03.2017 Last Train to Istanbul

Introduction:

Thanks Kindle.

Overview:

As the daughter of one of Turkey’s last Ottoman pashas, Selva could win the heart of any man in Ankara. Yet the spirited young beauty only has eyes for Rafael Alfandari, the handsome Jewish son of an esteemed court physician. In defiance of their families, they marry, fleeing to Paris to build a new life.

But when the Nazis invade France, the exiled lovers will learn that nothing—not war, not politics, not even religion—can break the bonds of family. For after they learn that Selva is but one of their fellow citizens trapped in France, a handful of brave Turkish diplomats hatch a plan to spirit the Alfandaris and hundreds of innocents, many of whom are Jewish, to safety. Together, they must traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in a desperate bid for freedom. From Ankara to Paris, Cairo, and Berlin, Last Train to Istanbul is an uplifting tale of love and adventure from Turkey’s beloved bestselling novelist Ayşe Kulin.

Book Details:

Paperback: 397 pages
Publisher: AmazonCrossing; Reprint edition (October 8, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1477807616
ISBN13: 978-1477807613

Get Book: 

Amazon

Questions:

• did you relate to any of the characters or family dynamics?
• have you or your family ever been in a unsafe situation? how did you cope? did any family dynamics change because of the situation?
• who has responsibility in war- the country housing people or country of citizenship?
  do you think it was wise for Selva and Rafo to move to France?
• is it better to be transparent about family turmoil and/or a war situation with children or wait until they are an older age?
• the children in the story were vivid characters in this book and lived really abnormal lives compared to modern day US. How do you think this has shaped the character of the kids?
• although macit clearly loved his family and was a thoughtful parent/spouse, he had work burdens that made it impossible for him to be present for his family. How might the world be different without these sacrifices from public servants? does love or loyalty to one's country trump family?
•  the perceptions of different generations of Turkish people were different, re: government, religion, etc. Which do you relate to and why?
•  did you find the writing style to be captivating? why or why not? 

Discussion:

• simple writing style
• happy ending, predictable
• learned about Turkish history, culture, and WWII from Turkish perspective
•  war and effects on family
• family history
• family dynamics

Moral:

#1/3 bears liked this book

02.2017 The ONE Thing

Introduction:

We are now switching over to free Kindle books to avoid material access issues.

Overview:

The One Thing explains the success habit to overcome the six lies that block our success, beat the seven thieves that steal time, and leverage the laws of purpose, priority, and productivity.

Book Details:

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Bard Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1885167776  
ISBN13: 9781885167774
Awards: Axiom Business Book Award for Business Theory (Bronze) (2014)

Get Book: 

Amazon

Questions:

• How is the process the book recommends similar or different from how you decide your purpose/priorities/actions?
• What do you agree or disagree?
• Did you find the book persuasive? Why or why not?
• Does the book offer ideas that you are interested in adopting?
• Have you ever used any of the strategies in the book?
• If you are interested in implementing of the ideas, how do you plan to implement?
• Has anyone ever given you similar advice? In what context?

Discussion:

• Struggles with focusing, clarifying goals
• Prioritizing to do lists 
• Multitasking
• Realistic or not to apply book principles to be extraordinary - one thing, or work as well as home life/social relationships
• Can you have a social life/family life while applying book principles
• Techniques for applying lessons 

Moral: Know your goals (what to focus on), limit distractions, and being realistic with time... or be forever disappointed.

3/3 bears liked this book

The Big Short

Book Club #15.
Lesson: Financial markets/terms are intentional confusing to mislead

About the Book:

The Big Short

Summary: 

People created, sold, and misrated subprime mortgage loans. A couple of different individuals saw the disaster to come when CDOs built on subprime mortgage loans would eventually crash when borrowers would have problems repaying their mortgages after low teaser rates. The world fell into the resulting financial crisis, but some people bet against the market and won large.

Questions:

1. Did you have a favorite character/relate any of the characters?
2. What did you know about the financial crisis before the book? What did you learn?
3. Does this make you think about banking and financial markets differently?
4. Did anything shock you?
5. Did you see the movie? How did it compare to the book?

Conversation Summary:

Discussion topics:

• Movie/book good job explaining terms
• Liked Christian Bale's character Michael Burry
• Mortgages and reading banking terms/fine print
• Boundaries in federal regulators vs. industry
• Penalties for wrongdoers

3/3 bears liked this book

12.2016 The Big Short

Introduction:

Yay, a Michael Lewis book that was turned into a movie. Boo, financial crisis.

