East of Eden

The Story of Cain and Abel
Genesis 4: 1–16

"The man has intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, 'I have acquired a man with the help of Yahweh,' she said. She gave birth to a second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept flocks, while Cain tilled the soil. Time passed and Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as an offering for Yahweh, while Abel for his part brought the first-born of his flock and some of their fat as well. Yahweh looked with favor on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favor on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very cross and downcast. Yahweh asked Cain, 'Why are you angry and downcast? If you are doing right, surely you ought to hold your head high! But if you are not doing right, Sin is crouching at the door hungry to get you. You can still master him.' Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let us go out'; and while they were in the open country, Cain set on his brother Abel and killed him.

"Yahweh asked Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I do not know,' he replied. 'Am I my brother's guardian?' 'What have you done?' Yahweh asked. 'Listen! Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground. Now be cursed and banned from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood at your hands. When you till the ground it will no longer yield its strength to you. A restless wanderer you will be on earth.' Cain then said to Yahweh, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear. Look, today you drive me from the surface of the earth, I must hide from you, and be a restless wanderer on the earth. Why, whoever comes across me will kill me!' 'Very well then,' Yahweh replied, 'Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.' So Yahweh put a mark on Cain, so that no one coming across him would kill him. Cain left Yahweh's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden."

From The New Jerusalem Bible

Other Resources
East of Eden
The Story of Cain and Abel

To Steinbeck, there was only "one story in the world" (Ch. 34), the story of good and evil. East of Eden is his allegory of that story, and as its title suggests, he believed that story went all the way back to the beginning of mankind.

Before reading East of Eden, it is good to be acquainted with the story of Cain and Abel from which Steinbeck got the title and many key ideas. Here is the complete text to Genesis Chapter 4 of the New King James version of the Bible.

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. 9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle. 21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. 22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.

23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

Discussion

In summary, Cain killed his brother Abel because he was jealous that Abel's offering won favor and his own did not. Cain denied that he killed him, and so he was banished and destined to wander forever. He was marked to be recognizable, too. Cain's descendants also were evil and did not recognize the Lord.

The story comes after the story of Adam and Eve, which is often interpreted as the moment mankind changed from innocent into a mixture of good and evil. In Adam and Eve's story, God banishes humankind from the Garden of Eden, the sinless place, forever because of a sin they committed.

In the Cain and Abel story, God for the first time talks about sin and evil. He says to Cain, "Thou shalt rule over [evil]" (Verse 7). But is that a statement or a command? Is it true for all of us?

To Steinbeck, these were life's most important questions. Are we all innately evil as Adam and Eve's story is often interpreted? Or are we in control of our evil sides?

Part One—Discussion Questions

1. How do the contrasting values in the landscape affect a reader's sense of the valley?

2. There is an epic scope to the opening chapter, as if Steinbeck is announcing to the reader the grandness of his theme. Comment on how he suggests the grandness of his conception.

3. Steinbeck describes the inhabitants of the valley—Indians, Spanish, Americans—in rather unattractive terms, as if he's echoing an "official" history. Why would he do so?

4. How do the patriarchs, Samuel Hamilton and Cyrus Trask—and their respective families—differ? Compare their different moral environments.

5. How do Samuel and Cyrus contrast as storytellers? Why does storytelling play such a major role in this novel? What kind of storyteller is the character Steinbeck?

6. How are children in Part One influenced by perceived flaws in their fathers, and how do they respond? What are the consequences of parental love, neglect or rejection among the Hamiltons and Trasks?

7. Regardless of Charles's brutal beating of Adam and his infidelity with Adam's wife, does he love his brother? Why? Are the brothers close? Why might they be closer through letters? Why does Charles' handwriting change in the strange letter he writes to Adam at the end of Chapter 4? And why might Steinbeck say that this letter is a "key" to the novel?

8. Is Cathy Ames doomed by nature to be who she is, or does she have a choice? Cathy is introduced as a monster in Chapter 8; in Chapter 12 she's described slightly differently. Steinbeck seems to be assessing her character as he writes the book. Why might Steinbeck be asking the reader to assess Cathy carefully?

9. How might Cathy Ames be an Eve-like figure? Or is she like Lilith, a demon created from filth, who, according to some Jewish myths, was Adam's first wife? What role does human sexuality play in the lives of the characters?

10. How is Adam's good nature and inability to see through Cathy a weakness? If Adam is an "A" character and therefore "good," is he also an admirable character? Do you, as a reader, like all that he does?

11. Who is telling the story at any given moment? Steinbeck, Olive's son, a character in his own book? The all-knowing narrator who can even tell what others are thinking? Or is the philosopher-critic a third possibility? Why do you think that Steinbeck includes himself in this text? What might be his point in so doing?

12. Comment on gift-giving in the novel. Why is it so important?

13. As opposed to the Cain and Abel story in the Bible, it is the Abel figure in East of Eden (Adam) who seems condemned to be a wanderer. Why?

14. Steinbeck has been accused of creating only two types of female characters, mother figures (like the heroic Ma Joad) and prostitutes (like Cathy). While many female characters in this book are not as richly drawn as the male characters, he nonetheless creates fascinating characters in Alice, Liza and later Abra. Comment on the role of these women as nurturers, as mothers, as confidants. The thematic role of each differs.

15. Early reviewers complained about Cathy. If this is a novel about free will, why is Cathy, a monster seemingly without free will, a major character in the novel? Think about this question as you read the book.

16. Why might Cathy be compared to Alice in Wonderland?

Part Two—Discussion Questions

1. In Chapter 13, Steinbeck celebrates "the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected." Both Adam and Faye create and harbor a childlike image of Cathy to their peril. They fall prey to their own creations. What traits do these two characters share? And what are some of the dangers inherent in "freedom of the mind"?

2. Is Adam's forgetfulness of his past in his new Eden convincing? Is his obliviousness a form of repression destined to wreak havoc?

3. From your reading of Chapter 14—about Olive Hamilton, Steinbeck's mother—do you think it is wildly intrusive and inappropriate, as some critics have claimed? Or, is the chapter consistent with other interjections throughout the book and with Steinbeck's ambition to write a novel for his sons in an unrestricted style?

4. Regarding Cathy, the narrator says: "Who knows but that she tried to tell someone or everyone what she was like, and could not for lack of a common language." Both Lee and Samuel know upon meeting her "what she is like." So does Charles. What qualities in Cathy are transparent to those who care to notice?

5. How does Steinbeck handle the issue of racial prejudice in his portrayal of Lee, Adam's Chinese servant, and "the Nigger," whorehouse madam? Both are dignified characters, yet both are subject to denigration. Clearly Lee is the more important character. Why does he speak English so readily with Samuel? How many roles does he play in this novel?

