Winter 2012 Discussion Questions Posted

Discussion questions for the winter reading, Coop, are found below. Please respond to any or all of them, depending on what appeals to you the most or simply reflect on the book and/or comments. As a reminder, in collaboration with students and campus events, the discussion topics were created by and will involve Morris students! We hope you join along.

1. How does Coop compare to other memoirs you have read? Other books about farming and rural life?
2. This book was on the bestseller list. How does this book “play” in other parts of the country? What is the appeal beyond the Midwest?
3. The hardcover title, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting, was changed to Coop: A family, A Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg for the paperback edition. Which do you think fits the book better? Why do you think the publisher changed it?
4. As I read Coop, I am sometimes disoriented in time and memories. Sometimes it takes me a moment to realize that I am in a memory of a twelve year old or the memory of last weekend. Time seems fluid and often overlapping in this memoir. What could Perry mean by constructing his memoir in this way? What is its effect?
5. What role does place have in Perry‘s ideas of home? Of family?
6. Michael Perry is coming to Morris in March for the Prairie Gate Literary Festival. What questions would you like to ask him?

Exciting Book Discussion Coming in January 2012!

The Morris Alumni Book Club is gearing up for an exciting read in collaboration with students and campus events, and you are invited! Michael Perry, Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting, will be a visiting author for the 2012 Prairie Gate Literary Festival at Morris.
Book club members will begin reading Coop, the 2010 popular hit, in January with discussion involving students and campus community members in February. Members will have the opportunity to meet Perry when he visits campus in March 2012.

Perry has written for numerous publications, including Esquire, the New York Times Magazine, Salon, the Utne Reader, and is a contributing editor to Men’s Health. To sign up or for more information, email (alumni@morris.umn.edu) or call 320-589-6066

Discussion Questions Posted

Discussion questions for the Spring book club reading, Running with Scissors, are found below. Respond to one or all of them, depending on what appeals to you the most or simply reflect on the book and/or others comments.

1. Augusten sees much of his life in the context of television shows and commercials. Which television shows and commercials were influential to you while growing up? If you had to pick a television show—drama, comedy, or variety series—that best described your own life, which one would it be?

2. The Finch family lives accustomed to chaos and filth. Do you think it’s possible to get used to anything after a while? Explain. Are their things about your way life that might seem strange to other people or other cultures? Have you ever had to adjust to a situation that initially seemed foreign or disturbing to you? Explain.


3. Why do you think Natalie and Augusten become best friends? What pulls them apart? Do you believe Deidre’s final accusation? Explain.

4. Dr. Finch believes that children should choose their own parents. Do you agree? Who does Augusten eventually choose? Did he make the right decision? Why? Are their any circumstances under which a child should disown his or her family? Explain.


5. Do you see Running with Scissors as a comic or horror story? Both? Explain.

Summer 2011 Read

The summer 2011 Morris book club reading is Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs. Peter Bremer, Briggs Library, has provided a few resources below to enhance the reading experience. Discussion questions will be posted here and also sent via email on August 15.


Augusten Burroughs Biography [Author's website]
http://www.augusten.com/bio.html

Augusten Burroughs interview [NPR]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1150281

Augusten Burrough's Mother Speaks Out [NPR]
http://www.npr.org/2006/10/08/6209286/augusten-burroughs-mother-speaks-out

One Family, Three Memoirs, Many Competing Truths [NPR]
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/25/136620260/one-family-three-memoirs-many-competing-truths

Burroughs Settles Lawsuit With 'Scissors' family [USA Today]
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2007-08-30-scissors-settlement_N.htm


Thank you!

July 2011 - A Memoir

Summer is here and the weather proves it! I hope the season is treating you well and you are looking forward to another opportunity to read along with the Morris book club.


The July selection is a memoir. Of the many options available, I thought this site seemed to have a good variety of memoirs, but, as always, feel free to suggest your own ideas. I pulled out a few random titles below to get us started.

