investigate this possibility.
In the future it was agreed that Craig would no longer email ‘reminders’ to club members. Members will be expected to record meeting dates, or access the blog, and attend if interested.
The last book, ‘Orwell’s England’ by George Orwell, was discussed.
Although unable to attend, Laura offered the following comments via email: she found ‘Wigan Pier’ (This essay appears within the book) fascinating, not only in terms of the vivid depiction of slum life but also in Orwell’s trying to fathom the causes for the squalor and suggestions on how it might be remedied. She added, that in terms of class and social division, she thought his sentiments were as relevant now as they were 60 years ago, especially as it pertains to the UK. Laura found it interesting that Orwell’s notion of class was based more on educational and cultural attainments rather than money. This was something that she believed was very current today in England.
Laura considered Orwell a ‘great writer’ (as well as a ranter) and was inspired to read more of his work.
Willow considered Orwell ‘an interesting guy who died too young’. He added that he led a hard life when he was young and was nearly tried for treason.
Commenting on his socialist leanings, Craig noted that Orwell considered his first literary success as being published in the Left Book Club.
Willow noted that without ‘Animal Farm’ he would never have been so highly thought of as an author.
Willow also recommended ‘Down and Out in London and Paris’.
Craig enjoyed the discussion of England’s class system. This sparked great debate on class and castes. Where do they still exist? Do they exist in Bermuda? What form do they take? Is there a difference between a class and caste system?
Discussion continued on topics such as India’s program of forced sterilisation and China’s ‘1 child per family’ decree.
Orwell’s masterpiece ‘1984’ was thoroughly discussed. All who have read it agree it is a riveting book and very prescient.
Amin likened it to the film ‘Minority Report’.
It was questioned whether Orwell’s socialist beliefs were properly explored in ‘1984’?
Amin questioned whether ‘1984’ was actually an endorsement of socialism or not?
Craig thought that ‘1984’ showed what socialism would become in post WW2 Russia.
Interestingly Amin traced the connection of socialism back to the era of Rasputin.
Finally Craig countered that he believed the book was actually a discouragement of socialism.
In the ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment of the meeting Amin offered ‘Father’s & Sons’ by Ivan Turgenev. It was commented that this book has been mentioned previously in ‘Alexander II’. Craig suggested the members might enjoy ‘What We’ve Lost’ by Graydon Carter, a liberal expose of modern American politics.
The club’s recent film night was discussed. On September 28th we viewed ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Those who attended enjoyed this film and it was agreed we should hold another Film Night in the future.
Craig mentioned that a new film on Marie Antoinette was being released. The membership agreed that we would attempt to see it together if it is shown locally.
The next meeting was set for November 20th when we will discuss ‘Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton’ by Edward Rice.
The meeting ended at 8:05PM.

Minutes 28/08/2006

2006-09-16T18:43:00.000-03:00

BOOK CLUB MEETING – Monday, August 28th, 2006
PRESENT: Willow Pearce, Laura Sweet, St Clair Trott, Craig Harris
ABSENT: Martha Ferguson (Regrets) Amin Smith, Kimberley Tucker

