February selection from the Reading List
Americans frequently speak about their rights; Ann Patchett wants them to think about their responsibilities. In an interview printed in the back of the novel Run, Patchett says that we have lived so long in this beautiful country without having to give anything up that it has made us lazy. She wrote Run to encourage us to think about what we owe to each other, our families, and our society.
Synopsis In her novel Run, Patchett throws strangers together on a cold, snowy night in Boston and then slowly unveils the connections between them. Doyle, the former mayor of Boston, has cajoled his two adult sons to come out to hear Jesse Jackson speak. Tip and Teddy have acquiesced, again, but by the end of the evening, Tip, the older son, decides he’s had enough. He argues with his father, steps out into the snow covered street, and narrowly escapes a terrible accident. A black woman standing nearby does not, and her daughter is left to cope by herself at the scene of the accident.
By the way, Doyle is white, and Tip and Teddy are his adopted black sons. The EMTs assume the black girl belongs to Tip and Teddy and leave her with the young black men. And then, the story unfolds.
Discussion points This character drama provides thoughtful insights into racism, politics, and family dynamics. One of my favorite passages reads:
Politicians never mentioned the details of life because of course the details that appealed to one person could repel another, so what you wound up with in the end were a long string of generalities, stirring platitudes that could not buy you supper.
This rang so true for me, since I have been listening to the speeches of the Republican presidential hopefuls for weeks now and have heard little about real policy.
In regard to families, Run weighs the value of perception over fact, the force of nature compared to that of nurture. Every character has something to run from or toward, not the least of which is responsibility. It had me thinking, perhaps Patchett is saying that family has less to do with biology and more to do with choices.
Recommended for… If you like character driven stories, as well as themes of family and politics, you’ll probably like this book. Although I enjoyed Patchett’s writing and appreciated her skill in character development and revelation, I did long for a more fulfilling plot.
And back to the issue of responsibility- are we, as Patchett implies, lazy? Have we gotten soft over the past few generations because we have not endured losses like The Great Depression or the two World Wars? Do we understand sacrifice and civic duty? January’s book, Winter Garden, sparked similar questions, and I have decided, yes, we Americans have gotten spoiled.
Do you agree or not? Please click on “comments” to add your thoughts on Run or the issue of responsibility in modern American society. Thanks so much.
Julia
I actually read your blog post to my hubby last Saturday, which provided us a great discussion topic on our 4 mile walk. It is too bad, but our society does seem to be more we and less we…and what is really sad, the me doesn’t even know who or what it believes. In my experience when we give responsibility to others, we are given them a life skill. (and gift.)
Thanks Kim, and congrats on the four mile walk!
Yes, I agree with Patchett that we have gotten lazy and spoiled. I haven’t read RUN, but I’m going to push it a bit higher on my TBR list after this great review. Thank you.
The thing that really irks me is that so many of us squander opportunities into which we are born. How many Americans are born into opportunity–to pursue an education, to choose where and how we live. To have the freedom of choice, should we want it. To carve out lives for ourselves that will be fulfilling.
Yet, so many squander it. I work with students who are born to middle class families, who have the time and the space to pursue and education, to choose what kind of a life they want to live. But most fail to do so. They fall prey to a number of different traps and find themselves living dull, passionless lives as young adults. Their days are filled with mind-numbing routines–hours at a job for which they feel nothing, hours in front of television or computer or cell phone screens. They lack passion. They lack self-knowledge. They become automatons in young adulthood.
It’s terribly sad. I’m not sure if this relates to Patchett’s RUN, but I do believe that part of our responsibility is to take advantage of the opportunities into which we are born, if we are lucky to have them in the first place.
Wow, one of Patchett’s characters (Doyle)says pretty much the same thing to his sons: you’ve been given so much, you have to give back. Now, Doyle’s sons do pursue worthwhile passions other than “screen time” (ie religion, care of the sick in Africa, ichthyology)- they just aren’t passions that their father approves of. A familiar situation in families, I think…
Thanks for stopping by!
Now I REALLY have to read this book. 🙂
Thanks for such a great post.
Yes, we are spoiled indeed, and it’s scary for our nation. I love your reviews and look forward to reading some of your recommendations!
I hope you will, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!
Yes, definitely, we have gotten spoiled. It is unfortunate that too often the only time we are grateful is when we are suddenly suffering from loss of one kind or another. I enjoyed this book. Ann Patchett is a great writer, though I too wanted more plot and less literary commentary…yet her quotes are so good throughout! I just wrote about a similar theme – fate versus agency? It’s a hard question to ponder!
Yes, Amy, Patchett has lots of good things to say. It was tough to pick just one quote!