Vote for or submit your book selection by July 15, 2011. I will tally the votes and send out the July book selection at that time. Discussion will follow online and via email. I look forward to a great summer read!



I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Night by Elie Wiesel

Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom

And Then There Were None Discussion Questions

Discussion questions for the Spring book club reading, And Then There Were None, are found below. Respond to one or all of them, depending on what appeals to you the most or simply reflect on the book and/or other's comments.

1. Discuss the various alliances that form throughout the novel—particularly those between Blore, Armstrong, and Lombard; between Armstrong and Wargrave; and between Vera and Lombard. How do these alliances affect events? What makes them break down?
2. Discuss the order in which the characters die. Why do some live longer than others? Do you think this is this entirely by design? Does the murderer ever seem to lose control of the situation?
3. Discuss how Christie portrays social hierarchies. What commentary is she making on her society’s class system?
4. Do you think that Wargrave acts justly? Why or why not?
5. What do you make of Christie’s decision to violate the standard rules of mystery writing by making it nearly impossible for us to solve the mystery of And Then There Were None by ourselves? How does the unusual plot affect the experience of reading the novel?

Spring Book Selection

The Spring selection of the Morris Alumni Association Book Club is And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. Be looking for discussion questions in one month. Peter Bremer, Briggs Library, has provided us with resources to increase our reading pleasure. He also states:

"Note: The novel was previously published as "Ten Little Indians" and "Ten Little Niggers". It is the most popular mystery novel of all time. According to Google Books it has sold 100 million copies. It has been adapted for screen and stage."


Queen of Crime: Biography [agathachristie.com]
http://www.agathachristie.com/about-christie/the-queen-of-crime/biography/

Agatha Christie Interviews [BBC]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/christiea1.shtml

Study Finds Possible Dementia [Ottawa Citizen]
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Study+finds+possible+dementia+Agatha+Christie/1470424/story.html

April Selection

It’s time for another book club discussion with Morris alumni. Hope you all are enjoying the springtime weather and may be inclined for a good book and discussion with Morris alumni and friends.


The April book selection will be “bestseller” titles. A google search led me to a list of all-time best-selling book titles. These titles are listed below for suggestions or please submit your own ideas. Please vote by replying to this email by April 8, 2011. Discussion will follow online by May 9, 2011.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

Water For Elephants - Discussion Questions

Discussion questions for the winter book club reading, Water For Elephants are found below. Respond to one or all of them, depending on what appeals to you the most. Also, with the upcoming release of the movie, please discuss what you are hoping will be highlighted.

1. Water for Elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. How do the chapters about the older Jacob enrich the story about Jacob’s adventure with the circus? How would the novel be different if Gruen had only written about the younger Jacob, keeping the story linear and never describing Jacob’s life as an old man?

2. How does the novel's epigraph, the quote from Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg, apply to the novel? What are the roles and importance of faithfulness and loyalty in Water for Elephants? In what ways does Gruen contrast the antagonisms and cruelties of circus life with the equally impressive loyalties and instances of caring?

3. Who did you, upon reading the prologue, think murdered August? What effect did that opening scene of chaos and murder have on your reception of the story that follows?

4. In the Author’s Note, Gruen writes that many of the details in the story are factual or come from circus workers’ anecdotes. These true stories include the hippo pickled in formaldehyde, the deceased fat lady being paraded through town and an elephant who repeatedly pulled out her stake and stole lemonade. Gruen did extensive research before writing Water for Elephants. Was her story believable?

5. In what ways is Water for Elephants a survival story? A love story? An adventure?

6. Are you satisfied with the end?

Water For Elephants - Resource Material

The winter Morris book club selection is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Peter Bremer, Briggs Library staff, has provided some resource materials to make your reading more enjoyable. Discussion questions will be coming in approximately one month.

Good reading!