Overview:

The real story of the financial crash and a few smart people who short the market, betting against highly-rated mortgage-backed securities by creating credit default swaps and profiting big time.

Book Details:

Paperback: 291 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (February 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0393338827
ISBN-13: 978-0393338829

Get Book: 

Amazon
Overdrive

Everything I Never Told You

Book Club #14.
Lesson: Parenting is hard.

About the Book:

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Summary: 

A mixed race family of five live a seemingly normal life until the star middle child is found dead. The story jumps back and forth between history and present-day, between thoughts and experiences of each family member, and reveals many attitudes, perspectives, and misunderstandings. Each family member must come to terms with the reality of the death of Lydia and the realization that they may not have truly known and understood her.

Characters:

• Lydia Lee
• Marilyn Lee - mother
• James Lee - father
• Nathan Lee - older brother
• Hannah Lee - little sister
• Jack

Questions:

1. Lydia often went to great lengths to please her parents. Do you remember some of the things you did to meet your parents' expectations?

2. Do you think Hannah's experience as the invisible youngest sibling is typical? Why or why not?

3. Do you think that Lydia ultimately committed suicide or was it an accident?

4. Do you think the things the characters in the book would have wanted to say the things that were left unsaid?

5. Which character(s) did you most relate to?
6. Did you like the structure of jumping back and forth in time? Were you able to keep up?
7. Many characters seemed to be misunderstood by friends, neighbors and family members. Were there times in your life where people have a very misguided impression of you or where you misunderstood someone else?

8. Parents often see themselves in their children and place their own hopes and fears on them. How was this done in the book? Were there things your parents said/did that spoke more to their attitudes/interests versus your personal interests?

9. Lydia seemed to be viewed as the star child in the family - there is often debate about how to motivate children and how much attention and focus should be placed on children and academic success. Any thoughts or future plans on how to deal with these issues if you are a parent?

Conversation Summary:

Discussion topics:

• Book structure, audio/physical book
• Relating to difference characters
• Struggles/differences in mixed culture relationships
• Family pressure and expectations
• Parenting - what is the best way to raise children, academic pressure, parents trying to make up for personal mistakes/goals
• Character success
• Differences between siblings
• How did Lydia die, purpose/accidental

3/3 bears liked this book

References:

11.2016 Everything I Never Told You

Introduction:

Yay, an Asian writer.

Overview:

"Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . . So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.

When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it’s the youngest of the family—Hannah—who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.

A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another."

Book Details:

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Penguin Press; First Edition, First Printing edition (June 26, 2014)
ISBN-10: 159420571X
ISBN-13: 978-1594205712
Awards: Alex Awards

Get Book: 

Amazon
Overdrive

Boys Adrift

Book Club #13.
Lesson: Homeschool. Let's do it.

About the Book:

Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax

 Summary: 

Leonard Sax is a psychologist who sees a number of factors contributing to a trend of underachieving boys and men in our current society. Factors range from changes in our current education system, role models, coed education, video games, plastics, etc. Controversial and a great source of debate, readers will be all over the place on this subject.

Characters:

• Leonard Sax
• various children and parents

Questions:

1. Do you notice a trend in unmotivated boys/men? Do you think it's true?

2. Which factor(s) do you most agree with?

3. Did anything surprise you?

4. If you had a son is there anything in particular you would do after reading this book?

5. Do you agree that schools are becoming more feminized? 

6. Do you believe that kids need to be in a co-ed educational environment?

7. Has this changed the way that you think the world socializes little people?

Conversation Summary:

Discussion topics:

• Is there a trend in boys/children that is different than previous generations
• Agree/disagree with book factors and observations
• Education system and homeschooling
• Experience with young children
• Difference between boys and girls - personality, learning, development
• Training animals and children

3/3 bears finished book

References:

1. Diane Rehm Interview: Dr. Leonard Sax: “Boys Adrift”

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2007-08-14/dr-leonard-sax-boys-adrift-basic-books

2. America’s ‘quiet catastrophe’: Millions of idle men
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americas-quiet-catastrophe-millions-of-idle-men/2016/10/05/cd01b750-8a57-11e6-bff0-d53f592f176e_story.html?utm_term=.fa220cfd710d

3. TED talks: How masculinity is evolving

https://www.ted.com/playlists/how_masculinity_is_evolving