6. Both Mr. Edwards, the whoremaster in Part One, and Faye, the brothel madam, fall in love with Cathy. The narrator says that Cathy "was mistress of a technique which is the basis of good wrestling—that of letting your opponent do the heavy work toward his own defeat, or of guiding his strength toward his weakness." How is this so, with respect to Mr. Edwards and Faye? How does Cathy play them? Does she play Adam in the same way?

7. Liza Hamilton is mother to Samuel's nine children, four boys and five girls. She "had a finely developed sense of sin. � She suffered bravely and uncomplainingly through life, convinced that that was the way her God wanted everyone to live. She felt that rewards came later."

Talk about her relationship with Samuel. Which of her characteristics are most admirable?

8. Is Adam's despondence after Cathy abandons him and the children authentic grief? Or does he derive masochistic pleasure from it, as Samuel Hamilton suggests? What does it say about Adam that he, too, rejects his infant sons for more than a year, ignoring them, not bothering even to name them? If Adam is an "A" character, and thus "good," is that goodness convincing? Appealing?

9. In discussing the Cain and Abel story with Samuel Hamilton and Adam, Lee says: "The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with crime guilt." To whom does this apply? Charles? Cathy? Adam?

10. Part Two concludes with an evocation of Biblical stories—of Aaron who did not make it to the Promised Land, and Caleb and Joshua who did. Is there a Moses figure in the book thus far, whose vision leads characters out of their spiritual wilderness?

11. Why do you suppose that Steinbeck includes so much about the Cain and Abel story in the novel, having Samuel read the text?

Part Three—Discussion Questions

1. In Part Three, six characters die or their deaths are described—Una, Samuel, Charles, Lee's mother, Dessie and Tom. How does the omnipresence of death change the mood and atmosphere of the novel?

2. Samuel, Adam, Cal, Dessie and Tom all lie to protect the feelings of others in Part Three. Is their deception justifiable as a kindness, or is it ultimately a breach of trust? Compare their actions to that of Lee's father. Note also Lee's advice to Adam about telling the boys the truth about Cathy.

3. How are the twins, Cal and Aron, different? Look at the paragraph near the end of Chapter 27, where the difference in the two boys is described by their supposed responses to an anthill. How do Cal's actions accord with that description?

4. In many ways, Lee's mother is the opposite of Cathy. How so? Why is the story of her rape included in the novel? Is the way that Lee's father and then Lee tell the story important?

5. Consider the importance of the automobile and the advent of the ready-made dress. How is technical progress changing life in the Salinas Valley, and what affect does it have on characters such as Will?

6. Some critics have derided Lee as stereotypical—the inscrutable, wise Oriental man. Especially during the discussion of timshel, do you find him convincing? Why does he play so many roles in the novel?

7. What do you suppose Charles' motives were in equally dividing his inheritance between Adam and Cathy?

8. In Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters, Steinbeck wrote, "I think you will find that Cathy as Kate fascinates people. � People are always interested in evil even when they pretend their interest is clinical. And they will mull Kate over. They will forget I said she was bad. And they will hate her because while she is a monster, she is a little piece of the monster in all of us. It won't be because she is foreign that people will be interested but because she is not."

Why does Cathy begin to show cracks in her fa�ade during her confrontation with Adam? If she seems more recognizably human in her rage and sorrow, is she still a monster as first described? Why would Steinbeck wish to make his readers see Cathy in different ways? If the author is "rereading" Cathy with each encounter, is he also asking readers to reexamine her and their assumptions about evil? Or does she remain fixed throughout the novel-thoroughly evil, unsympathetic and a "monster"?

9. The scene when Adam first confronts Cathy is remarkable. Note how her body is described, her hands. How does Steinbeck convey Cathy's physical decline and Adam's response to her?

10. Why does Abra tease the boys? Does she seem admirable?

11. Why is Adam so uncomfortable with the Bacons? Why does he take their advice? In buying a car, does Adam seem suddenly a more resolute character?

Part Four—Discussion Questions

1. In Part One, the story of the Trask family unfolds in the shadows of the Civil War and fighting in the West against Native Americans. In Part Four, the lives of the next generation of Trasks are set against the backdrop of World War I. What is the relationship between the private and public conflicts evoked in East of Eden? What does the story of Cain and Abel have to do with war?

2. Much is made of the differences between Cal and Aron, but what traits do they share? How do they deal with their respective senses of inadequacy?

3. Both Adam in Part One and Aron in Part Four come to hate their fathers. Why? In what ways are Cyrus and Adam Trask alike in their ambitions for their sons?

4. How is Aron's imagination of Abra similar to Adam's inability to see nothing but what he wants to see in Cathy? What does their infatuation suggest about a state of innocence and purity?

5. Is Aron's obsession with goodness and purity a form of self-indulgence?

6. What is the nature of the despair that makes both Charles (in Part One) and Cal (in Part Four) restless, drawn to borders of respectability? If Charles and Cal—as opposed to Adam and Aron—are the sons who love their fathers, why do their fathers reject them?

7. By presenting Adam with a gift of $15,000, is Cal really acting out of jealousy and trying to buy his father's affection, or is he motivated by virtuous impulses? Why does Adam reject his son's gift?

8. What in Aron does Cathy identify with? Why does she bequeath her ill-gotten fortune only to him? Why does she commit suicide?

9. Has Adam acted properly by not telling his sons the truth about their mother? Is Adam a good father?

10. How is Abra an agent of change in the novel? How is she different from other women in East of Eden?

11. Why does Abra cease to love Aron, and why does she burn his letters? Compare the three scenes of burning paper—Kate's pictures, Cal's money, Abra's letters.

12. What is the nature of the bond between Lee and Abra? Why does he give her a gift of his mother's treasured possession?

13. What is the novel's position on flawed humanity, as instanced by Cal and Abra?

14. How does inheritance—financial and moral—feature in the novel? What are its ramifications for the lives of Charles and Adam, Adam and Cathy, and Aron? What inheritance does Cal receive from the dying Adam that is unlike any other in the book?

15. What does Adam mean when he utters the word timshel at the novel's conclusion?

16. Why is Lee increasingly important in the novel? Why is the role of surrogate father given to a Chinese character?

17. Why is Samuel Hamilton's memory evoked so often? What does he come to represent in the novel? Does he represent more in death than he does when he's alive?
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http://webpages.charter.net/thejacowskis/eden/johnsteinbeck.html

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was born to a schoolteacher mother and a county treasurer father in California's Salinas Valley on February 27, 1902. He graduated from high school and attended Stanford University. Before becoming a successful writer with his fourth book Tortilla Flat,John Steinbeck; he held many jobs. He was a hod carrier, a fruit picker, an apprentice painter, a lab assistant, a caretaker, a surveyor, and a journalist. These experiences gave him the insight to write about universal topics.

Steinbeck's youth in the Salinas Valley is reflected in many of his works, but especially in East of Eden which he called "a sort of autobiography of the Salinas Valley."

