Relevant links for The Unconsoled:
Reviews:
http://www.fantasticmetropolis.com/i/ishiguro-distortions/
http://www.qlrs.com/essay.asp?id=394
http://books.google.com/books?id=6OQCAAAAMBAJ&pg
http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/ishiguro.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/feb/19/fiction.kazuoishiguro
http://www.csulb.edu/~bhfinney/ishiguro.html
http://www.reference.com/browse/kazuo+ishiguro
NPR story on Ishiguro’s new book Never Let Me Go:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4629918
Other links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unconsoled
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COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In order to give readers plenty of time to get and read upcoming books, we are now selecting books for two readings in advance.
After our September meeting, the book club will meet again on Wednesday, October 6. After a couple of very challenging fiction selections, we are going back to non-fiction with "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell (2008, 285 pages).
Malcolm broke onto the literary scene with his bestseller The Tipping Point.in 2000, followed by Blink in 2005. In Outliers, he poses a more provocative question: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don't arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky."
Outliers can be enjoyed for its bits of trivia, such as why most pro hockey players were born in January, how many hours of practice it takes to master a skill, why the descendents of Jewish immigrant garment workers became the most powerful lawyers in New York, how the subculture of pilots impacts their crash records, how a centuries-old culture of rice farming helps Asian kids master math. But there's more to it than that. Throughout all of these examples--and in more that delve into the social benefits of lighter skin color, and the reasons for school achievement gaps--Gladwell invites conversations about the complex ways privilege manifests in our culture..
Don't be shy if you've missed prior meetings! We are eager to meet you and share in your insights.
Here is a list of Previously Read Books
Looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting!
Excelsior Book Club
A project of the Excelsior District Improvement Association