• The meeting was held at Willow’s house and began at 6:15PM.
• Before the meeting began it was noted that the club had recently passed its one-year anniversary.
• The upcoming movie night was arranged for late in September. Laura was to advise Craig of a suitable date for her. Most other members were flexible at that time of year.
• The next club selection, ‘Orwell’s England’ by George Orwell, has arrived. This book was chosen by Laura and is currently available at the Bermuda Bookstore.
• St Clair agreed to consider titles for our next selection.
• Craig suggested that a possible book that might be of interest to all members was a biography on Sir Richard Burton. This idea met with general agreement and can be considered for the future.
• Our last book, ‘1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare’, by James Shapiro, was next to be debated.
• Willow deemed this book ‘ok’, stating that it did not ‘blow him away’.
• St Clair commented that few people at the time had interviewed Shakespeare or his family members. He lamented this and the loss of first hand knowledge on the poet and playwright.
• Laura noted that she had learned a lot about the man and his times but found her interest waning when she was not familiar with the play.
• Craig concurred with this assessment. He confessed that he found the book’s last 60 pages or so to be especially tedious to read.
• Craig went on to question the fact that the book had recently won the BBC’s prize as the best work of non-fiction. Was this warranted?
• Willow agreed that in terms of the depth of research evident in this book it was no surprise it had won this award.
• Unfortunately none of the members were completely familiar with all four of the plays discussed in ‘1599’. St Clair commented that the works of Shakespeare were not taught or promoted during his school days. He felt this was a mistake.
• Craig remembered that he had studied Julius Caesar in high school, amongst other Shakespeare plays, and that he considered it one of the playwright’s best and most enjoyable works.
• There was general discussion on the practice of ‘stealing’ plays from each other at this time. It was noted that today filmmakers often create ‘remakes’ of popular old films.
• The book had revealed that in 1599 one third of all Londoners attended a play each month. This was also compared to our society’s attendance of films. It was also agreed, that at least in Bermuda, it would be difficult to see that many plays. Bermuda was not seen to be a cultural bastion.
• Was there jealousy between Shakespeare and his chief comic actor – Will Kempe? The group was reminded that Shakespeare did indeed act at times, most often taking on the roles of old men.
• The meeting continued with a varied discussion of things such as the Ministry of Community & Cultural Affairs current lecture series, Boer prisoners of war in Bermuda and artists who had committed suicide during the 1970’s – a favourite topic of Willow. The members also appreciated reviewing Willow’s collection of wooden carvings done by the Boers in the early 20th Century.
• In the Page Turner/Page Burner segment of the meeting St Clair introduced three books he had recently purchased. They were ‘Holy Blood/Holy Grail’, ‘Godless by Anne Coulter and ‘The Looming Tower’ by Lawrence Wright. Craig also passed around two booklets which highlighted both the house Shakespeare was born in as well as the home of his wife – ‘Anne Hathaway’s House. Both were purchased at Stratford upon Avon.
• The next meeting was scheduled for early October. The date is to be decided once Craig can guarantee his schedule. Again, most members were flexible.
• The meeting ended at 8:15PM.

Minutes 20/07/2006

2006-07-20T17:50:00.000-03:00

BOOK CLUB MEETING MONDAY, JULY 10th, 2006
PRESENT: Willow Pearce, Martha Ferguson, Laura sweet, Craig Harris, Kimberley Tucker, Amin Smith, St Clair Trott.

• The meeting was held at the home of Willow Pearce and began at 6:15PM.
• The club welcomed new member Kimberley Tucker.
• It was noted that we are striving to post each meeting’s minutes on our blog within one week of the meeting.
• Craig proposed that the members meet for an occasional ‘Film Night’. It was thought that a film night could be a fun social event and also complement the books we are reading. It was suggested therefore that we might first watch a Shakespeare play on film, such as ‘Merchant of Venice’.
• It was announced that the next selection will be ‘1599 A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare’ by James Shapiro. Members were advised that the book was now available at the Bermuda Bookstore.
• Discussion on our current selection, ‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck, commenced.
• Laura deemed it a ‘page turner’. She did, however, question Kate’s personality. She considered her one-dimensional commenting that Steinbeck had written her as completely bad with no redeeming qualities – was this realistic, she wondered?
• Craig added that other characters, such as Adam or Mr. Hamilton, were also somewhat one-dimensional and stereotypical.
• Kimberley, a teacher, explained that Kate’s character was believable and accurate as she had encountered students in her career that behaved similarly.
• There was considerable discussion of Lee. The group was surprised to learn that many critics and scholars consider the character of Lee to be one of the biggest and most important in all of American literature.
• Laura considered Lee a bit strange and believes he didn’t fit in to the family or this story.
• In Martha’s opinion he was someone who constantly searched for happiness without realising he was already happy with the life he had.
• Kimberley said that it was the character of Abra that she wanted to learn more about. The group questioned whether Abra was a precursor of a ‘modern’ woman? Kimberley noted that Abra’s chief concern was to get married and that marriage was not a particularly modern concept.
• Martha did consider Abra as ahead of her time. She described her as ‘honest’ and ‘anything but coquettish’.
• Willow agreed with Martha saying that Abra said exactly what was on her mind.
• Amin thought it was clear why this book was considered a classic. He said it was a book that caused the reader to think about themselves, especially how you grew up and how you were treated as a child.
• Martha felt that the book left too many loose ends but that Kate ‘kept you guessing’.
• Willow pronounced the book as ‘unpredictable’.
• The character of Adam’s father, Cyrus, intrigued St Clair. He questioned his honesty in amassing his fortune.
• Craig liked the character of Charles. He appreciated how his personality evolved through the course of the book.
• Martha compared Aron and Charles to a married couple.
• Agreeing, Amin characterised Charles as the ‘wife’ and Aron as the ‘husband’ in the relationship.
• St Clair found Kate to be the most interesting character. He also likened Aron and Charles to the bible’s Cain and Abel. There was considerable discussion of the similarities between this book and the Book of Genesis.
• All members agreed that they enjoyed the book.
• There were several books presented in the ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment of the meeting.
• Willow offered ‘Rasputin’ by Brian Moynahan. As we have read several books dealing with Russian history this book generated considerable interest among the members.
• Willow also offered ‘101 People who are Screwing up America’ by Bernard Goldberg. He confessed that not knowing who all of the 101 people mentioned are diminished his enjoyment of the book.
• Craig offered ‘Angle of repose’ by Wallace Stegner. In addition to being a Pulitzer Prize winner Craig thought this book was of interest since it was similar in scope and subject matter to ‘East of Eden’.
• Martha offered ‘Polio: An American Story’ by David M. Oshinsky. This book also generated considerable interest. It was commented that this book might make an excellent selection for the club.
• Martha agreed to select the next book for the club.
• St Clair advised that he would continue to research selections for the future.
• The next meeting was scheduled for August 28th, with the location to be decided.
• The meeting ended at 8:20PM.