East of Eden was published in 1952. To Steinbeck, it was one of his most important novels, addressing what he thought to be a universal theme. Steinbeck himself appears as a narrator and very minor character in the book, so the reader can see his thoughts.

His 1939 Grapes of Wrath won a Pulitzer Prize, and in 1962 he won a Nobel Prize for his accomplishments.

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/steinbeck.html#Eden

Salinas

Many of Steinbeck's works took place in or around his hometown, Salinas, California.Map of settings in the book; It was a colorful place; it showed influences of the American West, Chinese immigrants, Native Americans, and the Spanish settlers, but at the same time was growing and modernizing.

The color of Salinas and the surrounding towns is reflected in the characters. The whorehouse madam or the Chinese immigrant may be one of the most charitable, Map of Salinas with relation to California; upstanding citizens in town, counter to stereotypes of the time. People are civilized, yet they still have duels and fist fights.

The specific qualities of the setting are part of essential to Steinbeck's works, but this is especially so for East of Eden. The book speaks to everyone because the varied characters make the themes and plots in the book understandable to everyone.
Check out the questions"
http://steinbeck.sjsu.edu/works/East%20of%20Eden-Q.jsp

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East of Eden John Steinbeck

Part One, Chapters 1–5

Summary: Chapter 1

The narrator begins by describing his childhood in California's Salinas Valley, where he learned to tell east from west by looking at the mountains—the bright Gabilan Mountains to the east and the dark Santa Lucia Mountains to the west. The valley's weather comes in thirty-year cycles: five or six years of heavy rainfall, six or seven years of moderate rainfall, and then many years of dryness. The valley was settled by three peoples: first, the Indians, whom the narrator derides as lazy; next, the Spanish, whom the narrator calls greedy; and finally, the Americans, who the narrator says are even greedier than the Spanish.

Summary: Chapter 2



In 1870, Samuel and Liza Hamilton—the narrator's grandparents—arrive in the Salinas Valley from Ireland. The Hamiltons are forced to settle on the driest and most barren land in the valley, as all the better lots are already taken. To support his nine children, Samuel works as a blacksmith, a well-digger, and an unlicensed doctor.

Summary: Chapter 3

Some time after Samuel Hamilton arrives, a man named Adam Trask settles a fertile corner of the Salinas Valley for himself and lives as a wealthy man. After introducing Adam, the narrator jumps back in time to tell the story of Adam's childhood.

Adam is the son of Cyrus Trask, a conniving Connecticut farmer who loses a leg in the Civil War and then passes on syphilis to his wife after contracting it from a black prostitute in the South. Cyrus's pious wife commits suicide shortly after discovering her illness. Cyrus needs help with the children, so he marries a young woman named Alice, who lives in fear of her husband and even hides her tuberculosis from him out of worry that he might impose a harsh medical treatment upon her. In his spare time, Cyrus studies military history and strategy so that he might create convincing lies about his time in the Army. His lies about his alleged heroics in the Civil War gain him widespread respect and ultimately an appointment as Secretary of the Army.

As a boy, Adam Trask is kind and good-natured, but his half-brother, Charles, is boisterous and aggressive. One day, Charles beats Adam severely simply because Adam defeats him in a game. Adam loves his stepmother, Alice, and anonymously leaves her secret gifts in order to make her smile.

When Adam is a young man, Cyrus tries to convince him to go into the Army. When Adam asks his father why he does not want Charles to go into the army instead, Cyrus responds that the army would cultivate a part of Charles's nature that needs to be suppressed. In addition, Cyrus says that he loves Adam better.

Later, Charles asks Adam about his conversation with their father. Adam learns that Charles is resentful about Cyrus's recent birthday: Cyrus was completely indifferent to the expensive German knife Charles gave him as a gift, yet deeply appreciated the stray puppy Adam gave him. Suddenly, the jealous Charles beats Adam severely and leaves him in a ditch on the side of the road.

Adam limps home much later and weakly tells Cyrus that Charles thinks Cyrus does not love him. Cyrus leaves with a shotgun in search of Charles. Alice tends to Adam and tells him that Charles has a kind streak as well. It turns out that Alice mistakenly believes that Charles, not Adam, is the one who has been leaving her secret gifts for years.

Summary: Chapter 4

Charles wisely stays away from home for two weeks. When he returns, Cyrus is over his rage and puts him to work.

Summary: Chapter 5

Samuel Hamilton educated himself in Ireland by borrowing books from a wealthy family. In America, his gentle good nature wins him the respect of everyone he meets. The Hamiltons never become rich but live comfortably nonetheless. They have four sons: George, who is bland and moral; Will, who is lucky and grows up to be wealthy; Tom, who is ardent and passionate; and Joe, who is lazy but likable and intelligent. Samuel and Liza also have five daughters: Lizzie, who does not associate with the family very much; Una, who is dark and brooding; Dessie, whose lovely personality makes her well-loved; Olive, the narrator's mother, who becomes a teacher; and Mollie, the baby and beauty of the family.

Liza Hamilton, like her husband, is highly respected in the Salinas valley. She strictly disapproves of alcoholic beverages until the age of seventy, when her doctor tells her to take port wine for medical reasons. From that day forward, the old woman drinks lustily.

Charlatan

John Brinkley, who grew up poor in rural North Carolina but attended Rush Medical College in Chicago, got his start touring as a medicine man hawking miracle tonics and became famous for transplanting goat testicles into impotent men. Brinkley built his own radio station in 1923, hustling his pseudoscience over the airwaves and giving an outlet to astrologers and country music. His nemesis was Dr. Morris Fishbein, the buoyant, compulsively curious editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association whose luminary friends included Sinclair Lewis, Clarence Darrow and H.L. Mencken. Fishbein took aim at Brinkley in JAMA, lay publications and pamphlets distributed by the thousands. Even after the Kansas State Medical Board yanked his medical license in 1930, Brinkley ran twice for governor of Kansas and almost won. Finally, Brinkley sued Fishbein for libel and lost in a spectacular showdown. Brock (Indiana Gothic) did tremendous research on this rollicking story, but the result is at times unfocused, overwritten and digressive, borrowing just a little too much from the overblown rhetoric of its subject. 8 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. (Feb. 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com

Reviewed by Jonathan Yardley

One day in the fall of 1917, a Kansas farmer named Bill Stittsworth, 46 years of age, showed up at the clinic that had recently been opened in the hamlet of Milford by a medical quack named John R. Brinkley. "His visit didn't seem like the Annunciation," Pope Brock writes in this hugely amusing if somewhat sobering book, "any more than he looked like the archangel Gabriel." Stittsworth reluctantly admitted that he was suffering the condition for which Viagra is now prescribed. As Brinkley tried to dream up a solution, the farmer looked wistfully out the window, "pondering the livestock," and said: "Too bad I don't have billy goat nuts."

