Recommendations for a Mixed Gender Book Group

Lisa Fish, a reader from Boston, sent Claire and I an e-mail requesting recommendations for a special book group meeting.  Usually, her group consists of six women, but once a year the husbands join them for a dinner and discussion.  This year, Lisa is in charge of the event and she wondered if we had any book recommendations.  I always have a book recommendation!

I could be described as a book group junkie, there have been times in my life when I was juggling six at the same time.  Lately I’ve pared down to two steady ones, an all women group and a mixed gender group.  There are differences in the choice of books and the discussion which give the groups entirely different personalities.  I recommend these books for any group, but especially for a meeting with men who are visitors, rather than book group regulars:

Netherland by Joesph O’Neill – In many ways a modern day Great Gatsby, it is told from the viewpoint of Hans, a successful Dutch investment banker working in New York.  9/11 happens (we don’t see that scene) and the wife returns to her home in London.  Hans starts playing cricket and discovers the New York immigrant world through his friendship with Chuck, an entrepreneur from Trinidad.  I found the difference between the experience of wealthy immigrants and poor ones interesting, and then how the DMV was the great equalizer.  The book raises questions about home, belonging, and how real is the American dream.  The male characters are very strong and it is a primer on the game of cricket.  Between finishing the book and the discussion, read an interview with Joseph O’Neill on The Elegant Variation (scroll down to the first part, read, then scroll up to the second part, etc.)  While not a quick read, O’Neill is an incredible writer and some of his scenes and specific sentences are stunning. 
 
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout – Winner of last year’s Pulitzer, the book is a series of short stories from the viewpoint of various citizens in small town Maine.  Olive is a very prickly character who I fell in love with and then was horrified that I may resemble too much.  Stout’s stories demonstrate the striking difference between our intentions  and how people preceive us.  The book brings up the big life issues:  marriage, parenting, community, aging, change.  The narrators change with each story, all from different ages and genders.  Happily, we hear from Olive a few times–hers is a voice you won’t forget.  Just to give it the male stamp of approval, my husband also read Olive Kitteridge and enjoyed it.
 
The Wordy Shipmates  by Sarah Vowell – I’ve only a portion so far, but I’ve listened to Sarah Vowell on This American Life for years and at a reading of hers three day ago there where were more men than women.  Vowell writes in a combination personal essay/non-fiction/history style, what I call the “friendly way to learn.”  The Wordy Shipmates is the story of the Winthrop Puritans (not to be mixed up with the Plymouth pilgrims, she has a rant about that) and Sarah’s journey in learning about them.  Parts are about ideas and parts are hilarious, such as the scene when Sarah wants to punch said Plymouth pilgrim actor at Plymouth Plantation.  Sarah was attracted to Winthrop’s sense of community and the book examines his “A Model of Christian Charity” speech and how the Puritans lived it.  This is a great thematic choice for November (even though they are the ”other” Puritans) and will be my recommended reading for Thanksgiving this year.
 
The Little Book by Seldon Edwards - A fun read with a combination of time travel, history and love story.  The main character is the All American hero who ends up in pre-WWI Vienna where we meet Freud, Hitler, Mahler and other historical figures before they were influential.  I learned about an era that I was largely unfamiliar with along with snippets about WWII.  A plot driven novel with quirky twists that brings up questions about responsibility for the consequences of our words, what are the battles we can undertake (for a similar take on the same question read Judges 4 and ask could you be a Jael?), and leading an examined life.   I finished the book wanting to know more about the era and, of course, wanting to return to Vienna.

If you have any thoughts on these books or other recommendations for Lisa, please share them!