Book Club Meeting – May 29th, 2006

2006-06-25T22:49:00.000-03:00

• The meeting was held at the home of Willow Pearce and began at 6:05PM
• The club welcomed Ms. Martha Ferguson as a new member.
• The club was also fortunate to have the company of Anne a visiting friend of Laura’s.
• Members were advised that ‘East of Eden’ was in stock at the Bermuda Bookstore and would be discussed at the next meeting. Several members were already in possession of a copy.
• It was announced that the blog was finally up-to-date and all members were invited to read it and add their comments. In the future all minutes of the meeting, and any other necessary information, will be posted to the blog.
• Our last selection, ‘Alexander II’ by Edvard Radzinsky was discussed.
• Laura noted that she had enjoyed the book but questioned the author’s writing style. It was noted that this book was translated from the original Russian and this may have affected it.
• Craig commented that the book was disappointing in that it did not spend enough time delving into the life and character of Alexander II but devoted a significant number of pages to discussing the terrorists (who ultimately killed the Czar) and their motivations.
• Several members agreed with this assessment including Martha who noted that the book did digress from its stated topic. She felt that after reading this book she still had no understanding of the ‘man’.
• References to Rasputin were highlighted and discussed. Of particular interest to Martha was the comparison of Nechaev to Rasputin. Anne, an expert on Russian history, explained that much of Rasputin’s stature came from his mastery of medicine and his care of the Russian royal family.
• Lengthy discussion continued on the history, lifestyle and profile of the Russian serfs. Was their emancipation a benefit? Was their emancipation the beginning of the end for Alexander? Comparisons were made to the freeing of the slaves in the United States. The gulf of difference between the serf and ruling classes was also noted.
• Alexander’s personality was dissected. Was he a typical Russian ruler? It was agreed that he was more sensitive than his predecessors were and that this may have also contributed to his demise.
• Anne raised the issue of the effects of writers and the intelligentsia on Russian society.
• Finally, Bermudian society was discussed vis-à-vis Russian society.
• In the ‘Page Tirner/Page Burner’ portion of the meeting several books were offered by the members. St Clair recommended ‘ancient Times – a history of the early world’. He suggested that in the future a book on this topic might be something for the club to consider reading. Craig recommended ‘Putin’s Progress’ by Peter Truscott. He thought this was a valid biography of the current Russian ruler. Lastly, Willow introduced ‘Barbary Plague – Black death in Victorian San Francisco’ by Marilyn Chase.
• St Clair offered to select the next book to be read.
• The next meeting was scheduled for July 10th at Willow’s house.