Precisely what happened thereafter "is in dispute," but two nights later Stittsworth returned to the clinic, "climbed onto the operating table," and awaited Brinkley. "Masked, gowned, and rubber gloved, Brinkley entered with a small silver tray, carried in both hands, like the Host. On it were two goat testicles in a bed of cotton. He set the tray down, injected anesthetic," and Brinkley was on his way. Two weeks later Stittsworth "reappeared with a smile on his face." As he told other farmers about his good fortune, men -- and then women -- began to queue up for injections of billy goat magic, with the result that Brinkley soon "became a pioneer in gland transplants" at exactly the moment when America was ready for them.

Brock says, accurately, that "there has probably never been a more quack-prone and quack-infested country than the United States," and the period between the two world wars -- the years when Texas Guinan welcomed customers to her New York speakeasy with the gleeful cry, "Hello, suckers!" -- turned out to be a high-water mark of quackery, as the widespread longing for health and eternal youth coincided with the age of science: "Mankind had found wisdom at last. Science! Technology! These were the new church. Adam was out, apes were in. Rationality ruled. Rationality had made the airplane possible, and instant coffee. Few realized that it also made possible the golden age of quacks." Brock continues:

"In this dizzy world of wonders anything was possible, and it all conspired to make the average citizen as guileless as the wide-mouthed shad. One measure of the scientific gullibility of the age is the number of mythical animals that were now positively declared to exist. During this period between the world wars, sightings were reported and searches launched for, among others, the snoligostus, the ogopogo, the Australian bunyip, the whirling wimpus, the rubberado, the rackabore, and the cross-feathered snee. . . . Advances in medicine and hygiene had already increased the average lifetime from forty-one years in 1870 to more than fifty-five by the early 1920s. Now the sky was the limit -- biblical life spans, some researchers said, could become a reality -- all thanks to the homely gonad and the brave new science of endocrinology."

John R. Brinkley was just the man to seize the day. A farm boy from the North Carolina mountains, he had found his way into quackery by the time he reached his 20s, and though a brief flirtation with "electric medicine from Germany" -- "injecting colored water into rear ends" -- got him into jail in South Carolina in 1913, he just headed west and bounced right back. He had an "uncanny grasp of psychology, both mass and individual," and he "understood that the relationship between a man and a woman is often less fraught than that between man and member." He was a strange guy, "a sort of down-home egghead, crisply confident and alert to a thousand details," who occasionally "got liquored up" and turned briefly violent, but he could turn on the blarney and the charm as fast as you please.

The people of Milford thought he was the Second Coming. The astonishing success of his clinic, which by 1918 was a 16-room operation called the Brinkley Institute of Health, brought a great wave of prosperity to this dreary little crossroads. He was way ahead of his time, using advertising and radio and anything else he could exploit to spread the word about the magic he could perform. In 1929 he dreamed up something called Medical Question Box, in which listeners to his radio station could send in their health grievances: "Brinkley would read some of the letters, diagnose each case, and suggest treatment -- all on the radio." He told them what drugs to buy from pharmacists who were in on the scam: "The pharmacists kicked back one dollar to Brinkley on each jar sold (at about six times normal retail) and kept the rest."

Of course he had enemies, the most influential and determined of whom was Morris Fishbein. He was the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which at the time was far short of the prestige it enjoys today, but it gave him a platform sufficiently visible for him to become "the great quack buster of his day, and later the hellhound on Brinkley's trail." The first time word reached him about Brinkley's antics, Fishbein turned his attention to "the greatest cause of his career: the professional extermination of John Brinkley, M.D.," but it took him a long time to bring that off, and Brinkley didn't go down without one hell of a fight.

Brinkley was like a Shmoo, the round-bottomed inflatable toy of my youth. Bop it this way or that, it always rolled right back with a big smile on its silly face. You couldn't keep John Brinkley down, at least not for long. In 1922 when he went to Los Angeles, "the most quack-intensive town in the nation," he found a "vast sucker pool" and aimed to cash in on it by building a 36-room hospital at immense expense, but then the California medical board "found his résumé riddled with lies and discrepancies" and denied him a license. Never mind. He simply went back to Milford, telling his wife, "The harder they hit me, the higher I bounce," and expanded his operation there. An advertisement said, "It is modern throughout, private rooms with bath, and the latest and most modern equipment, telephone in every room, private rooms, reading rooms, lounging rooms, large spacious lobby and dining room, modern drug store and barber shop."

His radio station in Milford, KFKB, was determined by Radio Digest in 1930 to be "the most popular radio station in the United States." That same year he lost his medical license, so he decided to run for governor of Kansas as a write-in independent. He almost certainly would have won had not the rules been switched at the last minute, eliminating as many as 50,000 of his votes on specious grounds. Never mind. He bounced right back and went to Mexico, where he set up a radio operation that by 1932 was up to an astonishing 1 million watts, making it "far and away the most powerful on the planet," so powerful that "on clear nights Brinkley reached Alaska, skipped across to Finland, was picked up by ships on the Java Sea. In later years Russian spies reportedly used the station to help them learn English."

The programming on Brinkley's Mexican station wasn't just pitches for health schemes and the extreme right-wing views to which he had become susceptible. In order to attract and keep listeners, he brought in country and Tex-Mex musicians; among those tuning in were the young Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and others who eventually became famous and influential country musicians themselves. Stations that broadcast into the United States from Mexico were known as "border busters," and Brinkley's XERA was the biggest of all, inadvertently leading the way to the "full-scale cultural upheaval" that country music brought about.

That was a nice side product, but it couldn't distract attention from the mounting numbers of Brinkley's patients who died in or after leaving his clinic. In 1930 the Kansas City Star "published the names of five people who had expired at Brinkley's hospital since the fall of 1928" -- "His signature was on their death certificates" -- and his license was revoked that same year after it was shown that 42 people, "some of whom weren't ill when they arrived, had died either by his own hand or under his supervision." His final numbers are unknown, but they are high; "though perhaps not the worst serial killer in American history, ranked by body count he is at least a finalist for the crown."

This, needless to say, is where Pope Brock's tale turns dark and cautionary, a reminder of the high price of gullibility and ignorance. These are aspects of human nature that just don't go away; even today, in the age of supposed medical enlightenment and sophistication, "rejuvenation is a global bazaar of infomercials and Web addresses, tools and toys for every need." John R. Brinkley may be long dead (since 1942), but his heirs in quackery continue to flourish.

