Friday, June 29, 2007

BookWormsRus - book club: The Last Girls by Lee Smith ~ Discussion

Post your thoughts about the book in the comments here. Below are the discussion questions found at the end of the book, post your thoughts in the comments below each question. You don't have to have actually read the book to participate, most of the topics use the book as a jumping off point for interesting topics.

Question # 1

Harriet dubs the four women on the river cruise "the last girls." What does she mean by this name? How is The Last Girls an appropriate title for the novel?

Question # 2

Author Lee Smith writes The Last Girls in the third person, but devotes chapters to different, alternating points of view. What affect does this shifting narrative viewpoint have on the story? How does Smith make each narrative voice a distinctive and unique one?

Question # 3

What do the four "last girls" have in common? How has each changed since her first trip down the river? Is there one character here that forms the emotional center of the book? If so, who is it, and why?

Question # 4

How does the riverboat cruise compare with the first trip that the girls took down the river? How does Mr. Gaines, the professor that inspires the raft trip, affect them-both academically and on a personal level? What expectations do the women have on each trip? How do the two voyages each constitute a rite of passage?

Question # 7

The novel features excerpts of Baby's poetry and Anna's romance novels. What does the inclusion of this writing add to your understanding of both these characters? Why don't you see passages by Courtney, Catherine and Harriet? What do you imagine that their writing would be like?

Question # 8

Harriet, Catherine, Anna, Courtney and Baby each come from very different family backgrounds. In which ways do their families shape the girls' personalities? Who is more apt to rebel against her family, and who strives to make them proud? By your estimation, who is the closest at achieving a happy medium between the two?

Question # 9

The women go on the river cruise in order to dispose of Baby's ashes. How does each of the women remember Baby? What does Baby represent to each of the four "last girls?" How do they express any emotion about Baby's death?

Question # 22

Why do you think that Pete is attracted to Harriet? What about her is appealing to others around her, both male and female? Do you think that Harriet is persuaded to stay in New Orleans with him by the end of the novel? Why or why not?

Question # 31

The novel's last pages provide an account of the others who went on the rafting trip. How do these women figure into the friendship between the four girls on the cruise and Baby? In which ways are the blurbs a typical "where are they now"? How are they unconventional in form, style and tone? Why do you think Lee Smith uses them to close the book?

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Revolution Health Online Health Fair

Shawna James from Gluten-Free Girl is a fabulous resource for all things gluten-free. My little one is gluten-free and since so many of my blogging friends are as well I wanted to pass along some important resources. I just got through listening to a fascinating discussion partnering gluten-free bloggers with the experts in order to facilitate giving people who blog about eating gluten-free the power of knowledge. The participants in the discussion are as follows.

Alice Bast founder of National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

Sponsored by Revolution Health

Dr. Anthony DiMarino - Jefferson University Hospital director of division of Gastronentoerology and Hepatology at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospital.

Allergy Girl from Allergic Girl

Dianne from A Gluten-Free Journey

Rachel from Rachel's Recipe Box

Elwoodcity from Gluten-Free Gastro-Gnome

Gina Clowes from Allergy Moms

Gastro Girl from Gastrol Girl: All Things Digestive

This was a fascinating discussion and you can listen to it here. Even a girl like me who thinks she knows all thing Celiac learned a thing or two. Second important fact, Revolution Health is holding an online health fair featuring links to various not for profit health websites. If you go to this site and click on the links to the various health sites the Revolution Health people will donate money to those charities. You may learn something, but you will definitely help some wonderful organizations like my beloved National Foundations for Celiac Awareness raise some money.

There are literally millions of people in the US who have Celiac Disease but just don't know it. If you are not feeling well, why not stop by Celiac.com and get some information to find out if you might be a Celiac too.

Crazy Daisy

Our cat. The short version is we have had her for more than seven years. She lived with us in Italy, Japan, nd now Mississippi. She is a rescued street cat but has been living as a pampered indoor princess for the last 7 years. Now that we are in a neighborhood where it is safe for her to venture outdoors, we occasionally let her come outside with us. She usually stays very close to me.

While my parents were visiting she ran out the front door one day. I let her go. I thought she might enjoy a little adventure, and I thought she would stay right there close to the front door, as she does everyday when she comes outside with me. But, she did not, she in fact stayed out all night. Jeff and I were outdoors way past dark, bare feet and flashlight traipsing through the forest, being frightened by the sounds of animals rustling through. I don't know how we are going to survive the Appalachian trail, and I know I need to start wearing shoes outside. But...

She came home and has not been outside since. Tuesday night Jeff came home from work and by and by he asked, "Where is Daisy". No one knew, things happened and we forgot. Wednesday morning when I got up, I fed Daisy first thing as always. Usually she is rubbing against my legs meowing at a high volume, tripping me, and absolutely insisting to be fed immediately. She is actually fed before Lily and before coffee. As I have been trained I went to feed the cat and as I was pouring the food I noticed, Hey where is Daisy? No Daisy.

As you read, yesterday I was out of the house running around looking for room 212, I think I might have actually been in Area 52 or one of her sisters. We got home and had to fix lunch and do chores and cook dinner, it all melted together. After awhile I thought about Daisy again and I did a search for her. I searched in the house, I search outdoors, no Daisy. Jeff came home, we had dinner.

At dinner Jeff tells me that cats go off to die. They know when it is there time and they just go off. I was very upset by this remark. I decided to go door to door with Daisy's picture to see if any of our neighbors have seen here. While she does have a micro chip she doesn't have a collar or our phone number on her person(catson). Dead, can you believe he said that to me. And Jeff is the one in the family who actually likes Daisy. I scoop her box, I feed her, I take her to the vet and stay up all night shampooing the fleas from the kennel off of her, but Jeff is the one who loves her. I really don't care for cats you know.

Later in the evening Jeff notices our dog Pixie is staring at the coat closet in our entry way. Jeff opens the door to the closet and there is Daisy. She had been in the coat closet. Which is very close to the living room, in fact we have such an open floor plan that had she meowed or scratched the door I would have heard her from anywhere in the house. She gets herself caught in closets all the time and she lets me know when she is ready to come out, the cat is loud. But, not this time. She sat in the closet for more than a day, without a peep. She also has a sneeze. I am glad she wasn't outside, in the heat, with the fleas and all the animals who run loose in my neighborhood, but in the closet. I have to say that I am worried about that cat. Jeff thinks we should take her to the vet?