Tuesday, October 28, 2014
November book 2: Three Day Road Reading Guide
Amnesty International has put together a really snazzy reading guide for Three Day Road. You can download the pdf here: http://www.amnestybookclub.ca/2014/guides/Discussion%20Guide%20-%20Three%20Day%20Road%20-%20Jan%202014.pdf
November book 1: The Orenda Reading Guide
source: http://knopfdoubleday.com/guide/9780385350730/the-orenda/
Jesuit missionary Christophe arrives to the New World in the seventeenth century with dreams of spreading the word of God to the “sauvages” of this unknown wilderness. One year into his mission, the native guides with whom he has traveled are ambushed by the Iroquois, forcing Christophe to flee for his life. Weakened and injured, Christophe and a young Iroquois girl, Snow Falls, barely escape the violence before they are captured by Bird, a Huron warrior. Bird takes Christophe and Snow Falls to his village as prisoners, ultimately deciding to use Chrostophe as an emissary in trade negotiations between the Huron and Champlain’s Iron People, and Snow Falls as a surrogate daughter following the tragic deaths of his own. As time passes, their relationships evolve and become more complex, often in reaction to the intense social upheaval of the time. From bloody battles that rage between tribes to illnesses that cripple populations in the most devastating ways, Christophe, Bird, and Snow Falls face tremendous challenges as they navigate this new society. And as the Huron hurtle toward an all-out war with the Iroquois, conditions worsen, ultimately leading Bird, Christophe, and Snow Falls to re-evaluate themselves and their cultural assumptions entirely.
With unwavering perceptiveness, The Orenda is a tale for the ages—an epic journey of bloodshed and triumph, of misery and defeat and, ultimately, the extremes of humanity.
2. Discuss the Jesuit’s mission to bring Christianity to the New World. Are Christophe’s intentions pure? Would you classify his attempts at converting the Hurons as successful? What tensions arose in the community because of his efforts?
3. How does the Jesuit’s mission to bring Christianity to the New World coincide with Champlain’s vision for conquering the area? How does it conflict?
4. The relationship between Bird and Snow Falls fully evolves over the course of The Orenda. When it begins, Snow Falls’s hatred of Bird is unabashed, yet by the end of the novel she thinks of him as her father. How does this change occur? What challenges did their relationship face before Snow Falls came to terms with her role as daughter?
5. The Orenda takes place over the course of several years, showcasing Snow Falls’s development from pre-pubescence to motherhood. How is womanhood marked in the Huron culture? How do other women in the village help to guide her?
6. How does the relationship between Bird and Christophe evolve over time? Do you think the men respect each other, despite their differences?
7. On page 123, Christophe admits that he wrestles with “the grave worry that our work is being exploited by those who wish not for the souls of the sauvages but for the riches of the land.” Relate this statement to the scene in which Christophe and the Huron journey to Champlain’s settlement. How do Champlain and his people take advantage of the Huron?
8. Death is a constant theme throughout The Orenda. How does the Huron culture approach death? How do they honor their deceased relatives? Compare their attitudes toward death as opposed to that of the “charcoal.” How do their differing attitudes about spirituality affect the way they perceive the afterlife?
9. The acquisition of power is a central theme throughout The Orenda, and it manifests itself in various ways throughout the plot. How does Christophe try to obtain power over the natives? How does Bird try to maintain a position of power over his enemies? How is rape and torture used as a means of obtaining power?
10. Discuss the concept of the “oki.” How does this belief differ from the tenets of Christianity? How are these differences in beliefs reflected in both cultures’ approach to living, dying, nature, and family?
11. Though undeniably brutal, the process of torturing one’s enemies in the native cultures serves an almost ritualistic function. Discuss the various means in which captives are “caressed,” and the spiritual element to this process. Why do you think the torturers provide food and water to their captives? What is the expectation of captives in facing their fate? Explore the natives’ approach to death by torture in comparison to the Christian idea of martyrdom.
12. As the novel progresses, illnesses play an increasingly significant role, wreaking havoc on the social structure of the villages. How do illnesses affect how the community functions? Explore the role of “healers” in the Huron community.
13. What are the expected roles of males compared to females in the Huron community? In what respects do women have power? Explore the relationship between Bird and Gosling. How would you characterize their coupling?
14. Throughout the novel, Christophe oscillates between being shocked and appalled about the natives’ way of living and showing curiosity about their traditions. What does he admire about their culture? And does he participate in it? Would you say that his participation comes out of respect or out of obligation?
15. Did it shock you when Isaac murdered Snow Falls? Why do you think he chose to take others’ lives in addition to his own?
16. As a reader, what did you find most revealing about The Orenda? Did the novel challenge any of your opinions about colonization of North America? About the native populations?