Minutes 17/04/2006

2006-05-28T20:39:00.000-03:00

BOOK CLUB MEETING – Monday, April 17th, 2007
Bermuda College Library - 10PM – 7:45PM
Present: Amin Smith, Craig Harris, Laura Sweet, StClair Trott, Willow Pearce

• The meeting began at 6:10PM
• We welcomed new member Laura Sweet to the club. Laura joined us as a result of reading the recent article on the club in the Royal Gazette.
• Progress of the Blog was announced. Currently the Blog is still under construction and in need of updating and refinement. However, the address has been shared with all members and comments and input are now sought and encouraged.
• Amin has selected the next book to be read for the following meeting. It is ‘Alexander II : the Last Great Tsar’ by Edvard Radzinsky. The book has been ordered and 6 copies are currently available at the Bermuda Bookstore.
• Discussion of our last book, ‘A Woman in Berlin’ by an anonymous author, was lengthy and engaging. It was generally agreed that this was a very powerful and thought-provoking book that was enjoyed unanimously by the members.
• Amin commented that the author seemed to be a sympathiser of the regime and appeared to look down on her conquerors. Craig suggested an explanation for this outlook was the fact that at the time of writing this book the war had literally just ended. Also the author had been indoctrinated by propaganda for several years prior to beginning her journal.
• Laura concurred with Amin. She pointed out that although the author often referred to collective experiences she seemed to place herself above people.
• The scene where the author’s attacker spits in her mouth was mentioned as one epitomising defeat and subjugation. Willow added that he has heard of this same behaviour used to subdue animals.
• Continuing with the ‘animal’ theme, Laura noted that there were many animal references throughout the book. References to ‘cave dwellers’ and ‘wolves’ emphasised the dehumanising process that the author endured; yet survived. In the end, like an animal, she was reduced to only feeling two things – cold and hunger.
• StClair was impressed with the amount of detail contained in the book. There was also some debate as to how believable this book was? Was it a forgery? The group generally agreed that the book was authentic but had obviously been written, and edited, by a professional.
• Amin highlighted the effect of these atrocities on women. Willow added his own recollections of life in Germany after the war, and the effects both physical and emotional on the country.
• There was ensuing discussion on the effect of the war on German children and their role as combatants. Parallels were made to African children who today are pressed into military service.
• In the ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment of the meeting, Craig presented two books on Berlin: Antony Beevor’s ‘The Fall of Berlin 1945’ and ‘The wall: The People’s Story’ by Christopher Hilton. He recommended both of these books for anyone interested in learning more about the Russian advance into Berlin and the aftermath.
• Willow agreed to research and select the next book to be read.
• The meeting ended at 7:45PM.

Minutes 20/3/2006

2006-05-28T18:11:00.000-03:00

Book club Meeting – Monday, March 20th, 2006
Present: Amin smith, stClair Trott, Craig Harris
Regrets: Willow Pearce, Ruth Flannery

• The meeting was held in the meeting room of the Bermuda College Library and began at 6:10PM
• The recent Royal Gazette editorial highlighting the club was circulated to all members. Craig noted that, to date, he had received positive responses from 5-6 people who had read the story and were interested in joining the club’s April meeting.
• It was noted that the next book, ‘A Woman in Berlin’, had arrived at the BookMart and was available for purchase. Members who had already collected a copy described it as a powerful and engrossing book.
• The address for the club’s blog site was circulated. Although it is still being added to and refined it is now ready for members to view, use and comment on. Thanks were given to Amin for his efforts in making this site a reality.
• Carrying over from the last meeting, members were still keen to dissect ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’, the last book read. Unfortunately the book continued to generate only mediocre comments with all members saying that the book was ‘good’ but not ‘great’.
• The current selection, ‘In the Name of the Father’ by Gerry Conlon, was discussed next.
• This book was considered reasonably good, but again, not great. St Clair commented that one of his favourite aspects of the book was the portrayal of family life. He likened it to life in Bermuda in his youth.
• Amin thought it was well written in that it followed the story line logically. He said he could see something like this happening.
• Some debate ensued as to the veracity of the facts as portrayed by an Irish sympathiser of the IRA. It was generally agreed that he was unlikely to see the struggle in Northern Ireland in a fair manner. St Clair noted that the protagonist never believed any of his colleagues were guilty of anything.
• General dissatisfaction between the British, Scots and Irish was noted.
• Wrongful imprisonment was discussed at some length, as was terrorism in general.
• This developed into a conversation on modern Iran and the current situation regarding nuclear weapons.
• In the ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment of the meeting Craig offered ‘how the Irish Saved Civilization’ by Thomas Cahill, a bestseller from the mid-90’s. He commented that the book was a meandering and difficult read that failed to properly support the title. He recommended that members avoid this book.
• StClair agreed to select the next book.
• The next meeting was scheduled for Monday, April 17th.
• The meeting ended at 7:45PM