Copyright 2008, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

Warlock by Wilbur Smith

July book RGG

Posted Jun 13, 10:27 AM Hide Post Book Ending with 549 pages June 29 - July 4: 1-105 July 5 - July 11: 106-214 July 12 - July 18: 215-325 July 19 - July 25: 326-437 July 26 - Aug 1: 438-till the end Dee

Warlock

Part of the 'Egyptian' series

Set in Ancient Egypt and following on from River God and The Seventh Scroll, Warlock marks the return of the world's finest adventure writer. After the death of his beloved Queen Lostris, Taita performs the rites of embalmment and burial for her. Then, stricken with grief, he retreats into the forbidding deserts of North Africa, where he becomes a hermit. Over the years that follow he devotes himself to the study of the mysteries of the occult until, armed with these extraordinary powers, he gradually transforms himself into the Warlock.

Now Taita answers the summons from the beyond. He leaves the desert vastness and returns to the world of men, to find himself plunged into a terrible conflict against the forces of evil which threaten to overwhelm the throne and the realm of Egypt, and to destroy the young prince Nefer, who is the grandson of Queen Lostris.

With vivid depictions of battle and intrigue, of love and passion, with fascinating characters both good and evil, Wilbur Smith brings to life in colourful detail the world of ancient Egypt. This is a masterful feat of story-telling by one of the world's best-selling authors.

Reviews

• 'This is a stirring tale, full of chariot battles ... Smith has whipped up a heady brew ... and undoubtedly deserves his immense popularity far more than most of his rivals.' – Evening Standard
• 'Smith brings to life every colourful detail in the world of Egypt so much so you can almost feel the heat and taste the dust as the narrative builds to cracking pace ... Warlock is ripping yarn and a classic adventure story.' – Irish News
• "Seamlessly composed, this epic historical drama by veteran author Smith (The Eye of the Tiger, etc.) tracks a power struggle in ancient Egypt between false pharaohs and a true royal heir, evoking the cruel glories and terrible torments of the era. This is a very bloody and violent yarn, set in an age when merciless combat, torture, rape and sacrifice were common. Though timorous readers may wish to steer clear, those willing to brave the blood and gore will be carried away by the sweep and pace of Smith's tale. – Publishers Weekly
• "Smith is an excellent storyteller, and the fast-moving action and the exciting plot will hook even those who normally don't appreciate historical fiction. Romance fans will especially love the thrilling subplot... Smith is a popular author, and his many fans will be clamoring for copies of this one."– Booklist
• "This most recent novel by a master storyteller is resplendent with all the power and pageantry of Egypt, the center of civilization of the ancient world."– Library Journal

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

July 5th Discussion:

The last few sentences.

"Lisey no longer had any idea if Scott had actually come to her or if she had only been fooling herself while in a semiwalking state, but of one thing she was quite sure: at some point during the night, Amanda had gone away again. This time maybe for good."Here is the discussion schedule for Lisey's Story. It's a long book so this is going to require alot of reading. I wonder if we can handle it?


Pages 1- 132 July 5
Pages 133-252- July 12
Pages 253-382 July 19
Pages 383-end July 26

quote:
How did you react to the structure of this book when you started reading? I'm talking about the back and forth, the stuff in italics, and the phrases that seemed like they came out of nowhere. Did this structure remind you of any other books you read previously?


I guess I can answer these first questions even if I don't finish the book.

I read the audiobook, so I don't know about the stuff in italics. The made up words and the repeating and repeating words like "bool" and "sowesa" and "incunc" and especially "smuck" irritated the hell out of me. It was hard to remember that there was a story going with so much crap in the way of actual story line and the characters!

Carly says it is good to discuss a book that you didn't like, but we'll see. So I am taking her advise, but don't let me discourage you from your reading or discussing! Holy crap! Are all Stephen King's books this full of meaningless words?

Lisey's Story

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Lisey's Story
First edition cover
Author	Stephen King
Country	USA
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy, horror
Publisher	Scribner
Publication date	October 24, 2006
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	528 pages (Hardcover) 656 pages (Paperback)
ISBN	978-0743289412
Preceded by	Cell
Followed by	Duma Key

Lisey's Story is a psychological horror novel by Stephen King. It was released on October 24, 2006.

Contents [hide] 1 Plot summary 2 Connections to other works by King 3 Other Information 4 External links

[edit] Plot summary

Lisey (pronounced Lee-See) Landon is the widow of an award winning novelist, Scott Landon. In the middle of cleaning out Scott's study, Lisey realizes that there's a great deal about Scott's past (and the past they shared together) that she has blocked out--and with the introduction of a crazy man named Dooley, Lisey must figure out what she's hidden from herself (and what Scott has planned for her) if she's to remain alive. The story is deeply psychological in nature, capturing every essence of the psyche of Lisey as she engages on her quest.

[edit] Connections to other works by King

Lisey's Story, like many of King's novels, takes place in Maine--in this case Castle Rock, a fictional town created by King.

• Derry, Maine:

Derry Home, the hospital in Derry, and Arcadia Mental Health, the mental hospital in Derry, are both mentioned in Lisey's Story. Derry is a major landmark in several of King's works (including It, Insomnia, Dreamcatcher and Bag of Bones), and is in close proximity to the main location of Lisey's Story.

• "Secret Window, Secret Garden":

Near the end of Lisey's Story, the reader discovers that Dooley was born in Shooter's Knob, Tennessee. In King's 1990 story "Secret Window, Secret Garden," Mort Rainey is confronted by a man named Shooter from Mississippi; he was named because of Mort's ex-wife's new lover - also from the South - who grew up in Shooter's Knob.

• The Shining:

A poem written in college by Stephen King, quoted by Jack Torrance in Chapter 44 of The Shining ("The arguments against insanity fall through with a soft shurring sound, layer upon layer..."), is also recalled by Lisey Landon in this novel.

• Dreamcatcher:

While driving to her sister Amanda's house, Lisey crosses Deep Cut Road, a major landmark in King's novel Dreamcatcher.

• Bag of Bones:

Lisey's sister Darla waives Lisey's offer of company on the drive back to see Amanda, saying that she has a Michael Noonan novel on audio cassette that she can listen to. Mike Noonan was the lead character of King's 1998 novel, Bag of Bones. Also, a man is mentioned wearing a Dark Score Lake souvenir shirt, Dark Score Lake being the setting of Bag of Bones.

• The Dark Tower series:

Lisey compares her resurfacing memories to events happening "on some level of time's great tower," and also mentions "Gilead" (a location in the series) as a nearby town. The phrase "Bool! The end!" appears in "Wizard and Glass." Lisey's license plate number for her BMW is 5761RD. The numbers in the plate add up to 19, and RD are the initials of Roland Deschain.

An earlier version of the second chapter was published in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories in which Scott Landon states "Discordia rises", a reference to the Crimson King's brand of evil. In the finished novel, however, the reference is absent.

• Kingdom Hospital:

When discussing treatment at a nearby hospital, the option of "Kingdom" is offered.

