A Deaf Literary Salon
As you already know from numerous previous posts, I have a Thing for Books. There's five bookcases here, and an additional 20-odd boxes of books in storage. We're rapidly running out of space, but to me, books are treasures. They transport you to other places, times, and planes of existence. Books aid the imagination, and believe me, the imagination is a wonderful thing.
But I don't know that many folks in my life who are as crazy about books as I do. My once and future walking partner is definitely one, and I've met kindred souls throughout the years. Thus we were delighted last year to be invited to a book club. Although the invitation was extended a while back, we didn't have the opportunity to experience the group until this summer.
Our first foray into the club was in July, when a small but hardy group of us met to discuss Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I had only vaguely heard about the book, but was looking forward to reading something new. While I wouldn't herald it as the best book ever, or in my top ten, it was an enjoyable book, and definitely provoked discussion. The session leader who chose this selection also picked our meeting place, a wonderful Spanish restaurant in the urban wilds of Echo Park (it was such a good restaurant that we've been back since, on our own!).
The responsibility for our next gathering fell to me, and I chose today for our small coterie to join spirits and minds once again. Since we were entering the month of September, with all that it brings-- fall, school, a return to the daily grind, I decided to go with a "back to school" theme and decided that we'd read The House of Dies Drear, by Virginia Hamilton. We would dissect said book at (yes) Chuck E. Cheese's in Burbank.
Our foray into juvenile literature was a great success. Hamilton's book is about a contemporary family, with the story's background focusing on the Underground Railroad. I had seen this book for years while growing up, but had never gotten around to reading it. When I did, I expected the book to be different than it was, but I ended up appreciating something different. It was the kind of book I would have read as a child (a book about historical events/themes), and worried the group would think I chose this book for that exact reason. But fortunately none of us had read it, all of us enjoyed it, and we certainly had a rather different atmosphere-- costumed mice, loud, flashy video and arcade style games, and edible pizza. My dark secret here is that I'd never gone to Chuck E. Cheese's before this.
I'm not sure what our next reading choice will be, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to participate in a literary salon composed of deaf members. It's gratifying to meet people I can discuss literature with, and it certainly demonstrates both the ordinariness and the potential of deaf people, a reality I wish a lot of parents, doctors, and other professionals would realize: deafness does not have to be a barrier. It's in the mind, and using the mind is the most important thing.
Ironically, I didn't realize when we met up for bland pizza, unlimited soft drinks, and skee ball that it was the beginning of Banned Books Week. This year's observance was the 25th anniversary. It's amazing the amount of censorship/attempted censorship that's out there in a supposedly free nation. Personally, I think it's idiotic; challenging a book will just result in more people who are curious about the book and willing to check it out and read it, compared with if they just said nothing. Some people will even take a perverse pride in reading banned authors; my grandmother's grandfather was an ex-Catholic who annually chose a book from the Index to give to my grandmother on her birthday. This defiance led her to be probably the most well-read child on her block.
If I had known about this beforehand, I probably would have picked a banned or controversial book. Still, suffice it to say, in spite of bland pizza and munchkins everywhere, our Deaf Literary Salon is fast becoming one of my most pleasurable outings.
Postscript: In the wake of my last post, there have been a couple of articles pointing to the seriousness of the healthcare situation in the U.S.; first, according to Reuters, 9 out of 10 Americans could not buy their own health insurance. Additionally, tuberculosis is in the news again, and it's not good news.
But I don't know that many folks in my life who are as crazy about books as I do. My once and future walking partner is definitely one, and I've met kindred souls throughout the years. Thus we were delighted last year to be invited to a book club. Although the invitation was extended a while back, we didn't have the opportunity to experience the group until this summer.
Our first foray into the club was in July, when a small but hardy group of us met to discuss Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I had only vaguely heard about the book, but was looking forward to reading something new. While I wouldn't herald it as the best book ever, or in my top ten, it was an enjoyable book, and definitely provoked discussion. The session leader who chose this selection also picked our meeting place, a wonderful Spanish restaurant in the urban wilds of Echo Park (it was such a good restaurant that we've been back since, on our own!).
The responsibility for our next gathering fell to me, and I chose today for our small coterie to join spirits and minds once again. Since we were entering the month of September, with all that it brings-- fall, school, a return to the daily grind, I decided to go with a "back to school" theme and decided that we'd read The House of Dies Drear, by Virginia Hamilton. We would dissect said book at (yes) Chuck E. Cheese's in Burbank.
Our foray into juvenile literature was a great success. Hamilton's book is about a contemporary family, with the story's background focusing on the Underground Railroad. I had seen this book for years while growing up, but had never gotten around to reading it. When I did, I expected the book to be different than it was, but I ended up appreciating something different. It was the kind of book I would have read as a child (a book about historical events/themes), and worried the group would think I chose this book for that exact reason. But fortunately none of us had read it, all of us enjoyed it, and we certainly had a rather different atmosphere-- costumed mice, loud, flashy video and arcade style games, and edible pizza. My dark secret here is that I'd never gone to Chuck E. Cheese's before this.
I'm not sure what our next reading choice will be, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to participate in a literary salon composed of deaf members. It's gratifying to meet people I can discuss literature with, and it certainly demonstrates both the ordinariness and the potential of deaf people, a reality I wish a lot of parents, doctors, and other professionals would realize: deafness does not have to be a barrier. It's in the mind, and using the mind is the most important thing.
Ironically, I didn't realize when we met up for bland pizza, unlimited soft drinks, and skee ball that it was the beginning of Banned Books Week. This year's observance was the 25th anniversary. It's amazing the amount of censorship/attempted censorship that's out there in a supposedly free nation. Personally, I think it's idiotic; challenging a book will just result in more people who are curious about the book and willing to check it out and read it, compared with if they just said nothing. Some people will even take a perverse pride in reading banned authors; my grandmother's grandfather was an ex-Catholic who annually chose a book from the Index to give to my grandmother on her birthday. This defiance led her to be probably the most well-read child on her block.
If I had known about this beforehand, I probably would have picked a banned or controversial book. Still, suffice it to say, in spite of bland pizza and munchkins everywhere, our Deaf Literary Salon is fast becoming one of my most pleasurable outings.
Postscript: In the wake of my last post, there have been a couple of articles pointing to the seriousness of the healthcare situation in the U.S.; first, according to Reuters, 9 out of 10 Americans could not buy their own health insurance. Additionally, tuberculosis is in the news again, and it's not good news.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 7:01 PM
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