Minutes 21/2/2006

2006-03-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

The meeting was held in the meeting room of the Bermuda College Library and began
at 6:05PM
* We welcomed new member StClair Fox to the club.
• Members were advised that the book, ‘In the Name of the Father’, had arrived at the Bermuda Bookstore. This book was slated for discussion at our next meeting.
• Because of the difficulty in having books available in a timely fashion it was agreed to attempt to become ‘one book ahead of ourselves’, rather than wait until we have read one book to select and locate the next. The next book to be read will be ‘A Woman in Berlin’ by an anonymous author. Craig will order copies of this book and advise the members.
• It was announced that the Royal Gazette has offered to provide editorial coverage on our club in their ‘book corner’ column. An interview will be conducted on Wednesday, March 1st. The book column appears, we believe, on Tuesdays in the Lifestyle section of the daily newspaper.
• Work continued on the blog. At the time of this meeting it was half completed with Amin and Craig still working on it.
• Our last selection, ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ by Azar Nafisi, was debated. This book did not inspire overwhelming praise. This was put down, chiefly, to the writing style and feminine orientation of the subject matter. It was noted, however, that this book was partially selected because of some members interest in Arabic and Islamic subjects.
• Craig conceded that while he appreciated the authors writing style the portions of the book he found most interesting were those describing life in Tehran. This thought met with general agreement from the other members.
• Willow queried the possibility of retribution against the author for writing a book of this nature.
• Discussion followed on the hypocrisy of Iranian and Muslim society. The book described how much the Iranian people and religious leaders appreciated, enjoyed, and emulated American culture.
• The issue of censorship was debated. Special mention was made of the Iranian censor of films who had been blind. We queried if there was ever a valid reason for censorship?
• Sexual mores in Iran were noted. The Government feared sexual degeneration in society but then lowered the age of marriage for a female to 9 years of age.
• Further discussion ensued on the geo-political nature of the modern middle-east, Afghanistan and the Taliban and differences between Western and Islamic societies.
• The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, March 22nd.
• The meeting ended at 7:40PM.

Welcome to our club!

2006-02-24T15:43:00.000-04:00

The Bermuda Island Readers Book Club was started in 2005. The goal of the members was to create an environment where books on history, politics, sociology, religion, current events and other cerebral topics could be read and discussed with like-minded people. While we mainly read works of non-fiction, classic fiction from outstanding authors is also frequently read and discussed.
Books are democratically selected with a view towards delivering us from our 'comfort zones' and presenting a book we might otherwise have overlooked. Our meetings last about two hours and generally offer far-ranging conversation not only on the current book but on a variety of related topics. The 'Page Turner/Page Burner' portion of our meetings attempts to steer other members towards, or away from, books that we are personally familiar with.
If you are reading this and not a 'member' we invite you to contact us and join in. Our meetings are flexible and sociable, with a reasonable cross-section of our community currently represented. Don't live in Bermuda? Not a problem for us - feel free to read the book and electronically offer your thoughts and opinions.
Please enjoy this site and its resources. Should you have a question or suggestion please feel free to contact us at mfp@therock.bm.
Happy Reading.

Minutes 1/10/06

2006-02-24T15:40:00.001-04:00

BOOK CLUB MEETING: Tuesday, January 10th, 2006
PRESENT: Amin Smith, Ruth Flannery, Craig Harris, Willow Pearce

