This Month’s Author: The Incredibly Smart Chaim Potok

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Chaim Potok is much, much smarter than me.

What else can you say about a man who started seriously writing at age 16, published and edited his college yearbook and graduated summa cum laude in English literature? This same man went on to be ordained as a rabbi, traveled with the U.S. army as a chaplain in South Korea, served on faculty at the University of Judaism, and worked on translating the Hebrew Bible into English. And those are just a few of his accomplishments!

Potok wrote a number of novels, plays and academic works. The Chosen is actually his first novel and was published in 1967. It was nominated for the National Book Award, which is one of the most prestigious awards in American literature. It was made into a film released in 1981, which won the top award at the World Film Festival in Montreal, and Chaim made a cameo appearance as a professor in the film.

Through Potok’s work, we get a glimpse of what life was and in some ways is still like for Orthodox Jews. But his work also speaks about relationships and friendships, which are things we all can relate to.

I think that is why we can learn so much from reading, especially quality, worthwhile books. Hopefully as we read books by those who are smarter than us, we can learn more from them and maybe discover things about ourselves that we might not have known before. And hopefully Chaim Potok’s The Chosen will help us do just that!

So even though Chaim Potok is much, much smarter than me, I’m OK with that.

I hope you are enjoying The Chosen and can come to Border’s on February 17 at 7 p.m. to discuss it with us. It’s been a cold, dreary, snowy February so far, so some hot coffee or tea, a night out, and great book are sure to help beat the winter blues!

Trust me. It’s awesome.

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Our book for the month of February is The Chosen by Chaim Potok.

Yes, that’s right. He’s also the author of My Name Is Asher Lev which we read have already read as a book club.

I know. There are SO many good books and authors out there, but there’s a reason why we chose to read another one of his books.

Oh, you want to know what it is? Easy. Because it’s good.

What do you mean that’s not a good enough reason? Ok fine. Potok is easily one of the best story tellers that I’ve ever come across. The framework for this novel is completely different than Asher Lev – even though the setting is fairly similar. That takes a lot of talent. Plus, we just read A Year of Living Biblically, so we should be all caught up on our Jewish vocabulary. 🙂 The time period of the book is WWII and into the post-war period. It’s a look at a group of people very affected by the war itself and the fallout after the war. But more than that, it’s a story about fathers and sons and friendship.

Well, since you asked nicely, I will share some great quotes that will hopefully peak your interest that Sarah found for me.

(Give me a break! My copy just came yesterday, and it’s been a few years since I read this.)

Right. Quotes. Sorry. I’m a little scatter-brained.

I sat on the lounge chair in the shade that covered the porch and looked out at the back lawn. Somehow everything had changed. I had spent five days in a hospital and the world around seemed sharpened now and pulsing with life. I lay back and put the palms of my hands under my head. I thought of the baseball game, and I asked myself, Was it only last Sunday that it happened, only five days ago? I felt I had crossed into another world, that little pieces of my old self had been left behind on the black asphalt floor of the school yard alongside the shattered lenses of my glasses.

“Ah,” my father murmured. He was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, “Reuven, listen to me. The Talmud says that a person should do two things for himself. One is to acquire a teacher. Do you remember the other?” “Choose a friend,” I said. “Yes. You know what a friend is, Reuven? A Greek philosopher said that two people who are true friends are like two bodies with one soul.” I nodded.

See. Told ya. That last quote is a great representation of the book as a whole, and so go read it! It’s the perfect snowed-slash-iced-in-and-can’t-go-anywhere-because-I’m-too-lazy-to-scrape-my-car-read. 🙂

book club Thursday

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Trying to discuss The Year of Living Biblically in one short evening might be large undertaking, but we sure enjoyed it!

I always look forward to book club Thursday’s, even when the turn-out is small. Three of us were in attendance while the snow fell quietly outside.

Jacobs learned a great deal about the Bible through his crash-course in reading it and then following through with this 12 month book project. He says this about his background with the Bible: “I grew up in an extremely secular home in New York City. I am officially Jewish, but I’m Jewish in he same way The Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant. Which is to say: not very. I attended no Hebrew school, ate no matzoh.”

We all agreed he had a religious experience not a spiritual one. But it seems he definitely enjoyed this more than he expected too. Wearing white clothes, carrying a staff, the works. It seems it was like a game to him, a fun project, not an honest spiritual searching.

The first 8 months or so he follows the teaching from the Old Testament and when he got to the end of that and looked to what the New Testament says, he hit a speed bump. “The emphasis on faith is a key difference between modern Judaism and current evangelical Christianity.”

