Part of the beauty of a book club is it forces you to read books you might not choose on your own. Our last two book club reads sparked a lot of contemplation for me, and some great discussion for the group. These are great reads to broaden your perspective.
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
I hate to say too much about Mad Honey, as I don’t want to spoil anything for readers. I admit, I didn’t really want to read it. Jodi Picoult can be hit or miss for me, although she did write one of my favorite books of all time, Small Great Things, which is a fascinating study of racism.
In Mad Honey, Picoult uses two points of view to tell the story of the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a teenager and the subsequent court case. One POV’s narrative moves forward in time, and the other moves backward. This was a great tool to heighten suspense.
Mad Honey explores what characters choose to hide from people and what they choose to share. It also examines what we choose to keep from our past and what we let go. It was a solid three star read for me, and it gave me a lot to think about and discuss.
Here’s a great quote that highlights one of the important themes of Mad Honey:
“If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance. And then, you need to talk to people who know more than you do, people who have done more than just thought about the facts, but lived them.”
Olivia, in Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
If this isn’t a sentiment necessary for our time, I don’t know what is. Here’s another one that struck me:
How similar does someone have to be to you before you remember to see them first as human?
Olivia, Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
I’ve wanted to read The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates for a while. I even gave a nice hard back copy to my daughter. I borrowed that copy to finally enjoy the book, and it’s a good one. Gates’ writing isn’t spectacular, but her thoughts and ideas are.
In light of her recent divorce, I expected this book to be about personal redemption and strength, along the lines of Rising Strong by Brene Brown. But it’s not just about Melinda – it’s about all women, everywhere. The Moment of Lift was a nice nonfiction segue after reading Lessons in Chemistry.
In The Moment of Lift, Gates describes, with data and stories from women she’s interviewed, how giving women more information, power, and autonomy can improve society. She focuses on the areas of family planning, education, the workplace, maternal and newborn healthcare, and agriculture. I really appreciate how she highlights the importance of understanding women where they are in order to help them bring about positive change.
For example, in her discussion about contraception, she points out that in certain communities, giving women condoms will not provide adequate birth control. The Gates Foundation figured out, after talking with women, that sometimes when husbands are asked to use condoms, they take offense. They see it as an accusation or a confession of adultery. In these cases, a wife who asks her husband to use a condom can expect a beating. Melinda and the Gates Foundation modified their approach.
Here are some great quotes from the book:
“It’s the mark of a backward society — or a society moving backward– when decisions are made for women by men. That’s what’s happening right now in the US.”
The Moment of Lift, Melinda Gates
About the importance of education, Gates says,
“Women can use the skills they learn in school to dismantle the rules that keep them down.”
Gates helped me better appreciate the mentality I see in my Southwest Virginia community about going away to college. Very few students in each graduating class leave for a four year college. She interviews a girl who left her small town to study at a university. Here’s what people said to the girl: “‘Why do you want to leave home, anyway? Everything you might ever need is here. Are you saying we’re not good enough for you?” Gates points out, “As [these families] see it, their culture doesn’t hold people back; it holds people together. In their eyes, pursuing excellence can look like disowning your own people. “
I am a transplant from Northern Virginia and have never understood the fear of sending kids away to school. Gates opened my eyes. I am glad we have a community college right in town that offers associate degrees and certificates, and training in relevant fields to help young adults launch into jobs that will earn them a decent living wage.
Word Nerd note: Since I borrowed my daughter’s copy of The Moment of Lift, and she is HIGHLY opposed to marginalia and keeps her books pristine, I had to use a note card to keep track of my notes.
If you are interested in broadening your perspective on relevant issues for our time, I highly recommend each of these books.
Can you recommend other books that have opened your mind to new ideas?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
“ How similar does someone have to be to you before you remember to see them first as human?”
Worth pondering.