The Orenda
By Joseph Boyden
About This Guide
The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading group’s discussion of The Orenda, Joseph Boyden’s masterful and harrowing epic about the first encounters between Jesuit missionaries and the native tribes of Canada, and the tremendous cultural and social shifts that result from these interactions.About This Book
Ambitious in scope yet deeply intimate in its execution, The Orenda is award-winning author Joseph Boyden’s riveting saga of the first encounters between the native populations of New France and the Jesuit missionaries who attempt to convert them. This defining moment of human history is rendered in exquisite detail, told through the alternating perspectives of a young Iroquois girl, a Huron warrior, and a French missionary. In prose as luminous as it is brutal, their stories illuminate the great moral complexities that arise when these cultures are forced to co-exist.Jesuit missionary Christophe arrives to the New World in the seventeenth century with dreams of spreading the word of God to the “sauvages” of this unknown wilderness. One year into his mission, the native guides with whom he has traveled are ambushed by the Iroquois, forcing Christophe to flee for his life. Weakened and injured, Christophe and a young Iroquois girl, Snow Falls, barely escape the violence before they are captured by Bird, a Huron warrior. Bird takes Christophe and Snow Falls to his village as prisoners, ultimately deciding to use Chrostophe as an emissary in trade negotiations between the Huron and Champlain’s Iron People, and Snow Falls as a surrogate daughter following the tragic deaths of his own. As time passes, their relationships evolve and become more complex, often in reaction to the intense social upheaval of the time. From bloody battles that rage between tribes to illnesses that cripple populations in the most devastating ways, Christophe, Bird, and Snow Falls face tremendous challenges as they navigate this new society. And as the Huron hurtle toward an all-out war with the Iroquois, conditions worsen, ultimately leading Bird, Christophe, and Snow Falls to re-evaluate themselves and their cultural assumptions entirely.
With unwavering perceptiveness, The Orenda is a tale for the ages—an epic journey of bloodshed and triumph, of misery and defeat and, ultimately, the extremes of humanity.
Question & Answer
1. The Orenda is told from the alternating perspective of three narrators, but is periodically punctuated by the voice of an omniscient narrator. Discuss the significance of this voice. Who or what does this represent? Compare the passage that begins the book with the one at the end of the novel. What do these passages assert about the legacy of the Huron people? The influence of the Jesuits?2. Discuss the Jesuit’s mission to bring Christianity to the New World. Are Christophe’s intentions pure? Would you classify his attempts at converting the Hurons as successful? What tensions arose in the community because of his efforts?
3. How does the Jesuit’s mission to bring Christianity to the New World coincide with Champlain’s vision for conquering the area? How does it conflict?
4. The relationship between Bird and Snow Falls fully evolves over the course of The Orenda. When it begins, Snow Falls’s hatred of Bird is unabashed, yet by the end of the novel she thinks of him as her father. How does this change occur? What challenges did their relationship face before Snow Falls came to terms with her role as daughter?
5. The Orenda takes place over the course of several years, showcasing Snow Falls’s development from pre-pubescence to motherhood. How is womanhood marked in the Huron culture? How do other women in the village help to guide her?
6. How does the relationship between Bird and Christophe evolve over time? Do you think the men respect each other, despite their differences?
7. On page 123, Christophe admits that he wrestles with “the grave worry that our work is being exploited by those who wish not for the souls of the sauvages but for the riches of the land.” Relate this statement to the scene in which Christophe and the Huron journey to Champlain’s settlement. How do Champlain and his people take advantage of the Huron?
8. Death is a constant theme throughout The Orenda. How does the Huron culture approach death? How do they honor their deceased relatives? Compare their attitudes toward death as opposed to that of the “charcoal.” How do their differing attitudes about spirituality affect the way they perceive the afterlife?
9. The acquisition of power is a central theme throughout The Orenda, and it manifests itself in various ways throughout the plot. How does Christophe try to obtain power over the natives? How does Bird try to maintain a position of power over his enemies? How is rape and torture used as a means of obtaining power?
10. Discuss the concept of the “oki.” How does this belief differ from the tenets of Christianity? How are these differences in beliefs reflected in both cultures’ approach to living, dying, nature, and family?
11. Though undeniably brutal, the process of torturing one’s enemies in the native cultures serves an almost ritualistic function. Discuss the various means in which captives are “caressed,” and the spiritual element to this process. Why do you think the torturers provide food and water to their captives? What is the expectation of captives in facing their fate? Explore the natives’ approach to death by torture in comparison to the Christian idea of martyrdom.