• Needful Things:

Lisey calls the police looking for Norris Ridgewick and insteads gets Andy Clutterbuck. Both of these characters played supporting roles in Needful Things. This reference is curious, considering that Andy Clutterbuck, an alcoholic widower, is said to have died (by drowning) two years after the events of "Needful Things." "Needful Things" takes place in the early 1990s.

[edit] Other Information

• King's use of the term 'gomer' is a reference to Samuel Shem's The House of God. According to a character in Lisey's Story, a gomer is a catatonic person; in The House of God, a gomer is used to describe a very ill hospital patient who frustrates the staff by being "too old to die." 'Gomer' is an acronym for Get Out of My Emergency Room.
• A short excerpt from the first chapter, in King's own handwriting, was included in his previous novel, Cell.
• King often references musicians and bands in his writing; in Lisey's Story, the pool is widened after his discovery of younger bands (which he has written about in his Entertainment Weekly article, The Pop of King). Here, Bright Eyes and My Chemical Romance are referenced--with Bright Eyes being alluded to as the preferred of people who take themselves too seriously.

[edit] External links

• Simon & Schuster
• Lilja's Library Archive
• Book Tour, Scheduled Dates
• King's brush with death inspires a surprising new novel
• A King Book That Transcends Horror
• Publicity machine ramps up for King's 'Lisey's Story'
• New Stephen King novel on the horizon
• Guest Review of Lisey's Story by Nora Roberts

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Before I respond to some of your posts, I want to tell you some of my impressions about the book.

It is written in the style of a children's fable to me because of the simplicity of the language and especially the repeating and repeating of phrases....like the big bad wolf " I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in". I just love that.

And I just love the use of "The Fury" and "Out with" misunderstanding and then the repeating and repeating. We do that in our family...when a younger one miss-says a word, it sticks with all of us and we adults and older kids start using the miss-spoken word.

And I think that Bruno represents the naive German citizen who 'didn't know' that the Holocost was happening right next door. Or chose not to know. Also I think that a 9 year old German boy might have really been more naive in those times than today.

I do think this is an appropriate book for middle school students and should be read and discussed by kids with teachers and parents.
- posted on Happy Bookers by Zorro

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas
First edition cover
Author	John Boyne
Country	Ireland
Language	English
Series	Andrew Wilson
Genre(s)	Children, Historical, Tragicomedy
Publisher	David Fickling Books
Publication date	5 January 2006
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	224 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-385-60940-X

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (ISBN 0-385-60940-X) (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in USA) is a 2006 novel by John Boyne. This is the first Boyne book written for children.^[1][2].

Unlike the months of planning Boyne had for his other books, he said that he wrote the entire first draft of Boy in two and a half days, barely sleeping until he got to the end.^[3]

Plot

This book is a story about a nine year old boy trying to understand what is happening around him in (Out-With) Auschwitz during World War II.

The nine year-old boy Bruno, is the son of strict commander of a Nazi concentration camp. He has a strong headed sister, Gretel (the Hopeless Case). They live in a five story mansion, but are one day suddenly moved to a place called Out-With (Auschwitz).^[4] Bruno, angered and confused by his father's decision to move to Out-With, and desperate to go home, spends his time in his room, with no friends to play with. He misses their old five-story mansion, as with such a small space, there isn't any room for exploration (a hobby of Bruno's), misses sliding down the banister in their old house, and misses his friends.

From his bedroom window, Bruno spots a fence behind which he sees many people in 'striped pajamas'. These are the Jews, and they are in a concentration camp. One day his parents come to an agreement that both Bruno and Gretel (his sister) need a tutor for their education so they hire Herr Liszt. To Bruno, Herr Liszt is the most boring teacher one could ever have - because he teaches science (such as geography and history), instead of reading and arts, which Bruno prefers. So, in boredom and confusion he wonders what is going on at Out-With and why people are always dressed in striped pajamas there. On the afternoon he goes exploring. What he finds is a boy, a Jewish boy called Shmuel, a name Bruno has never heard of before but apparently is quite common among Shmuel's own people. He soon becomes Bruno's friend and Bruno goes to see him every afternoon to talk. Bruno is told by his sister that the people in the striped pyjamas on the other side of the fence are Jews and that he and his family are "the opposite". Shortly after this, Bruno and Gretel get a bad case of lice and Bruno has to have his head shaved. This makes him look a lot more like his friend Shmuel and he finds himself thinking that it is as if "they weren't all that different, really."

The story ends with Bruno about to leave Out-With and return to his previous home with his mother and sister. As a final adventure, he agrees to dress in a set of striped pyjamas and climb under a loose wire in the fence to help Shmuel find his father, who has gone missing in the camp. They are unable to find him, and just as it starts to rain and Bruno decides he would like to go home, the people in the area of the camp which the boys are in must go on a 'march'. Neither boy knows where this march will lead. However, they are crowded into a gas chamber, and the author leaves the story with Bruno pondering, yet unafraid, in the dark.

The book ends with the effects of Bruno's disappearance on his family and his father discovering his clothes outside the fence, and realising the implications of this.

Film

A Miramax film adaptation of the novel was shot in Budapest between April and June 2007. The film will be released September 12, 2008 in Ireland and the UK, on September 17, 2008 in China and Japan, and on October 3, 2008 in Finland.^[5]

Awards

The novel has been shortlisted for many literary awards including:

• In Ireland, shortlisted for 3 Irish Book Awards^[6]: the Novel of the Year^[7], the People's Choice Book of the Year, and the Children's Book of the Year^[7]. It won 2 awards.
• In England, shortlisted for The Hampshire Book Awards 2008
• In the UK, shortlisted for the British Children's Book of the Year, Ottakar's Children's Book Prize^[3][6][8], the Berkshire Book Award^[6], and the Sheffield Children's Book Prize^[6].
• In the UK, it was longlisted for the 2006 Carnegie Medal.^[6]
• In Italy, shortlisted for the Paolo Ungari Literary Award.^[6]
• In the USA, shortlisted for the Border's Original Voices Award.^[6]
• In 2007, Miramax started shooting a film adaptation in Budapest.^[9]

There are several covers available:

• striped in a dull blue and white, reminiscent of the striped pyjamas of the title.^[2]
• an old looking cover with a picture of part of a boy in the pyjamas, but the picture only in greyscale
• a picture of part of two boys in the pyjamas, side by side, maybe lining up for inspection.

Reflecting the author's view that books should be read without foreknowledge of the contents, there is no 'blurb' on the book jacket.^[2][10] In fact, Boyne was angry when The Guardian revealed the ending in their review.^[2]

When Boyne finished his first draft, he gave it to his agent, Simon Trewin at PFD, saying, "I’ve written this book, it’s very different to anything I’ve done before. I think it may be a children’s book but I think adults might like it too."^[3]

Ed Wright of The Age noted that the subject matter (the Holocaust) may lead parents to "find [themselves] needing to explain the Holocaust."^[1] However, Kathryn Hughes of The Guardian felt that because the book is at a slow enough pace children can learn all about the events at that time.^[4]

The cautionary tale is about two boys, one the son of a commandant in Hitler’s army and the other a Jew, who come face-to-face at a barbed wire fence that separates, and eventually intertwines their lives.

