The Mistress's Daughter- A.M. Homes

I found this to be quite a quick read- and about as different as can be from our last book...


Questions:

• What do you think about the pace of the book? If you were to classify the parts of the book, how would you do so?
• Did the shift of tone have an effect on your interest?
• What drew you into the story initially (or the converse?)
• Were you surprised by her reaction to her adoptive mother temporarily withholding the information of her biological parents?
• What are you thoughts about her genealogy quest?
• The ending scene- with her biological grandmother's table- was very touching. It brought to light that this was a journey for her. What do you think she learned from it? What notion of family will she pass down to her daughter?

My thoughts: I really liked the beginning, and end...the genealogy section was a bit messy, but still enjoyable overall. I was surprised by her initial reaction to her adoptive mother- her highly critical and sensitive reaction seemed more like that of a teenager than someone in their 30s. I loved her description of the biological parents- her delight with detail took me there. The biological parents were totally wacky- and yet she was still intrigued to find out more. I would probably be the same. I guess I really enjoyed it because it was very easy to relate to. I can't imagine being adopted, but her approach, research, and quest for information- and the truth, was what captivated me.

Omnivore's Dilemma- Michael Pollan

I thought we had a great discussion about The Omnivore's Dilemma. It made a lot of us not want to eat...for quite a while. Who knew we eat so much corn? It makes me think of that 80s commercial, "where's the beef?"

Here's a video clip where Pollan reads from his work, is interviewed about his writing process, and answers questions from the audience.

Here's an article that Michale Pollan wrote an article for the New York Times about food sustainability.

The centrality of our group's discussion focused around the questions:

• Is it really better to know where your food comes from?


• What do you think about the organic food industry?


• What control do consumers have over what they eat?


• What can we do as individuals to deal with the issue?


• How is this a uniquely American problem?

Local Resources and other information:

• The Tree of Life Nursery San Juan Capistrano


• Chino Farms Vegetable Stand6 123 Calzada del BosqueRancho Santa Fe (off Via de la Valle, S6), CAFall/Winter: Tuesday-Saturday 10-4; Sunday 10-1Spring/Summer: Tuesday-Saturday 10-5; Sunday 10-1 Closed Mondays.


• WELL October 22, 2007 Five Easy Ways to Go Organic Tara Parker-Pope Choosing just a few organic foods can make a big difference
• NY Times January 9, 2008 Food Allergies Stir a Mother to Action by Kim Severson
• NY Times January 27, 2008 Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler by Mark Bittman

Other books you might like:

• Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies by Jared Diamond


• Grub : ideas for an urban organic kitchen by Anna Lappe


• The botany of desire : a plant's eye view of the world by Michael Pollan


• Animal, vegetable, miracle : a year of food life by Barbara Kingsolver

What do you think? Anything to add...please comment!

Welcome!

The San Clemente Library book group has been meeting for quite some time in person. I have to say- I love our group. Everyone has such a diverse background, and wide ranging experiences- it always makes for an interesting discussion.

Since we tend to sometimes reference sources, images, maps, etc, during our discussion- I thought this might be a nice venue to share such sources. Also- for anyone not able to make it to our in person meeting, this provides a great place to add comments and follow along with what we are reading.

Please follow along- I look forward to your comments!