May 2017 Recap

Dear Bookclub,
Martha's team, Jeff & David, led our May bookclub into a winning evening, plying us with delicious fare. Martha, as working-wonder-woman-center, directed her team to defend against the onslaught of food -&-drink-needy women who descended upon their home court. Well prepared, we gratefully settled into our bookclub mode!

 

"Dust Bowl Girls" drew us into the golden age of women's basketball with the Oklahoma Presbyterian College Cardinals' incredible success, coached by Sam Babb, the author's great uncle. Lydia Reeder's depiction of women's sports in the 1930's era, steeped in 'girls' rules' and the attitude that sports were unhealthy for women, sent us into a tizzy of discussion, appalled that the first lady, Lou Henry Hoover led the cause with restrictions. We spent much time observing the wide spectrum of female traits that blur sexuality, perceptions and even fair play. I found a great little paper written by an NYU psychology student, illuminating the problems and attitudes still prevalent today:

"The Female/Athlete Paradox: Managing Traditional Views of Masculinity and Femininity"
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2012/fall/female

 A well-done short film, written and narrated by Lydia Reeder, tells the Dust Bowl Girls story; enjoyable if you've read the book or a great shortcut to understanding if you have not. Please take a few minutes to watch:

youtu.be/fokmbnWmp50



Martha's choices for an upcoming selection gave us fabulous variety, that did not make the decision easy:

"The Little Bookshop in Paris" Nina George
"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking" Susan Cain
"The Sympathizer" Viet Thanh Ngyuen *chosen










And finally, from downtown, here is a three point swish (new rules), from Megan Leahy. Chosen to give a TEDx talk through her Stanford Business School program,  Meg's presentation, "The Bonding and Bridging (Im)Balance" will hopefully inspire you in a thoughtful direction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBQC_FyYxS8 

 Next up: Ann Patchett's "Commonwealth".

Happy reading,
LK