Set during the Holocaust, Bruno is only nine-years-old when his father, a commandant in Hitler’s army, is transferred from Berlin to Auschwitz. The house at “Out-With,” as Bruno calls it, is small, dark, and strange. He spends long days gazing out the window of his new bedroom, where he notices people dressed in striped pajamas and rows of barracks surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Bored and lonely, and not really understanding the circumstance of his new existence, Bruno sets out to explore the area and discovers Shmuel, a very thin Jewish boy who lives on the other side of the fence. An unlikely friendship develops between the two boys, but when Bruno learns that his mother plans to take her children back to Berlin, he makes a last effort to explore the forbidden territory where the boy in the striped pajamas lives.

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1. Discuss the relationship between Bruno and Gretel. Why does Bruno seem younger than nine? In a traditional fable, characters are usually one-sided. How might Bruno and Gretel be considered one-dimensional?

In a fable there is often a simpleton who just doesn't 'get it' til the big, bad wolf 'brings it on'. I think Bruno represents that character in this fable. For example 2 of the 3 Little Pigs are naive and think they can live in houses of sticks or straw and still be safe; Little Red Riding Hood can't recognize the Big Bad Wolf and thinks he is her grandmother. Bruno represents that naive character, I think. He represents the naive German.

Gretel is older and more worldly wise and would be like the 3rd Little Pig who has enough maturity to understand what is happening, and could warn Bruno but she doesn't really want to tell him what is going on in the world that they live in. She represents the German who knows, but chooses not to 'see'.

2. At age 12, Gretel is the proper age for membership in the League of Young Girls, a branch of Hitler’s Youth Organization. Why do you think she is not a member, especially since her father is a high-ranking officer in Hitler's army?

3. What is it about the house at Out-With that makes Bruno feel “cold and unsafe”? How is this feeling perpetuated as he encounters people like Pavel, Maria, Lt. Kotler, and Shmuel?

4. Describe his reaction when he first sees the people in the striped pajamas. What does Gretel mean when she says, “Something about the way [Bruno] was watching made her feel suddenly nervous”? (p. 28) How does this statement foreshadow Bruno’s ultimate demise?

5. Bruno asks his father about the people outside their house at Auschwitz. His father answers, “They’re not people at all Bruno.” (p. 53) Discuss the horror of this attitude. How does his father’s statement make Bruno more curious about Out-With?

6. Explain what Bruno’s mother means when she says, “We don’t have the luxury of thinking.” (p. 13) Identify scenes from the novel that Bruno’s mother isn’t happy about their life at Out-With. Debate whether she is unhappy being away from Berlin, or whether she is angry about her husband’s position. How does Bruno’s grandmother react to her son’s military role?

7. When Bruno and his family board the train for Auschwitz, he notices an over-crowded train headed in the same direction. How does he later make the connection between Shmuel and that train? How are both trains symbolic of each boy’s final journey?

8. Bruno issues a protest about leaving Berlin. His father responds, “Do you think that I would have made such a success of my life if I hadn’t learned when to argue and when to keep my mouth shut and follow orders?” (p. 49) What question might Bruno’s father ask at the end of the novel?

9. A pun is most often seen as humorous. But, in this novel the narrator uses dark or solemn puns like Out-With and Fury to convey certain meanings. Bruno is simply mispronouncing the real words, but the author is clearly asking the reader to consider a double meaning to these words. Discuss the use of this wordplay as a literary device. What is the narrator trying to convey to the reader? How do these words further communicate the horror of the situation?

10. When Bruno dresses in the filthy striped pajamas, he remembers something his grandmother once said. “You wear the right outfit and you feel like the person you’re pretending to be.” (p, 205) How is this true for Bruno? What about his father? What does this statement contribute to the overall meaning of the story?

11. Discuss the moral or message of the novel. What new insights and understandings does John Boyne want the reader to gain from reading this story?

12. Ask students to discuss the differences in a fable, an allegory, and a proverb. How might this story fit into each genre?

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

1. Art, and what constitutes true art, is one of the earliest questions raised in THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING. Thalia clearly dismisses Laurel's quilts as handicraft, not art. What, in your opinion, is "true art?" Is there such a thing?
2. Laurel's mother brings canned goods and toys to DeLop, but she has severed all emotional connections. Does this disconnect compromise her good works? Do you think a person's motives and feelings make a difference to how valuable a "charitable act" is? Why or Why not?
3. On p. 65, Thalia explains "Mother is Cowslip." Do you know anyone who is prone to "cowslipping?" Can you think of situations where you yourself have cowslipped?
4. The tension between what is on the surface and what lies beneath is dominant in this book. Can you think of some examples of this dichotomy in the text? What statement do you think the author is trying to make by highlighting these dichotomies?
5. The title clearly refers to the discovery of Molly Dufresne in the first chapter of the book. But is there another interpretation you could offer?
6. Thalia consistently needles, pushes, or blasts Laurel out of her comfort zone, usually for what she considers to be Laurel's own good. Do you have a "Thalia" in your life?
7. One particular bone of contention for Laurel and Thalia is Shelby-Thalia clearly believes Laurel is doing her great harm by overprotecting her and keeping her "safe" at home. How do you feel about Laurel's relationship with her daughter-is it as close as Laurel believes, or as false as Thalia insists? Did your view change throughout the book as events unfolded?
8. Laurel and Thalia do not understand each other' marriages; both would say their marriage is better. Thalia's marriage is certainly untraditional, but it seems to work for her. Do you think Thalia's relationship can be considered a good marriage? Does Laurel have a good marriage at the beginning of the book? In what ways? Has there been significant change in that relationship by the end of the book?
9. Laurel makes decisions using intuition and emotion, David through logic and reason. What does Thalia use to make decisions? Is she closer to David or Laurel, or does she have a system of her own?
10. Laurel is her mother's quietly acknowledged favorite, and Thalia seems to belong to Daddy. Is this a "normal" or healthy family dynamic? How does this divided favoritism shape the sisters? Do you think this causes "sibling rivalry?" Have you seen this dynamic at work in your own family, and do you think it affected the way you interact with your parents or siblings? With your own children?
11. Jackson has said in interviews, "At its heart, this is a book about poverty." Do you agree? If not, what did you think the book was about? Do you think she means only literal poverty? What other kinds of poverty did you notice in the book?
12. Thalia provides a logical explanation for all of Laurel's ghosts, assuming her visions have more to do with psychology and the subconscious than the supernatural.. Do you think there are real ghosts in this book? Do you believe in ghosts, or have there been times in your life when you have been convinced of their presence?

