Who is the firewoman that Akua sees in her dreams? Or what does she represent?
The black stone necklace is passed down Effia's family line. Esi loses hers in the dungeon at the Castle. What is passed down among Esi's family line?
Scars emerge as a theme in this book. Does the author believe that scars can be inherited or passed down from one generation to the next?
Who was your favorite character and why? Which chapter did you like best?
What effect do the British have on Africa as slave traders? as missionaries?
How is race defined in different ways within the novel? How do we define race in our country currently? By skin color, by speech?
Yaw is a teacher of history. What does he teach his students about the learning of history? How is the theme of storytelling important within this chapter as well as throughout the novel?
James seems to be a turning point in the Effia story line where he is realizing that "everyone is responsible" for the slave trade in Africa. What do you think would have happened if the peoples of Africa stood united against the Europeans?
Which family storyline did you enjoy more? Esi's or Effias?
Akua says the curse of enslavement, is “like a fisherman casting a net into the water. He keeps only the one or two fish that he needs to feed himself and puts the rest in the water thinking that their lives will go back to normal. No one forgets that they were once captive, even if they are now free.” What are your thoughts on that quote?
Explore the theme of belief. What forms of belief are depicted in the book and what purpose do these beliefs seem to serve for the characters? Does the author reveal what has shaped the characters' beliefs? Do these beliefs seem to have a mostly positive or negative impact on the believer and those around them?
Evaluate the treatment and role of women in the novel. What role does marriage play within the cultures represented in the novel and how are the women treated as a result? Likewise, what significance does fertility and motherhood have for the women and how does it influence their treatment? How different would you say the treatment and role of women is today?
Would this novel have changed much if it was not written in the point of view of so many narrators? Would it be as impactful?
Why does Akosua Mensah insist to James, "I will be my own nation" (99)? What role do patriotism, heritage, and tradition play in contributing to the injustices, prejudices, and violence depicted in the book? Which other characters seem to share Akosua's point of view?
Explore the theme of complicity. What are some examples of complicity found in the novel? Who is complicit in the slave trade? Where do most of the slaves come from and who trades them? Who does Abena's father say is ultimately responsible (142)? Do you agree with him? Explain why or why not.
Examine the relationships between parents and children in the book. Do the children seem to understand their parents and have good relationships with them and vice versa? Do the characters' views of their parents change or evolve as they grow up? How do the characters' relationships with their parents influence the way that they raise their own children?
What significance does naming have in the book? Why do some of the characters have to change or give up their names? Likewise, what do the characters' nicknames reveal both about them and about those who give or repeat these names? What does this dialogue ultimately suggest about the power of language and naming?
Sonny says that the problem in America "wasn't segregation but the fact that you could not, in fact, segregate" (244)? What does he mean by this? What does Sonny say that he is forced to feel because of segregation? Which of the other characters experience these same feelings and hardships? Does there seem to be any progress as the story goes on? If so, how is progress achieved? Alternatively, what stymies and slows progress in this area?
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Blind Date with a Book
This year I am trying out at our Central branch a Blind Date with a Book display the first 2 weeks of February. We have RFID at our libraries so this will work particularly well so that we do not have to make a cutout in the wrapping for a barcode.
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| Lots of great colors to choose from |
Once the book is wrapped I printed out, filled out and glued these cute book profiles to the outside. I made these to look like the dating profiles on OKCupid (a popular dating website.) The 3 questions are even right from the website. Please see below for my list of book profiles. Here is the link to the public Canva document I made for the 2017 profiles below. This is the link for the 2018 profiles.
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| For the cover of each bag |
To find good titles I used Novelist but Goodreads can be great too. The reviews on Goodreads can help you get to know a title a little bit better in order to fill out the profile for each book better. I also tried to select titles we owned multiple copies of or that were not in high demand (since they can't be found for holds.)
Book Profiles 2017:
Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
My self summary: I'm an amusing story of starting over and finding your passion when you least expect it.
On a typical Friday night I am: Experimenting with new dough recipes
You should take me home if: You are looking for a delicious mental vacation
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My self summary: I create technological virtual utopias so I don't have to deal with the real world of famine, poverty and disease.
On a typical Friday night I am: Playing Space Invaders at the arcade by my house
You should take me home if: You like to solve a good puzzle
The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman
My self summary: I know my name is a little unorthodox for a teenage girl but you'd get it if you lived in the world I do.
On a typical Friday night I am: Searching for a cure to save my brother (I like to party too, but not much time for that these days.)
You should take me home if: You want to join my band of nomads
The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
My self summary: It is hard for me to trust you at first. I have demons in my past but I am working through them.
On a typical Friday night I am: Looking for the next big scoop
You should take me home if: A little suspense and secrets do not scare you
Homer & Langley by EL Doctorow
My self summary: I live with my brother in New York City in our 5th avenue apartment. But don't worry, my parents are out of the picture.