Trunk Show [New York Times book review of Water Foe Elephants]

Sara Gruen Chats About Water For Elephants [from saragruen.com]

Step Right Up! [History Magazine]

Asian Elephant [National Geographic]

The Truth Behind Elephant Brainpower [BBC News]

The winter book club selection is Water for Elephants

The January book selection is the award winning Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen. Discussion questions will be posted here by January 28.

It you do not wish to use the blog format, but would like to contribute to the Morris book club, discussion replies and questions can be sent via email and will be posted online for the group to read on your behalf. Or, just simply read along!

Additional information regarding Water for Elephants will be provided by the Briggs Library Staff. Look for it in an email and below when available.

Happy Reading!

Award Winning Titles

The winter season is upon us and what a great time to read a book with other Morris alumni and friends! Hopefully the holidays have treated you well and you have time for reading and discussion with the Morris book club to help pass the wintry cold.

The January book selection will be “award winning” titles. A few titles are listed below to help select from or suggest your own ideas if you have them! Please vote for or submit your book selection by January 21, 2011. At that point, reading will begin with discussion online to follow.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Work of Wolves - Fall Book Club Discussion Questions

Five discussion questions for the Fall book club reading (issued by Redmond Regional Library) can be found below. Respond to one or all of them, depending on what appeals to you the most. It is sure to capture great dialogue while discussing the work of Morris alumnus, Kent Meyers '77, and with UMM backgrounds in the group!

1. Kent Meyers opens his novel with a scene in which we are introduced to the teenage Carson Fielding and the wealthy rancher, Magnus Yarborough. What key elements of the novel are revealed to us in these opening pages?

2. Discuss the idea of Goat Man.

3. Which of the four characters—Carson, Earl, Willi, or Ted—do you think has the most to gain by rescuing the horses? Why?

4. In what way does this novel explore the concept of family and the ways in which families impact the individual?

5. What is the significance of the title, and how does that concept transcend the boundaries of this specific narrative?

Fall Reading - Work of Morris Alumni

If you didn't have time for reading this summer, now is your chance to join the fall reading for the Morris alumni and friends book club!

The September selection was chosen as "work of Morris alumni". A few titles are listed below to choose from or please suggest your own ideas if you have them. Please vote for or submit your favorite title by September 20, 2010. At that point, reading will begin with discussion online to follow.

The Witness of Combines (1998) by Kent Meyers '77
The Work of Wolves (2005) by Kent Meyers '77
Twisted Tree (2009) by Kent Meyers '77

Prairie Son (1999) by Dennis Clausen '65

Waiting Tables, Dodge Bullets: An Actors Guide to Surviving Los Angeles (2009) by Brendan Brandt '05

Mountains Beyond Mountains Discussion Questions

Below are four discussion questions for the summer book club reading (issued by the publisher). Please respond to one or all of them, depending on which appeals to you the most! Also, remember the helpful hints in online discussion posted below in the first "discussion questions" post. It is sure to be a great discussion with UMM backgrounds in the group!

1. Paul Farmer finds ways of connecting with people whose backgrounds are vastly different from his own. How does he do this? Are his methods something to which we can all aspire?
2. The title of the book comes from the Haitian proverb, "Beyond mountains there are mountains." What does the saying mean in the context of the culture it comes from, and what does it mean in relation to Farmer's work? Can you think of other situations - personal or societal - for which this proverb might be appropriate?
3. Paul Farmer had an eccentric childhood and his accomplishments have been unique. Do you see a correlation between the way Farmer was raised and how he's chosen to live his life? How has your own background influenced your life and your decisions? (Has UMM had an influence on your life?)
4. Tracy Kidder has written elsewhere that the choice of point of view is the most important an author makes in constructing a work of narrative non-fiction. He has also written that finding a point of view that works is a matter of making a choice among tools, and that the choice should be determined, not by theory, but by an author's immersion in the materials of the story itself. Kidder has never before written a book in which he made himself a character. Can you think of some of the reasons he might have had for doing this in Mountains Beyond Mountains?