The Devil in the White City

Devil in White City Questions

Burnham


Sketches of Holmes ->

1. In what ways is this nonfiction book like a novel? Is it more satisfying to read fiction or nonfiction?

I find fiction more satisfying because there is a story, a plot, with action that I need to imagine in order to understand and enjoy. With non-fiction I need a visual report of the actual people and places, so with this book I have done a lot of googling for images of the Chicago fair.

2. What have you found out so far about Chicago, the Fair, and the two men: Burnham and Holmes? I have found daguerotypes of photos of the fairgrounds. I also am looking for pictures of the people involved in the building of the fair. This picture is landscape architect Fredrich Olmsted.

In The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson takes readers into a richly complex moment in American history, a moment that would draw together the best and worst of the Gilded Age, the grandeur and triumph of the human imagination, and the poverty, violence, and depravity that surrounded it.

The book's two most powerful figures, the great architect Daniel Burnham and the psychopathic killer, Henry H. Holmes, in many ways embody the opposing forces of the age. Burnham was responsible for building the White City, overcoming a series of crushing professional obstacles and personal tragedies to make the Fair the magical, awe-inspiring event that it was. He brought together some of the greatest architects of the day—Charles McKim, George Post, Richard Hunt, Frederick Law Olmsted, and others—convinced them of the importance of the Fair, and somehow got them to work together to achieve what many considered to be an impossible project in an astonishingly brief amount of time. Simultaneously, in the shadow of the White City, Henry H. Holmes set up his own World's Fair Hotel to take advantage of naive young single women arriving in Chicago from surrounding small towns. Using his mesmerizing charm and an uncanny ability to fend off creditors and police, Holmes bent his victims to his will and committed a series of murders as cold-blooded as any in American history.

But The Devil in the White City is about more than just two men. It is about America on the threshold of the twentieth century—a time of widespread violence, fantastic wealth, growing labor unrest, and financial panic; a time when Buffalo Bill could take a bow to Susan B. Anthony; and a time when men and women as diverse as Jane Addams, Theodore Dreiser, Thomas Edison, Samuel Gompers, and Frank Lloyd Wright—could all gaze in wonder at the magnificence of the White City.

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1. In the note "Evils Imminent," Erik Larson writes "Beneath the gore and smoke and loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow" [xi]. What does the book reveal about "the ineluctable conflict between good and evil"? What is the essential difference between men like Daniel Burnham and Henry H. Holmes? Are they alike in any way? They are alike in that in their singlemindness of purpose they go to any lengths to get the job done. Daniel Burnham is not insane. H. H. Holmes is a psychopath.

2. At the end of The Devil in the White City, in Notes and Sources, Larson writes "The thing that entranced me about Chicago in the Gilded Age was the city's willingness to take on the impossible in the name of civic honor, a concept so removed from the modern psyche that two wise readers of early drafts of this book wondered why Chicago was so avid to win the world's fair in the first place" [p. 393]. What motives, in addition to "civic honor," drove Chicago to build the Fair? In what ways might the desire to "out-Eiffel Eiffel" and to show New York that Chicago was more than a meat-packing backwater be seen as problematic? I think that creating jobs must have been an underlying goal of having the World's Fair in Chicago.

3. The White City is repeatedly referred to as a dream. The young poet Edgar Lee Masters called the Court of Honor "an inexhaustible dream of beauty" [p. 252]; Dora Root wrote "I think I should never willingly cease drifting in that dreamland" [p. 253]; Theodore Dreiser said he had been swept "into a dream from which I did not recover for months" [p. 306]; and columnist Teresa Dean found it "cruel . . . to let us dream and drift through heaven for six months, and then to take it out of our lives" [p. 335]. What accounts for the dreamlike quality of the White City? What are the positive and negative aspects of this dream? It was new and white and clean and huge and magnificant.

4. In what ways does the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 change America? What lasting inventions and ideas did it introduce into American culture? What important figures were critically influenced by the Fair?

5. At the end of the book, Larson suggests that "Exactly what motivated Holmes may never be known" [p. 395]. What possible motives are exposed in The Devil in the White City? Why is it important to try to understand the motives of a person like Holmes?

6. After the Fair ended, Ray Stannard Baker noted "What a human downfall after the magnificence and prodigality of the World's Fair which has so recently closed its doors! Heights of splendor, pride, exaltation in one month: depths of wretchedness, suffering, hunger, cold, in the next" [p. 334]. What is the relationship between the opulence and grandeur of the Fair and the poverty and degradation that surrounded it? In what ways does the Fair bring into focus the extreme contrasts of the Gilded Age? What narrative techniques does Larson use to create suspense in the book? How does he end sections and chapters of the book in a manner that makes' the reader anxious to find out what happens next?

7. Larson writes, "The juxtaposition of pride and unfathomed evil struck me as offering powerful insights into the nature of men and their ambitions" [p. 393]. What such insights does the book offer? What more recent stories of pride, ambition, and evil parallel those described in The Devil in the White City?

8. What does The Devil in the White City add to our knowledge about Frederick Law Olmsted and Daniel Burnham? What are the most admirable traits of these two men? What are their most important aesthetic principles?

9. In his speech before his wheel took on its first passengers, George Ferris "happily assured the audience that the man condemned for having ‘wheels in his head' had gotten them out of his head and into the heart of the Midway Plaisance" [p. 279]. In what way is the entire Fair an example of the power of human ingenuity, of the ability to realize the dreams of imagination?

10. How was Holmes able to exert such power over his victims? What weaknesses did he prey upon? Why wasn't he caught earlier? In what ways does his story "illustrate the end of the century" [p. 370] as the Chicago Times-Herald wrote?

11. What satisfaction can be derived from a nonfiction book like The Devil in the White City that cannot be found in novels? In what ways is the book like a novel?

12. In describing the collapse of the roof of Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, Larson writes "In a great blur of snow and silvery glass the building's roof—that marvel of late nineteenth-century hubris, enclosing the greatest volume of unobstructed space in history—collapsed to the floor below" [p. 196–97]. Was the entire Fair, in its extravagant size and cost, an exhibition of arrogance? Do such creative acts automatically engender a darker, destructive parallel? Can Holmes be seen as the natural darker side of the Fair's glory?

13. What is the total picture of late nineteenth-century America that emerges from The Devil in the White City? How is that time both like and unlike contemporary America? What are the most significant differences? In what ways does that time mirror the present?

What am I reading now?

East of Eden (about 2/3 through)
The Devil in the White City (BookBuddies)
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (cori)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (GrammaMary)

On hold - have read part of the book but have taken a break:
Barack Obama's book
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Charlatan
Uncle Tom's Cabin

What is next?
Warlock
Lisey's Story