The meeting began at 6:10PM and was held in the meeting room at the Bermuda College library. The book under discussion was ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’, by D.H. Lawrence
An initial comment made by Ruth was that she didn’t like any of the characters. She held that there was, in fact, little about them that was likeable. The other members were generally in agreement with this view. Chatterley was seen as rather pompous, arrogant and bittered by his handicap. Mellor’s was viewed as a rather typical, unemotional man, more interested in his sexual pleasure perhaps than anything else. Ruth saw Connie, as being too intelligent for her husband. While the other members agreed she was educated it was difficult to suggest she was too intelligent for her husband. In retrospect it was felt perhaps she deserved him.
There was agreement, however, that both Connie and her sister’s education and upbringing were atypical for women of the era.
There was some discussion on Connie’s interaction with her husband’s friends. Willow believed her relationship with them, being seen but largely unheard, was typical of the time. Ruth questioned why she had no female friends?
"Lady Chatterley" was published in 1928 and faced legendary censorship. There was much discussion on how the book came to be published at all and what form the censorship at that time took. Comparing it to Lawrence’s other books, which those who were familiar with them believed to be better than this one, it was thought that ‘Lady Chatterley’ probably enjoyed its higher profile today thanks largely to the sexual theme and its lengthy period of censorship.
Craig questioned whether Lawrence had understood the attention his theme and choice of words would garner and the publicity and sales this would ultimately generate, while he was writing the book. The other club members did not share this view, believing Lawrence to be more influenced by his desire to write a great novel than to be well remunerated and famous.
Although this book was now over 75 years old it was felt that the themes were still relevant today – loneliness, misery, infidelity and bad marriages.
Lastly, just how this book would have been received by society at the time was reviewed. Would it be a titillating thrill? A book to be hidden and ashamed of? Was it more a woman’s book rather than a book to be enjoyed by both sexes?
In the ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment of the meeting Amin reiterated his endorsement of books like 'Freakonomics’, ‘Bullshit’ and ‘The Millionaire Next Door’. Craig suggested Tanizaki’s ‘The Key’, a book which examined another unfulfilling marriage. Interestingly, this book had been compared to ‘Lady Chatterley’.
The next meeting was set for February 21st. Ruth agreed to select the next book to be read.
The meeting concluded at 7:45PM

Minutes 10/18/05

2006-02-24T15:40:00.000-04:00

BOOK CLUB MEETING: Tuesday, October 18th, 2005
PRESENT: Amin Smith, Willow Pearce, Craig Harris
* The meeting was held at Willow’s home and began at 6:30PM with all current members present. Two new members had been anticipated but, again, neither could attend. It was therefore decided that a renewed effort be made to attract several new members. Craig was to recirculate the amended flyer for this purpose.
* As it was his turn next, Willow was nominated to select the next book. (N.B. Willow was unable to select a book and Amin assumed this responsibility.)
Our last selection, "Charlotte & Lionel" by Stanley Weintraub, was next for discussion.
All the members enjoyed this book about the Charlotte & Lionel Rothschild and the Rothschild family. As the central theme was a marriage between two cousins there was much debate over inter-marriage and health of the offspring. Here it was also questioned whether or not the central characters were truly in love or just in an arranged marriage? As there was no mention of romance it was accepted that the two were probably better friends than star-struck lovers.
Once again, the book’s subject matter led to a conversation on racism during the Victorian times. In this case we wondered what it was like to be a Jew, or, in this case – a very wealthy Jew? As this book was written by a Jew, it was noted that there was little mention of the true nature of prejudice against Rothschild and Jews in general. The book seemed to omit the ‘uglier’ side to this issue even though racism was a frequent them in the book vis-à-vis Lionel’s attempts to gain a seat in Parliament.
We also wondered about possessing such great wealth. Although Lionel was one of the richest men in the world we felt that he had no real friends. He was however a kind and generous man and did enjoy the respect of others.
We compared Charlotte to Pushkin’s wife in the last book we read. It was agreed that in comparison Charlotte was very level-headed. However, the couple did not seem to share the same passion as Pushkin did with his wife and this may explain her calming effect on his life.
There was finally some discussion on the modern Rothschild family and their business empire. There was a desire to research them and learn more.
There were two submissions to our ‘Page Turner/Page Burner’ segment. Craig presented a book on the Pennsylvania Underground Railroad. Reading more like a travel road map it was deemed a book to avoid. Amin brought ‘Freakonomics’ which was highlighted at the last meeting. He said that this look at the social effects of economic issues was a fascinating read and he recommended it. Additionally, he also brought ‘Bullshit’ which he said was also an interesting short book.
The next meeting was set for November 22nd at a location to be decided.