July Memoir Selection

Summer is well under way, hope you are enjoying some warmer weather!
As part of our inaugural book club, alumni and friends have chosen to select a memoir book to read in July/August.
Please vote for one or two of your favorite choices. Then, three books will be randomly selected and popular vote will decide the July book selection. Please select your book choices by Wednesday, June 30 and the voting will begin on July 1st.

If you would like to view a list of popular memoirs, here is a link found on the web (http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/memoirs).

Discussion Questions!

Hope you all are enjoying the book and it has inspired a desire for discussion! Below are the first round of discussion questions, please discuss at your leisure. Also, here are some helpful hints and tips regarding online discussion:
Book club members bring diverse and extraordinary experience to the process, each person involved brings depth and creativity to the discussion.
Writing your insights, thoughts, and responses to others in a way that's relatively public can be a little un-nerving at first! Although, it is also important to simply "be present" -- find ways to describe in writing what you might be doing non-verbally, e.g., nodding your head, smiling, or looking quizzically at someone. Imagine making a statement in person and having no response from the audience --let people know you're there, that you've read their posts!

Discussion questions for Three Cups of Tea:
1. There is a telling passage about Mortenson’s change of direction at the start of the book: “One evening, he went to bed by a yak dung fire a mountaineer who’d lost his way, and one morning, by the time he’d shared a pot of butter tea with his hosts and laced up his boots, he’d become a humanitarian who’d found a meaningful path to follow for the rest of his life.” What made Mortenson particularly ripe for such a transformation? Has anything similar happened in your own life?

2. At the heart of the book is a powerful but simple political message: we each as individuals have the power to change the world, one cup of tea at a time. Yet the book powerfully dramatizes the obstacles in the way of this philosophy: bloody wars waged by huge armies, prejudice, religious extremism, cultural barriers. What do you think of the “one cup of tea at a time” philosophy? Do you think Mortenson’s vision can work for lasting and meaningful change?

3. Mortenson hits many bumps in the road—he’s broke, his girlfriend dumps him, he is forced to build a bridge before he can build the school, his health suffers, and he drives his family crazy. Discuss his repeated brushes with failure and how they influenced your opinion of Mortenson and his efforts.

4. Much of the book is a meditation on what it means to be a foreigner assimilating with another culture. Discuss your own experiences with foreign cultures—things that you have learned, mistakes you have made, misunderstandings you have endured.

5. What did you learn about the culture in Northern Pakistan? Did anything surprise you?

Inaugural Book Club Selection

The Spring bestseller reading has been chosen by popular vote: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

Congratulations on the inaugural Morris alumni book club title selection! Enjoy reading and discussion questions will be posted here in three weeks. Based on several reviews, Three Cups of Tea is a wonderful book club selection as it inspires great discussion!

Book Selection

Spring is in the air and it is time to begin selecting the first book for the Morris book club discussion! Based on your feedback, the following categories were chosen by popular vote and books will be selected as follows (subject to change per the group):

April - Bestseller
July - Memoir
September - Work of Morris Alumni
January - Award Winners

Please post TWO of your bestseller book choices by Thursday, March 11 here by clicking on "comment" and the group will vote by most popular selections to begin reading and discussing! After the book is chosen, please post at anytime to fellow readers for discussion. If available, discussion questions will also be posted here for additional commentary. Happy Reading!

Initial Post

Welcome to the Morris Alumni Book Club!
Thank you for your interest. Here we will begin the process of creating the book club to best fit the needs of our group. Based on valuable feedback from alumni, we envision each book commentary to last approximately 6-12 weeks (quarterly), longer or shorter if desired.
Books will be selected via popular vote by the group per your suggestions. Meetings and commentary will primarily occur online at this blog, which is accessible for all alumni from anywhere through several email providers. We also hope to host at least one face-to-face meeting annually, if interested.

Please post any comments, suggestions you may have for the group here.