Coming soon to March book club

Our good pal Tripp Baltz has picked the March 2011 book club. I figured it was worthwhile posting for you over-achievers who wanted to get an early start. Tripp has picked, what I think is going to prove to be an inspiring read - Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder.

Details from our host, Tripp Baltz:

Haiti has been in the news lately, and this book gives a good history of recent events there. Also, it is a compelling profile of a true hero, Dr. Paul Farmer, the founder of Partners in Health. Farmer fought poverty and infectious disease, and he believed the “only true nation is humanity.” He was not  a demigod, but a human being driven by his set out to do all he could to cure the world.  I was thinking it would be nice for us to read a non-fiction book, and this one won the Pulitzer Prize. I hope you all enjoy it!

Review of the book from Amazon.com by Thomas Loarie:

"Mountains Beyond Mountains" is no exception to Tracy Kidder's excellent body of work. I have been a fan since he wrote "Soul of a New Machine." Kidder impressed me then, as he does now, with his upfront investment of time before putting pen to paper. Fortunately for us, his hard work translates to first class storytelling.

The title "Mountains Beyond Mountains" is a metaphor for life - once you have scaled one mountain (challenge), there are more to come. This is especially true for Paul Farmer, MD, who has devoted his life to what most people call "the impossible." He has faced mountain after mountain in his quest to help mankind.

Farmer starts out devoting his life to providing the most rudimentary medical care to impoverished Haitians (the shafted of the shafted). By age 27, he had treated more illnesses than most doctors would see in a lifetime. With time, he finds himself on the world stage trying to find a cure for drug resistant tuberculosis, undertaking the difficult role of a global fundraiser, and fighting big pharma for lower drug prices. He is a modern day medical hero.

For me, Farmer serves as a startling contrast to Robert K. Maloney, MD, the well known Los Angeles ophthalmologist who has been featured on TV's "Extreme Make-over." Maloney, who was profiled October 26, 2004 in the Wall Street Journal, said that after he completed his medical training, he came to a disquieting conclusion: "I really didn't like sick people." Maloney has since specialized in LASIK refractive surgery (considered cosmetic surgery) and pampers his patients with 25 person staff, and a suit-and-tie concierge who serves pastries and coffee in the waiting room. He then follows up after his patients return home with a gift box of gourmet chocolate chip cookies and a mug bearing the invitation, "Wake up and smell the coffee." He says he now earns more than the $1.2 million in salary and bonuses he made during his last year at UCLA (several years ago), but he won't say how much.

Farmer serves as reminder of what medicine aspired to be - the buck as only a means to an end....ending poverty, ending tuberculosis, ending the plight of many humans who cannot receive treatment from a qualified and trained doctor. Dr. Maloney serves as a reminder of what medicine has become - the buck and celebrity as ends. We should all get one of Maloney's mugs so we, too, can "Wake up and smell the coffee" ...before it is too late.

Welcome Amy!

A big book club welcome to Amy Montgomery, who is joining our little book club. We are happy to have you as a part of the group.

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol for the New Year

From our January hostess, Juli Tingle

To explain why The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown was one of my choices for our book club, I guess I have to go back to the beginning of my reading affair with Dan Brown.  I like many others read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown first even though he wrote Angels and Demons prior to The Da Vinci Code.  I was caught up in the controversy I had read about with regard to The Da Vinci Code.  Being a Christian, I had to see for myself if the book should be getting the heat it was getting from a lot of churches.  I enjoyed the book and decided to take it for what it was which in my opnion was a fictional story with a clever trail of codes and ideas with regard to the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus.  So, when a close friend of mine said they loved Angels and Demons even more, I had to read that too!  I had to agree with her. Angels and Demons for me was a pager turner that I could not put down.  So, of course I have had The Lost Symbol on my list to read for some time now.  I have not even started the book yet, but plan to this week.  I am looking forward to it.  I do love the puzzle and codes Dan Brown is famous for putting into his books.  I look forward to more surprises and conspiracy theories in The Lost Symbol.  Should be fun! Dan Brown has a pretty cool website everyone may want to check out too - http://www.danbrown.com.

From Daphne Durham at Amazon.com

Let's start with the question every Dan Brown fan wants answered: Is The Lost Symbol as good as The Da Vinci Code? Simply put, yes. Brown has mastered the art of blending nail-biting suspense with random arcana (from pop science to religion), and The Lost Symbol is an enthralling mix. And what a dazzling accomplishment that is, considering that rabid fans and skeptics alike are scrutinizing every word.

The Lost Symbol begins with an ancient ritual, a shadowy enclave, and of course, a secret. Readers know they are in Dan Brown territory when, by the end of the first chapter, a secret within a secret is revealed. To tell too much would ruin the fun of reading this delicious thriller, so you will find no spoilers here. Suffice it to say that as with many series featuring a recurring character, there is a bit of a formula at work (one that fans will love). Again, brilliant Harvard professor Robert Langdon finds himself in a predicament that requires his vast knowledge of symbology and superior problem-solving skills to save the day. The setting, unlike other Robert Langdon novels, is stateside, and in Brown's hands Washington D.C. is as fascinating as Paris or Vatican City (note to the D.C. tourism board: get your "Lost Symbol" tour in order). And, as with other Dan Brown books, the pace is relentless, the revelations many, and there is an endless parade of intriguing factoids that will make you feel like you are spending the afternoon with Robert Langdon and the guys from Mythbusters.

Nothing is as it seems in a Robert Langdon novel, and The Lost Symbol itself is no exception--a page-turner to be sure, but Brown also challenges his fans to open their minds to new information. Skeptical? Imagine how many other thrillers would spawn millions of Google searches for noetic science, superstring theory, and Apotheosis of Washington. The Lost Symbol is brain candy of the best sort--just make sure to set aside time to enjoy your meal.

Best book club discussions yet!

Last night was probably the best book club meeting yet. We met to discuss the sex-scandal themed book, Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. Although, it was not a book I loved by any means, I absolutely loved the conversation this book brought out in everyone as it seemed 1/2 the book clubbers loved the book and 1/2 the book clubbers hated the book. There seemed to be no middle ground and I think this polarity made for the most spirited book club yet. The conversations around woman, their relationship to the men in their lives, the mother/daughter dynamic, sex, perceptions people have of each other and judgments we all make were very interesting.
My thanks to Christy Yeaman for hosting a wonderful book club meeting. The food, wine and treats were delicious. I really appreciated all your hard work for arranging. I know everyone had a wonderful time. Thank you!