On a typical Friday night I am: Working on my newspaper and hosting tea dances
You should take me home if: You loved the film Grey Gardens as much as I did
So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
My self summary: We've all seen it happen -- someone makes a bad decision in the public eye and people pile on in judgment.
On a typical Friday night I am: Trolling the comment sections of You Tube
You should take me home if: You own your shame and don't enjoy public humiliation. Let your freak flag fly!
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
My self summary: I'm no guru but I do have a lot of sweet wisdom I will impart on anyone who asks.
On a typical Friday night I am: Sitting down to my Macbook and catching up on emails
You should take me home if: You need some down to earth advise on some of life's hardest questions
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My self summary: Sometimes I lay awake at night wondering if there is a world beyond this place. I dream about the world my parents told me existed before my birth.
On a typical Friday night I am: Traveling with my musical theater troupe across the wasteland
You should take me home if: You can get down to "It's the End of the World as we Know It" by REM
Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
My self summary: I was left for dead, I was the one who got away. No, seriously.....
On a typical Friday night I am: Not answering the phone and making sure the deadbolt is locked
You should take me home if: You like a fast paced thrillers that span a lifetime
Love in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Judd Trichter
My self summary: Single white male seeks Android for long walks on the beach
On a typical Friday night I am: Wandering the streets of this cesspool of a city that I loathe but could not live without
You should take me home if: You are a fan of the TV show Westworld
Say You're One of Them by Akpan Uwem
My self summary: I a collection of short stories as intense as Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart."
On a typical Friday night I am: Working to make enough food to feed my brothers and sisters
You should take me home if: You enjoy haunting, gritty and complex stories
Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
My self summary: I'm working on building my career as a writer and working kitchen jobs on the side.
On a typical Friday night I am: Peeling potatoes and scraping plates
You should take me home if: You enjoy witty behind-the-kitchen memoirs
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
My self summary: My son and I are always on the move looking for food and shelter. It would be nice to have a special partner to share that burden with.
On a typical Friday night I am: Scavenging the wasteland for food, same as everyone else
You should take me home if: When the end of the world comes, you are one of the good guys
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
My self summary: I'm darkly funny, and very heartfelt living in Newfoundland.
On a typical Friday night I am: Hopefully finding a sitter for my girls and going on a date with you
You should take me home if: You welcome a little melodrama at a leisurely pace
Fool by Christopher Moore
My self summary: Looking for NSA fun. Rodent-faced muck-suckers need not apply.
On a typical Friday night I am: Entertaining a court of hypocrites and buffoons
You should take me home if: Offbeat British humor and wordplay turns you on
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs
My self summary: I may have a degree from Yale but I never forgot the streets I came from
On a typical Friday night I am: Hanging out with my friends, smoking, joking
You should take me home if: You like a good gritty story about a young man's rise to the top and eventual descent
Lost Girls: an Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker
My self summary: I may not be as famous as Jack the Ripper but we do have something in common
On a typical Friday night I am: Trolling Craigslist for my next victim...
You should take me home if: You are a fan of true crime novels
The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black
My self summary: I'm a straight talking PI that don't take no poppycock from nobody
On a typical Friday night I am: Hanging out in the parking lot of the Motel 6 with my zoom lens
You should take me home if: You are a fan of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe private eye novels
The Story Hour by Thrity Umrigar
My self summary: I am the story of two women from very different backgrounds that forge a friendship in an unlikely way.
On a typical Friday night I am: Cooking a pot of Beef Vindaloo to share with my friends
You should take me home if: You find flawed but likable female characters compelling
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
My self summary: I am new to your country. I find much of it very strange. Could you help me?
On a typical Friday night I am: Helping Charlie fight the baddies
You should take me home if: You see scars as beauty
The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
My self summary: I just moved to this town to live with my grandfather and am looking for new friends.
On a typical Friday night I am: Exploring this new town by moonlight
You should take me home if: Big family secrets, romance and a touch of magic pepper this novel
Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My self summary: There is something a little different about me. I am a pond as big as an ocean
On a typical Friday night I am: Keeping the dark and the light balanced
You should take me home if: You want to help harvest kitty turnips (just promise to not let go of my hand)
This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
My self summary: It is amazing I turned out the way I did after the childhood I had!
On a typical Friday night I am: Going on bad dates with women who are no good for me (hopefully you can change that)
You should take me home if: If you like memoirs about dysfunctional families
In the Garden of Beasts: love, terror, and an American family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larsen
My self summary: I have taken this high power job in a new place with a new language. I am wondering if I am cut out for this
On a typical Friday night I am: Staying up late waiting for my daughter to return home. Teenagers! Am I right?!
You should take me home if: You are interested in a long distance relationship. I may be in Germany for a while
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
My self summary: I am a single librarian and I love my job but am a bit of a misanthrope
On a typical Friday night I am: Trying to decipher this book my father left behind to me
You should take me home if: Do you know anything about Tarot? I'll pay for the drinks
Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
My self summary: Why am I always finding the wrong men at just the right time!
