Friday Five Favorites from Gretchen G.

  

Every Friday we are going to highlight one of our book club members, their 5 favorite books, and why these meant something to them. This will allow you to get to know us, what we've read, and what stuck with us. And if you're lucky, It just may give you some recommendations to look into and check out... 

Our next member's Five Favorites in no particular order is from Gretchen G.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I felt like it was written for me. If you have ever taken a Myers-Briggs test and had the feeling while reading the results through misty eyes that nobody gets you quite like Myers-Briggs then you know what I am talking about. (Seriously, everyone should take a Myers-Briggs test.  The results are a true discovery of ones self).  I read this many years ago so I don’t remember all of the particulars of Jeanette’s extraordinary childhood, but I remember that she grew up with a poverty stricken dysfunctional family.  I myself had an unusual upbringing and as crazy as my childhood was, Jeanette’s was even more so.  Highlights of my childhood include:

• Living in the woods of Pennsylvania with my mother in an old fashioned pump for water and an outhouse.
• My brother and I moving to one of the wealthiest towns in Michigan to live with my father (who we had only met a couple of times) and grandparents after being abandoned by our mother.
• Sticking out like country bumpkin for the one year (3^rd grade) that I went to school there.
• Moving out of my grandparent’s home into run down rental after run down rental with my single father and my brother.  I moved 8 times before graduating high school.
•  Moved out my senior year in high school because of a bad relationship with my dad and his new wife
• Went to visit my mom and half-sister when I was 19, I hadn’t seen them since I was 7 or 8 years old.  I still don’t have a typical mother daughter relationship with her, but I have learned to be okay with that and I don’t owe her anything.
• My dad’s wife was killed in an office shooting in 1999

I could go into much further detail but that would be a novel in itself.  I think that what drew me this memoir is that with all Jeanette had been through she grew up to be a well-adjusted successful adult, much like myself.  Those who don’t know my personal history are always surprised by it.  I lived on my own since I was 18 and worked full time while completing both my bachelors and masters degrees.  This memoir is a book of hope and what can be accomplished when you don’t let your past hold you back.

This book is just an amazing look into the human spirit and I think no matter your history, there is some understanding of humanity to be gained by all readers.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. On the surface this book didn’t seem all that interesting to me and wouldn’t have been something I would have chosen to read, however, it was a selection for the book club I was in at the time.  Wow, was I floored by this book, even though written by a man, it tells the story of generations of women in Afghanistan so beautifully.  This is really a story about women and their connections, but it also tells the story of how women are treated in the Middle East.  It is very eye opening and is just such a beautiful story.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read.  I promise that even if you think it wouldn’t interest you that it will pull you in and you won’t be able to put it down.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. I am not a very religious person but I went to church often enough as child to have a basic understand of The Bible.   Even though I don’t remember all of the details of this book, it sticks in my head as a book that I really enjoyed and was sad when it ended. It is the fictional account of a woman Dinah, who is briefly mentioned in The Bible as the daughter of Jacob and Leah.   This is a book about women during Biblical times and the title “The Red Tent” refers to tent where women must hideaway when menstruating or giving birth.  This is an extraordinary novel about women and family and while fiction, it is still interesting to imagine how it would be to live as a woman during those times.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I discovered Lucy Maud Montgomery’s orphan, Anne Shirley in 8^th grade and I can say without a doubt she is my all-time favorite fictional character.  She was like a best friend to my teenaged self who moved so often and had to keep making friends over and over.  The Anne girl with the wild imagination and positive outlook never ceased to make me happy.  I have read all 8 of the Anne of Green Gables books and watched all the movies so many times that I can quote great swaths of the text.  Phrases like “I’m in the depths of despair” pop to my mind when I am sad or upset.  I hear someone use the words “kindred spirit” and I instantly know they are an Anne fan and kindred spirit.  Because these books were written in the early 1900’s they seem to have gone out of fashion in today’s world.  Young girls have massive amount of content available on their phones and tablets.  I cannot get my 15 year old daughter to show any interest in Anne.  There is one promising hope that will keep Anne in the eyes of young girls these days and that is the Netflix Series “Anne with and E.”  I will admit that liberties have been taken with the source material but the heart of Anne is there.  The series is a little more dark than the novels but that, I believe is due to the times.  Ms. Montgomery was not at liberty in 1908 to express the dark sides of Anne’s time as an orphan simply due to the sensibilities of the time and what was acceptable.    My favorite movie adaptations are the ones done by Kevin Sullivan starring Megan Follows.  She will always be my favorite Anne!

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. This Pulitzer Prize winning novel really stuck with me not just because it takes place in Detroit and Grosse Pointe, Michigan, which are not too far from me, but because it is such an interesting and original story partially set in the very real backdrop of the Detroit riots in the 1960’s.  The first have of the books takes place in Greece and the second half in the States.  It tells coming of age story and family saga of immigrants from Greece who have a secret that have caused mutated genes leading to the main character being born “intersex” (a hermaphrodite), who chooses to live a different sex than what the parents chose at birth.  This book was published in 2002 and was ahead of its time when you think about social issues brewing today.  Some people may be put off by the main character of this book being “intersex” but while it is part of the book, it is not really what the book is about.   This is a great American story about immigrants, family and the human condition.

Posted by book lover: Gretchen G.