12. As the novel progresses, illnesses play an increasingly significant role, wreaking havoc on the social structure of the villages. How do illnesses affect how the community functions? Explore the role of “healers” in the Huron community.
13. What are the expected roles of males compared to females in the Huron community? In what respects do women have power? Explore the relationship between Bird and Gosling. How would you characterize their coupling?
14. Throughout the novel, Christophe oscillates between being shocked and appalled about the natives’ way of living and showing curiosity about their traditions. What does he admire about their culture? And does he participate in it? Would you say that his participation comes out of respect or out of obligation?
15. Did it shock you when Isaac murdered Snow Falls? Why do you think he chose to take others’ lives in addition to his own?
16. As a reader, what did you find most revealing about The Orenda? Did the novel challenge any of your opinions about colonization of North America? About the native populations?
About This Author
Joseph Boyden’s first novel, Three Day Road, was selected for the Today Show Book Club, and it won the Roger’s Writers Trust Prize, the Amazon/Canada First Novel Award, as well as numerous others prizes. His second novel, Through Black Spruce, won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Libris Book of the Year Award; it also earned him the Libris Author of the Year Award. Boyden, of Ojibwe, Irish, and Scottish roots, is a member of the creative writing faculty at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He divides his time between Northern Ontario and New Orleans, Louisiana.Suggested Reading
Fools Crow by James Welch; Tracks by Louise Erdrich; Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks; The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America by Allan Greer (ed.); The Spirit Keeper by K. B. LaugheedThursday, October 16, 2014
Our book club's books Part II
Since Part I, we've read . . .
the rest of 2011
Mar - apparently we were all off on fabulous holidays (according to the blog)
Apr - The Bishop's Man, Linden McIntyre
May - Infidel OR Nomad, Ayan Hirsi Ali
Jun - The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
2011/2012 Season
Oct - The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Nov - Beauty of the Humanity Movement, Camilla Gibb
Jan - Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
Feb - Still Alice, Lisa Genova
Apr - State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
May - Cat's Table, Michael Ondaatje
Jun - Room, Emma Donoghue
2012/2013 Season
Oct - The Virgin Cure, Ami McKay
Nov - The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
Jan - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon
Feb - Best Laid Plans, Terry Fallis
Apr - the House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
May - the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
Jun - Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple
2013/2014 Season
Oct - Little Bee, Chris Cleve
Nov - Ru, Kim Thuy
Jan - the Light Between Oceans, ML Stedman
Feb - Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan
Apr - The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh
May - Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
Jun - Brain on Fire, Susannah Cahalan, OR Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
2014/2015 Season
Oct - Bear, Marian Engel
Nov - The Orenda OR Three-day Road, Joseph Boyden
the rest of 2011
Mar - apparently we were all off on fabulous holidays (according to the blog)
Apr - The Bishop's Man, Linden McIntyre
May - Infidel OR Nomad, Ayan Hirsi Ali
Jun - The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
2011/2012 Season
Oct - The Help, Kathryn Stockett
Nov - Beauty of the Humanity Movement, Camilla Gibb
Jan - Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
Feb - Still Alice, Lisa Genova
Apr - State of Wonder, Ann Patchett
May - Cat's Table, Michael Ondaatje
Jun - Room, Emma Donoghue
2012/2013 Season
Oct - The Virgin Cure, Ami McKay
Nov - The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
Jan - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon
Feb - Best Laid Plans, Terry Fallis
Apr - the House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
May - the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
Jun - Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple
2013/2014 Season
Oct - Little Bee, Chris Cleve
Nov - Ru, Kim Thuy
Jan - the Light Between Oceans, ML Stedman
Feb - Sweet Tooth, Ian McEwan
Apr - The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh
May - Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
Jun - Brain on Fire, Susannah Cahalan, OR Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood
2014/2015 Season
Oct - Bear, Marian Engel
Nov - The Orenda OR Three-day Road, Joseph Boyden
Our book club's books Part I
Here is the list of our book club's books, from Gillian (posted here in January 2011)
2002/2003
Oct - Sula, Toni Morrison
Nov - Clara Callan, Richard B Wright
Jan - The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
Feb - The Map That Changed The World, Simon Winchester
Mar -The Russlander, Sandra Birdsell
Apr - Any book written by Anita Desai
May - Charlotte Gray, Sebastian Faulks
Jun - Any Known Blood, Lawrence Hill
2003/2004
Oct - Unless, Carol Shields
Nov - Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
Jan - Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood
Feb - Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
Mar - Stanley Park, Timothy Taylor
Apr - A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
May - Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris
Jun - The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
2004/2005
Oct - Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi
Nov - Crow Lake, Mary Lawson
Jan - East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Feb - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon
Mar - Missing Sarah, Maggie de Vries
Apr - Amanda Bright@home, Danielle Crittenden
May - A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews
Jun - The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
2005/2006