Did you finish the book? I don’t want to give away the ending. Hope you find time to finish this great read some snowy winter night.

Leave a comment with your favorite strange command that Jacobs practiced or tried out. Some of ours… the stoning scene: hilarious! The handy seat… and why he bought it: classic! Dropping money on the sidewalk!

What’s Next?

February 17th is quickly approaching, have you found a copy of The Chosen yet? Be sure to check the sidebar for a heads up of what books we’ll be reading in the next few months. And never miss a blog post by signing up with Feedburner at the top of the sidebar.

Winter in Indiana

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Maybe it’s because we’ve never met in January* before or maybe it’s just because it’s winter in this great Hoosier state… but last night was the first time we had to cancel and postpone a meeting due to weather.

If you didn’t get an updated email from Evite please email me. (sarahronk (at) gmail (dot) com)

Also on a book keeping note, if you’d like to be added to or removed from the Evite mailing list please let me know.

A Year of Living Biblically will be discussed
next Thursday Jan. 27th at 7pm at Paradise Bakery and Cafe
RSVP if you can make it!

*We usually read a long book for February and take January off.

The Year of Living Biblically Discussion Questions

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I hope you’re almost done with this month’s book “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs. Our meeting is tomorrow night (Thursday) at 7pm at Paradise Bakery at Hamilton Town Center.

I’m including just a few questions as the book provides plenty of fodder for discussion without my help 🙂

1. How did the book end in comparison with your expectations?

2. Did any part of Jacobs’ journey give you pause, or reflection about the way you are currently living, reading the Bible, or your beliefs?

3. Do you feel like Jacobs’ approach to the Bible would be similar to other non-believers or religious people?

4. If you were to pick up the holy text for another religion, how would you go about reading and interpreting it?

5. Which was your favorite strange command that Jacobs practiced or tried out?

6. Would you recommend this book?

(If you can’t make it, but you read the book, pick a question and answer it in the comments! We can join in the discussion on the interwebs. :D)

From Stunts to Bestsellers: About A.J. Jacobs

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The author of this month’s book, The Year of Living Biblically, isn’t afraid to undertake a crazy experiment or project for the sake of a story, and after reading the titles of some of his other works, it’s no wonder that some call this genre of writing “stunt journalism” or “stunt books.” In addition to his quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year, Jacobs read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica over the course of a year (That project is chronicled in The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World). He also became a “human guinea pig,” undertaking a series of lifestyle experiments on a quest to improve every area of his life, which he writes about in My Life as an Experiment: One Man’s Humble Quest to Improve Himself. His current project is attempting to “perfect his physical condition” for his next book, called The Healthiest Human Being in the World.”

Jacobs was born and currently lives in New York with his wife and three sons (The birth of his twin boys occurred during his year of living Biblically). He is the editor at large for Esquire magazine and three of his books are New York Times bestsellers. He has also written for numerous magazines and is a periodic commentator on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. You can read Jacobs’ full bio (written by him, but in the third person) on his website.

And if you feel bad for his wife, who has to live with him during all of his crazy stunts (I know I do!), it sounds like she got the opportunity for some revenge as he describes the last chapter of My Life as an Experiment. Here’s the quote from his website:

Whipped (a.k.a. the perfect spouse):
At the suggestion of readers who point out that my wife is a saint, I vowed to spend a month agreeing to her every command. Sure, it was a month of Kate Hudson movies and foot massages —but also of stereotype-shattering insights into the politics of the modern American marriage. Plus, at one point, I had wear a male chastity belt. (It comes in three varieties—clear plastic, wood-paneled and camouflage!) And Julie gets to write the final section.

Go Julie! And if this book is inspiring you to take your own crack at some stunt journalism, I encourage you to learn form A.J. Jacobs and put yourself in the shoes of everyone around you who has to put up with your antics. You never know when they might get their chance for some payback!

There is still time to read The Year of Living Biblically before our next meeting on January 20 at 7 p.m. at the Paradise Bakery and CafĂ© at Hamilton Town Center. Hope to see you there!

Introduction to The Year of Living Biblically

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This is a book you gotta read.

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It’s interesting. Humorous. Educational. Thought provoking.

Pretty much a page turner type book.

The Year of Living Biblically is A.J. Jacobs’ attempt to follow every commandment of the Bible. He’s not attempting this feat to be legalistic, but to see what it truly would be like to follow something so strictly.

