Attendance at tomorrow night's meeting of the book club I established in January 2017 will likely set a new record. Unless my projections are off, there will be more than fifteen readers present. I'm pleased my sister will be moderating our discussion of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (2014). Her moderating will allow me to take a more active participant role. Given my complete immersion in author Jeff Hobbs's account of "..a brilliant young man who left Newark for the Ivy League..", I'm looking forward to having more latitude with respect to my participation.
ttps://reflectionsfromthebellcurve.blogspot.com/2016/02/thank-you-for-getting-me.html
Additionally - even more than usual - I'm anxious to hear how this particular book, and its cautionary message, landed with the discerning readers in my club. From the moment my wife finished reading it, I've wanted to hear her take. But, because I invariably enjoy hearing her contributions during the club's discussions, I've tried gamely to avoid cross-examining her these past several days. It hasn't been easy.
If any of you have read this worthwhile book, I'd welcome hearing your takeaways. In the meanwhile, wish my sister good luck on her maiden voyage as moderator at my club. I'm planning to be on my best behavior.
Hope it was an interesting discussion. Sorry I missed it. Ines
ReplyDeleteInes; We missed you. And we did have a record turnout as predicted - 16 people. Good discussion; book was well received, even though it was a sobering read.
DeleteGood morning, Pat. When I read the title of the book you referenced in your blog post I was a bit taken aback. Believe it or not it is the third mention of this book in the past two weeks. A good friend mentioned it and suggested it to me as did a librarian I speak with, if they're working, when I borrow books. So, I put in a request - it wasn't at my local branch - and I picked it up yesterday. As soon as complete the book I'm reading now, I'll start it. And I will definitely let you know my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBe well,
Bob
Bob; That experience you've had recently with this worthwhile book is a phenomenon social scientists call schemata vs. scotoma, i.e., our awareness of something gets sharper once it enters our frame of reference (schemata). Until then, it is a "blind spot" for us (scotoma). The classic example those people use is how once you've decided to buy a certain brand of automobile, you begin seeing it everywhere you look vs. before when you never noticed it. Be sure to talk to me after you read this sobering tale.
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