On a typical Friday night I am: Haunting the halls of foreign hotels
You should take me home if: Stunning, simultaneous stories with a common thread is something you can get down with
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
My self summary: If I were a flower I would be a Rhododendron. I can help you figure out what you would be too
On a typical Friday night I am: In bed! I have to get up super early on Saturdays to make it to the flower market in time
You should take me home if: You may enjoy a fairy tale in parts with a sprinkling of grit
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
My self summary: I cannot stand these rich, pretentious people around me
On a typical Friday night I am: Reading Tolstoy and Kant
You should take me home if: You might like a leisurely paced, reflective novel with quirky characters
Book Profiles 2018:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My self summary: I moved to your country to find refuge and attend university
On a typical Friday night I am: Writing insightful razor sharp observations about the state of this county in my blog
You should take me home if: You think we are living in a post racial United States
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
My self summary: I am a writer and I just moved to New York City. Where can a girl get a drink around here?
On a typical Friday night I am: Contemplating the Rosenbergs in my room
You should take me home if: You feel as thought the world itself is a bad dream
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
My self summary: The world as we knew it is over and I am trying to survive and adapt like the rest of us.
On a typical Friday night I am: Sitting with my boy and girl inside our safe home making plans for our journey.
You should take me home if: Do you know what it is outside the window?
The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
My self summary: I am looking for a nice girl who shares the same interests as me.
On a typical Friday night I am: Reading comics and playing video games. Care to join me?
You should take me home if: A little old family curse doesn't bother you
The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
My self summary: I am low key, pragmatic, serene and kind (or so I am told)
On a typical Friday night I am: Hitting up used bookstores to find awesome rare cookbooks for my collection
You should take me home if: You are looking for a modern day Jane Austen
The Fall of Princes by Robert Goolrick
My self summary: I am a young trader who is able to "trade shit for silk"
On a typical Friday night I am: Finding the hottest party in town and hitting it hard
You should take me home if: You want swim with the big shark
Fast Girl: a Life Spent Running from Madness by Suzy Favor Hamilton, with Sarah Tomlinson
My self summary: I am a three time Olympic runner, mother and wife ( I hope that isn't a deal breaker)
On a typical Friday night I am: Probably going on a date or spending time with my family
You should take me home if: You can relate to feeling highs and lows at the extreme
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
My self summary: Life in the circus ain't easy, especially when my whole family works there
On a typical Friday night I am: Traveling to a new town and saying "step right up" about a 10,00000 times
You should take me home if: You enjoy dark humor with a healthy dose of perversion
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
My self summary: It has been a year since my wife passed away. I am not sure I am ready to get back out there
On a typical Friday night I am: Working through my grief in a most unexpected way
You should take me home if: You enjoy poetic prose and allegories
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
My self summary: I used to have a life, I used to be a mother, a wife. Now.........
On a typical Friday night I am: In my Master's study playing scrabble and pretending to lose
You should take me home if: I probably shouldn't even be on here but I am desperate to get pregnant
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
My self summary: Some people say where I live is bleak. I love the quiet and the solitude of it though. It has made me who I am
On a typical Friday night I am: Canoeing across the lake, hanging in the woods with my dogs or babysitting my neighbor
You should take me home if: You enjoy character driven literary fiction
Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
My self summary: Terrible dark secrets run deep in these mountains. Ohh if the trees could talk...
On a typical Friday night I am: Trying to solve this mystery so everyone can be at peace
You should take me home if: You like dazzling language, mystery, and a profound belief in the human capacity to love and seek forgiveness
Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen
My self summary: They say they are flooding this valley but that will be over my dead body
On a typical Friday night I am: Spending time on the farm with my family and shut-in aunt
You should take me home if: You aren't one of those yellow-bellied government officials!
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler
My self summary: I just moved here from the Midwest. I'm adapting to my new back waiter job (and the long hours)
On a typical Friday night I am: I usually work every Friday night. But if you are a night owl and want to meet me and my co-workers for post shift drink at the Park Bar message me
You should take me home if: You can appreciate a new foodie trying to find her way in the world
Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders
My self summary: Drug experiments, living lawn ornaments and family friction are just a few things inside me
On a typical Friday night I am: Contemplating things like "is life fun or scary" and "are people good or bad"
You should take me home if: Highly interesting and well written short stories appeal to you
Welcome to the Circus: Stories by Rhonda Douglas
My self summary: I was written in Canada and this is my first book of short stories
On a typical Friday night I am: Exploring the themes of love and escape
You should take me home if: Are you intrigued if I tell you that inside me are stories of Mata Hari, an unfrozen Neanderthal, teenagers in Newfoundland and cancer
The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
My self summary: I am an artist and school teacher in Cambridge, MA. My trash is always tidy and I will smile at you if we pass in the hall
On a typical Friday night I am: Working in my art studio creating one-of-a-kind dioramas
You should take me home if: You want to grab a cup of coffee and discuss the tortured psyche of a conflicted soul
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