It is great to see his thoughts evolve . . . from never having read the Bible in its entirety or seriously, to seeking to interpret it literally.

A favorite quote thus far:

Regarding Leviticus 19:16,

I feel I have to clam up. It’s the best way to battle the overwhelming urge to spew biblically banned negative language . . . . My theory is this, my thoughts are lazy. They say to themselves, “Well, we’ll never make it out into the world, so why even bother?”

Much to the dismay of his wife and son . . . this year will affect them too. Their son begins to receive the rod, his wife has to live with a very harry man who has eating restrictions, sitting restrictions (which a funny story), is bluntly honest (almost to a fault), and a few bedroom restrictions . . .

Don’t miss this book!

2010 Book Club Christmas Party: A Recap

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The fondue was ready…

The table was set..

The atmosphere at Janet’s house was just lovely…

It was December 22, and time for the Book Club Christmas Party!

Complete with our discussion about December’s book – Little Women, a classic game of Telephone Pictionary…

And our “White Elephant” Book Exchange.

We all wrapped a used book we have enjoyed, wrote a three-word description and then did our “white elephant” exchange. We didn’t unwrap our books until everyone was done exchanging, and there were definitely some surprises. Can you guess what these books were from just their three-word descriptions? (The answers are at the bottom of the post.)

  1. Murder, Modern, Motivational
  2. Comedy, Christian, Laugh
  3. Real, Like Lewis, Letters
  4. Happiness, Relationship, God
  5. Oats, Ginger, Cab
  6. Romantic, Spontaneous, Old-Fashioned
  7. Adventure, Non-Fiction, Silly
  8. Grandpa, Goats, Free Spirit
  9. 1800s, Journal Format, Fiction
  10. God, Honesty, Growth
  11. Mystery, Suspenseful, Male Author

We all left with something new to read and a lovely handmade ornament (constructed from the pages of A Christmas Carol).


And what book club event would be complete without a group photo?

The not-so-successful…

and the successful!

I know I had a great time; I hope the rest of you who attended our Christmas Party did too! We hope you can join us in January as we read The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs!

We’re looking forward to some great reads in 2011!

Answers:
 1.  The Secret Life of Bees
 2.  Stuff Christians Like
 3.  Lord Foulgrin’s Letters
 4.  The Secret of Happiness
 5.  Black Beauty
 6.  The Bridges of Madison County
 7.  Round Ireland with a Fridge
 8.  Heidi
 9.  Stepping Heavenward
10. Honest to God
11. A Painted House

    I’m reading Little Women.

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    Really, though, I should be done by now. Our meeting is in 2 days, and boy is it going to be a PARTY! The Christmas party is always the best meeting of the year, and so I hope you’re all ready to get your fondue on. AND discuss the book. 1st things first, though–discussion questions!!!

    ~Which character did you relate to the most?

    ~Was there any aspect of life in the time of the Little Women that seemed particularly appealing to you?

    ~If I were to put on a play that I had written, would you rather: fall out of a poorly made castle or get shut up in a cot?

    ~Miss Louisa May wrote a sequel to this book called Little Men. If you were to write a sequel, what would you call it and what would it be about?

    ~Do you prefer to dip food in chocolate or drink warm wintry beverages?

    I know these questions are hard, so put your thinking cap on and I’ll see you Wednesday! (Don’t forget your used, wrapped book for the gift exchange!)

    Christmas Party Details

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    We still have one week until our party and discussion. Plenty of time to finish Little Women! (If you don’t have a copy yet, read it free online here.)

    What you need to know:

    We’re meeting on Wednesday December 22nd at Jodi’s house

    Our format for the evening will be a little different than usual. We’ll be discussing Little Women, enjoying chocolate fondue, maybe a game or two (telephone pictionary anyone?!) and having a book exchange!

    Book Exchange info:
    Please bring a used copy of one of your favorite books wrapped for our book swap game. Please choose a book we have not read and wrap it completely, and don’t put your name on it. (To see a list of the books we have read check the side bar on the right.)

    What else:
    If you would like you can bring something for the chocolate fondue. This is not necessary, but if you do please let us know what you’re bringing when you RSVP. If you need some ideas just think of anything that’s good with chocolate. Marshmallows, shortbread cookies, pretzels mandarin oranges, vanilla wafers, kiwi, grapes or nuts and even cheesecake! I’ll stop there before I get more carried away!

    But please RSVP to the evite with what you are bringing if you choose to bring something.

    We hope you can make it, it’s always a blast!