Minutes 9/18/05

2006-02-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

Book Club Meeting – Sunday, September 18th, 2005
Present: Amin Smith, Willow Pearce, Craig Harris

The meeting was held at Craig’s house and began at 6pm.
The opportunity to see several new members join the club was discussed and it was agreed we would make it as easy as possible for them to attend the next meeting(s) by being flexible with date and time. Therefore the next meeting was scheduled for October but the exact date was left flexible. The most convenient date for all was to be found. Craig was to contact new members.
Our last selection, ‘Pushkin by Binyon, was the debated. All agreed they enjoyed this book although Willow advised he had read better books based on this poet. All were in unison that this version was a bit long however its thoroughness left us feeling that we knew the figure fairly well. This was especially important to Amin and Craig who knew little about him prior to reading this book.
Racism in Russia during the 19th Century was questioned. It was felt there must have been evidence of it at the time although the book did not mention it. Also, Pushkin’s love life was questioned and we attempted to ‘read between the lines’. It was finally decided he was more unlucky than lucky in love. There was even more discussion on the art of dueling which lead to wider debate on who would actually engage in this activity and why?
As a comparison to this biography there was considerable reference to ‘War and Peace’, which is set during Pushkin’s lifetime. It was suggested that in the future another book on Russia during this period would be enjoyable.
We next took an opportunity to share other books we were currently reading. Craig offered a book on the Argentine fight for the Malvinas, Amin suggested ‘Bullshit’, a current bestseller, and Willow offered ‘Dr. Johnson’s London’.
This lead to a general conversation on what people today are reading and lead to a scorching indictment of Oprah.
Before concluding it was agreed that Craig would source the next book.
The meeting ended at 8PM.

Minutes 7/20/05

2006-02-24T15:37:00.000-04:00

Book Club Meeting – Wednesday, July 20th, 2005
Present: Amin Smith, Georgina Bowen, Willow Smith, Craig Harris
The meeting began at approximately 6PM at the Paraquet Restaurant.
Procurement of suitable books, in sufficient numbers, was seen to be the club’s initial priority. Suggested methods of procuring selected titles included ordering via online book purveyors such as Amazon, ordering directly through the local bookstores, having members bring sufficient copies back from overseas trips and simply choosing from what is available locally ‘off the shelf’. For our first selection Amin volunteered to scour local bookshops for a suitable title, reserve four copies and alert the other members via email.
It was agreed that all members should have input into the selection of titles to be read by the club. The most sensible suggestion was that each member brings one or two possible titles to the next meeting and that they be discussed and voted on. All members agreed that the opportunity to read books they would otherwise overlook was an advantage of being in a book club. However, it was also generally agreed that titles should not be so arcane as to discourage interest and participation by any member or member. Another suggestion was that each member be responsible, in turn, for the selections. Again, any potential selection will be largely governed by our ability to actually procure the book in a timely fashion.
Future venues for the meetings were also discussed. There was general agreement that meetings could be held at member’s homes or in public venues. It was decided that the next meeting was to be held at the Frog & Onion Pub, Dockyard, on Wednesday, August 17th, 2005.
As to the frequency of meetings and the exact dates a certain amount of flexibility was suggested. It was agreed that if any member was unable to keep to the arranged meeting date that they would endeavour to advise the other members at the soonest opportunity so that another mutually agreeable date could be arranged. For now it was decided to hold the next, and possibly future, meeting(s) roughly every four weeks.
The first meeting of the book club ended at approximately 9PM.

Our next meeting ........

2006-02-24T15:32:00.000-04:00

The next meeting was set for November 20th when we will discuss ‘Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton’ by Edward Rice.

WHEN: TBA
WHERE: The home of Willow Pearce
TIME: TBA

Previous books read include:
‘Alexander II’ by Edvard Radzinsky
‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck
‘Charlotte & Lionel’ by Stanley Weintraub,
‘War Talk’ by Arundhati Roy
‘A Woman in Berlin’ by Anonymous

For information please call 238-1733 or mfp@therock.bm

All are welcome

Charlotte and Lionel - Stanley Weintraub

2006-01-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

Charlotte von Rothschild was young and beautiful. Lionel de Rothschild, almost ten years older, was rich and her cousin. Theirs was an arranged betrothal joining two branches of Europe's most powerful banking firm. It seemed an unlikely love match, and even their wedding in 1836 had to survive the concurrent death of Lionel's patriarchal father N.M. Yet their marriage endured through many tragedies and triumphs. Charlotte became one of the grand chatelaines of the Victorian era; Lionel, England's leading financier, persevered through years of bigotry to become the first Jew to be seated in Parliament. Biographer Stanley Weintraub tells the story of their stunning and surprising love for each other, at the same time opening a fascinating window into a memorable age.