APRIL BOOK CLUB ONLINE DISCUSSION AND NOTES

Wow, Energy.  What did you think of this month's book club selection, WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD? I still have a pit in my stomach after reading about Starla's experiences growing up in the South.  Maybe that's why the author chose to write the book from a young child's point of view instead of Eula's, Mamie's or Lulu's.  Don't you wonder how the book would have been completely different had the narrator not been Starla? I would have love to even read chapters from different points of view.  It's fascinating to me to see how one event can impact people differently.

I also that that it was interesting to notice how Starla and Eula were so similar.  Despite their age differences, it almost seemed like they could have been the same person at times.  They both came from completely dysfunctional families and experienced various sorts of abuse.  What is especially interesting is the difference in how Starla handled her experience compared with Eula.  While Eula seemed to play the victim and was content to cope because that's, "just how it has to be," Starla instead takes action and breaks out of her situation.  For most of the story, I often forgot who was the adult and who was the child.   Do you think any of this had to do with the fact that Eula was an African American WOMAN living in a still very segregated South, while Starla was white?  Do you think that Starla and Eula's different points of view influenced each other at all along the way?

I also found it very interesting how the carnival motif was inserted into various parts of the book, and that both Starla and Eula had life changing experiences there.  Eula tells Starla that her cousin was badly beaten there, and Starla comes face to face with the Jenkins brothers after she throws a rock at their truck.  Ordinarily the carnival is a child's dream come true and a time they remember fondly forever.  Not so much with Starla and Eula.  Any thoughts on why the author chose that setting in particular? 

Perhaps the most touching part of the story for me was listening to Eula tell Starla that "everyone has gifts."  For the first time,  I saw Eula take control and not see herself as a victim when she told Starla that everyone was made to do something, and in order to figure out what that something is, you have to live your life and let it happen.  To me, that sounded like Eula giving herself a pep talk and a reminder that in spite of her difficult circumstances, she does have a place in the world. 

I was also touched whenever Starla and Eula baked pies together.  Not only did reading about the pies make me think of my own grandmother's kitchen, but it brought about such a strong sense of family.  Even today I think of the kitchen as being a very intimate gathering place in the home.  While cooking and eating, I can remember my own family's bond strengthening when we would all sit down and talk and share things with each other. 


I enjoyed this book and it was one that once I got started with it, I found I could read very quickly.  It made me think, and it definitely made me feel.  I would love if you would share your thoughts here.  Let's get a huge discussion going, and comment back and forth on this blog.  Should we get a big enough discussion going, I will create a new blog post to share. Once we get momentum, I would love to sit with you all in person and find out who our Energy readers are.  Thanks for trying this new idea with me.   Stay tuned for thoughts on THE INTERESTINGS at the end of May. 

Author: Joanna Etshokin