February Not Fiction Book Discussions

On Tuesday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library and again on Thursday, February 19 at 11:00 a.m. at the West Ashley Branch, the Not Fiction Book Discussion groups will continue an exploration of questions inevitably evoked by January's book for discussion, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, with Deep Survival by National Geographic Adventure magazine contributing editor Laurence Gonzales. The subtitle of Gonzales' book neatly sums up the most pressing of these questions: "Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why" in a survival situation, whether it be an unexpected mountaineering accident, a routine yet high-pressure landing by a jet pilot on the deck of a military aircraft carrier, or perhaps some of the more common "survival" situations such as a divorce, the loss of a job, or an economic downturn. Gonzales shares some common traits of survivors and also some rules for adventure. He draws these traits and rules, as well as the harrowing stories he uses to illustrate them, from a variety of personal narratives, analyses of disasters, and scientific studies of how the human brain responds to stressful situations. After reading Gonzales' book, do you feel you are better prepared to survive? Share your thoughts--and survival stories--with us in person at one of our discussions or here on the blog.

New Online Book Clubs at CCPL

Charleston County Public Library has just launched an Online Book Clubs service that delivers books electronically. Each day, Monday through Friday, the library will email subscribers a portion of a book that takes about 5 minutes to read. You'll be able to read two or three chapters from a book during the week. If you like a book, you can check it out of the library. Each week the library will feature new books. With 7 book clubs to choose from, there's something for everyone: Fiction, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Business, Inspirational, Teen, and Mystery.

Starting today, you can sign up for the service at our web site, http://www.ccpl.org/, and click on the Online Book Clubs logo on the left side of the page.

January Not Fiction Book Discussion

We begin our 2009 discussions with Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer's reflection on the death--and the life--of Chris McCandless, a young man from a well-to-do family who chose to leave the life he was expected to lead to experience life on the road and in the wilderness, ultimately dying of starvation in Alaska.

We should have much to talk about, as McCandless' story has captured readers' interest since his remains were first discovered in 1992. Krakauer published an article about McCandless' death in Outside, but he felt compelled to explore his life in more detail in a book. More than ten years later, Sean Penn created a film based on the book, reviving interest in McCandless' story, although Krakauer's book had already become a classic of sorts. We will compare the difference in narrative approach of the book and the film; we will no doubt debate the wisdom of McCandless' decisions; we will ponder the many ironies of his death; we will consider the American Romantic fascination with The Road, The West, The Wild. But we may find that we cannot resolve McCandless' story in any ultimately satisfying way--the word that most often appears in reviews of both the book and the film is "haunting."

We hope you will join one of our discussions: Tuesday, January 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Main Library in Meeting Room A; Thursday, January 22 at 11:00 a.m. at West Ashley Branch; or here on the blog.

Notes from December's Not Fiction Book Discussion

We ended our 2008 discussions with Maira Kalman's The Principles of Uncertainty, an illustrated journal of a year of her life originally published as a monthly blog for the New York Times. Many of us were surprised that such a whimsically illustrated book could address existential questions. Kalman asks, "How are we all so brave as to take step after step? Day after day? How are we so optimistic, so careful not to trip, and then do trip, and then get up and say O.K." Even more boldly, she asks, "What is the point?" We agreed that her affectionate portraits of the people and things she encountered during that year are her answer to her questions--she finds meaning in the variety of life around her and in the very act of observing and recording that life. A few readers found Kalman's observation of people and things to verge on compulsive collecting. And a few also felt that this collecting and describing took the place of the meaningful personal detail usually found in a memoir. However, other readers appreciated the quirkiness and variety of her catalogs. They also felt that her reticence about the details of her personal life conveyed much about her experience of loss and grief over the death of her husband, Tibor Kalman, and mother, Sara Berman, which she mentions only by insisting that she cannot speak of those losses. The title of Kalman's book asks readers to consider what the principles of uncertainty are for them--the unavoidable facts of change and loss, the possibility of continuing on with hope and humor in spite of these facts. As we face a new year filled with both uncertainty and possibility, we can keep in mind Kalman's closing advice, gleaned from a World War II propaganda poster: "Keep Calm and Carry On."

Not Fiction Book Discussion at West Asheley Branch December 18

If you missed our discussion of Maira Kalman's The Principles of Uncertainty on Tuesday, you can join us Thursday, December 18 at the West Ashley Branch at 11:00 a.m. Kalman's warm and whimsical illustrations and quirky view of life may help brighten a chilly December day. We hope to see you there or hear from you here on the blog!

Not Fiction Book Discussion List for 2009

We are excited announce the list of titles we will be discussing at our Not Fiction Book Discussions in 2009. While the list includes a variety of genres and topics, including adventure, popular science, memoir, biography, history, sociology, and personal essay, an underlying theme for our discussions will be survival. You can find a complete list of titles and dates on the right side of the page under Not Fiction Book Discussions 2009. We hope you will join us, either in person or here on the blog.

December Not Fiction Book Discussion

We hope you will join us for the final Not Fiction Book Discussion of 2008. We will consider Maira Kalman's The Principles of Uncertainty, which existed first as a blog for the New York Times. Kalman has written and illustrated a dozen children's books, created numerous covers for The New Yorker, and designed products for The Museum of Modern Art, sets for Mark Morris Dance Group, accessories for Kate Spade and fabric for Isaac Mizrahi. The first question we will ponder? "What is this book?" Kalman answers that question on her book jacket with another. "What is anything?" She does, however, offer readers this description: "This is a year in my life profusely illustrated. Abounding with anguish, confusion, bits of wisdom. Musings, meanderings, buckets of joie de vivre and restful sojourns." While life is full of uncertainty, it is also full of possibility . . . especially the possibility that there will be mocha creme cake Tuesday, December 2 at 7:00 p.m. in Meeting Room A at Main Library in downtown Charleston. We hope to see you there or hear from you here on the blog.