Oct- Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Abrom
Nov - The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Jan - The Rebel Angels (or other book by author) Robertson Davies
Feb - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie
Mar - Atonement, Ian McEwan
Apr - The Last Days of Dogtown, Anita Diamant
May/Jun - One of Malcolm Gladwell's: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,
The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference, or Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
2006/2007
Oct - Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Dec - A Star Called Henry, Roddy Doyle
Jan - Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Feb - Sweetness in the Belly, Camilla Gibb
Mar - Cancelled
Apr - (2) The Birthhouse, Ami McKay, and Digging to America, Anne Tyler
May - The Consolations of Philosophy or How Proust can Change Your Life, Alain de Botton
Jun - Eleanor Rigby, Douglas Coupland
2007/2008
Oct - Turn of the Screw, James Henry
Nov - Secret River, Kate Grenville
Jan - Enduring Love, Ian McEwan
Feb - Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, Vincent Lam
Mar - Cancelled
Apr - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
May - Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Jun - Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards
2008/2009
Oct - My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult
Nov - The Lollipop Shoes, Joanne Harris
Jan - Love in the time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Feb - Cancelled
Mar - Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Apr - Mister Pip, Lloyd Jones
May - Late Nights on Air, Elizabeth Hay
Jun - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
2009/2010
Oct - Blindness, Jose Saramago
Nov - The Accidental, Ali Smith
Jan - The Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz
Feb - Cancelled
Mar - Cancelled
Apr - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer
May - The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas
Jun - Exit Lines, Joan Barfoot
2010/2011
Oct - Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
Nov - If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, Italo Calvino
Jan - Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
Feb - My Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor
Still coming:
Infidel or Nomad, Ayaan Hirsi Ali (recommend Infidel)
Lady Chatterly's Lover, DH Lawrence
Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Bishop's Man, Linden MacIntryre
2002/2003
Oct - Sula, Toni Morrison
Nov - Clara Callan, Richard B Wright
Jan - The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
Feb - The Map That Changed The World, Simon Winchester
Mar -The Russlander, Sandra Birdsell
Apr - Any book written by Anita Desai
May - Charlotte Gray, Sebastian Faulks
Jun - Any Known Blood, Lawrence Hill
2003/2004
Oct - Unless, Carol Shields
Nov - Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
Jan - Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood
Feb - Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
Mar - Stanley Park, Timothy Taylor
Apr - A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
May - Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris
Jun - The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
2004/2005
Oct - Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi
Nov - Crow Lake, Mary Lawson
Jan - East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Feb - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon
Mar - Missing Sarah, Maggie de Vries
Apr - Amanda Bright@home, Danielle Crittenden
May - A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews
Jun - The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
2005/2006
Oct- Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Abrom
Nov - The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Jan - The Rebel Angels (or other book by author) Robertson Davies
Feb - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie
Mar - Atonement, Ian McEwan
Apr - The Last Days of Dogtown, Anita Diamant
May/Jun - One of Malcolm Gladwell's: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,
The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference, or Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
2006/2007
Oct - Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Dec - A Star Called Henry, Roddy Doyle
Jan - Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Feb - Sweetness in the Belly, Camilla Gibb
Mar - Cancelled
Apr - (2) The Birthhouse, Ami McKay, and Digging to America, Anne Tyler
May - The Consolations of Philosophy or How Proust can Change Your Life, Alain de Botton
Jun - Eleanor Rigby, Douglas Coupland
2007/2008
Oct - Turn of the Screw, James Henry
Nov - Secret River, Kate Grenville
Jan - Enduring Love, Ian McEwan
Feb - Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, Vincent Lam
Mar - Cancelled
Apr - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
May - Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Jun - Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards
2008/2009
Oct - My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult
Nov - The Lollipop Shoes, Joanne Harris
Jan - Love in the time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Feb - Cancelled
Mar - Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Apr - Mister Pip, Lloyd Jones
May - Late Nights on Air, Elizabeth Hay
Jun - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
2009/2010
Oct - Blindness, Jose Saramago
Nov - The Accidental, Ali Smith
Jan - The Palace Walk, Naguib Mahfouz
Feb - Cancelled
Mar - Cancelled
Apr - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer
May - The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas
Jun - Exit Lines, Joan Barfoot
2010/2011
Oct - Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
Nov - If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, Italo Calvino
Jan - Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
Feb - My Stroke of Insight, Jill Bolte Taylor
Still coming:
Infidel or Nomad, Ayaan Hirsi Ali (recommend Infidel)
Lady Chatterly's Lover, DH Lawrence
Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
Bishop's Man, Linden MacIntryre
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