What Do You Know? (about Zora Neale Hurston)

Zora Neale Hurston, 1937. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division - Photograph. Reproduction number: LC-USZ62-126945 (b&w film copy neg.)

We're all going to learn a lot about Zora Neale Hurston in the coming months.  Many of us know a little already, though.  Comment below with something you  know about this woman of many facets.  We'll share our knowledge here and at the first round of discussions!

• I know that Zora Neale Hurston was well-known for wearing a fabulous variety of hats!  (And we'll hear more about this as the summer goes on!)

Big Book Challenge 2016 FAQs

•  How soon may I pick up my book so I can get started?

We are hard at work getting the books and supporting materials ready to go for you.  Everything will be available at the kickoff May 25; if you have signed up through our online survey and are unable to attend the kickoff, your materials will be waiting for you on the hold shelf Thursday, May 26.

•   Do I need to have a University City card to participate?

Absolutely not!  You can check out Zora Neale Hurston’s Novels & Stories with a card from any of the libraries in the Municipal Library Consortium. If you don’t have one yet, or you’re not sure, we can sign you up for a UCPL card at the kickoff.

•   Is there any cost to participate?

Never!  All programs are free for everyone, and there is no charge to check out materials.

•   Must I commit to a particular discussion meeting time?

No, you may come to any discussions you wish, or even attend more than one per month if you are available.  If you can’t attend every month, that is perfectly fine.

•  What do I win if I participate and finish the readings?

v  Bragging rights: You’ll receive a specially designed Zora Neale Hurston button for your tote bag showing the number of pages completed, as well as a one-of-a-kind homemade bookmark.

v  That all-important sense of accomplishment: We’re all working together to tackle a challenge and stretch our horizons!

v  New friends: You’ll meet new people from your neighborhood and beyond.

v  The best things in life aren’t things, right?

Say YES to Big Book Challenge 2016!

Are you ready to join the best readers in town this summer as we tackle Zora Neale Hurston's Novels and Stories?  

RSVP yes by completing this very brief survey!

Some of Our August Tweets

#UCPLAnnaK Tweets

More Thoughts from Our Final Round of Discussions

Just a few more notes from last week's Anna Karenina roundup:

• the words ironical and unnatural appear frequently - is there a message in this?
• Regarding the film, every scene was gilded
• One reader "much preferred Middlemarch, because Middlemarch had better women characters"
• "I felt compelled to read the novel"
• "This was a better book than War and Peace, although I feel a stronger connection to War and Peace.  Anna Karenina is so much deeper; Tolstoy is a better writer here."
• "I could have done without the chapters on Kitty's lying-in and the hunting expeditions, and the club.  Did those scenes illuminate the characters?"  One reader responded that those scenes, particularly the club, showed the kind of social and family life from which Anna is now excluded.
• Many readers loved the scene when Levin asked Vasenka to leave his house for flirting with Kitty.
• Oblonsky is a funny creature, especially when he is with Karenin and Lydia and the fainting Frenchman and has no idea what is going on.
• Anna is a cautionary tale about being alone.
• "It wasn't clear to me that Anna's state was due to external reality, but more from opium."
• The meeting between Levin and Anna is beautifully written.
• The portrait of Anna is representative of the difference between appearance and reality.
• Her suicide is a way of getting power back.
• The chapter of Varenka and Sergey in their almost-but-not-quite coming together, was excellent.  In the words unsaid and the missed opportunity, do we have a reference to the possibility of Anna and Vronsky not connecting?
  

A few final thoughts from one of our participants

Stalwart Big Book reader Edmund wanted to pass along a few final thoughts/musings on Anna Karenina:

• Even before the famous first sentence, we read an epigraph: "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." Which of the characters seek vengeance on one another, and do any of them actually achieve it? How and why is vengeance important to Tolstoy's message?
• Tolstoy presents several contrasting concepts to develop his message and characters, including death and living, family life and adultery, freedom and rules/hopelessness, love and hate, despair and dreams, god and self. How does this affect his message?
• Many of the stressed characters seek refuge in various places (St. Petersburg, the farm, Moscow), actions (adultery, death, travel) and concepts (religion, war, money). Were any of them adequate to resolve their problems?

Let us know your thoughts on these musings in the comments, and keep the conversation going!

On Closing Anna Karenina

Thanks to the Paul and Marsha for sharing this with us!

There are 9 10 attendees at the Thursday Anna Karenina discussion at UCPL. A big finish, over the last two days, for our fifth summer read! 

• Does Vronsky have any depth? He cares about looks, gambling, riding, art (a bit). No interior monologues to speak of.
• Where did Vronsky get his money after he resigned his commission?
• Why do Sergey and Varenka never re-connect? Is this another version of Vronsky and Anna, a couple not connecting? Or Kitty and Levin, who missed their connection on the first try?

 We had quite a crowd, 36 attendees, and a very lively discussion at our Wednesday night discussion about Anna Karenina.
Have you read Anna? What did you think of this book? How does Tolstoy's novel rank on your list of favorites?

 We had a great discussion on Wednesday night! Overall Anna Karenina was a hit, though it did not make the top of anyone's list (not even among the 5 Summer Reading Big-Books that we have done).

• Is Anna a likeable character? Not for too many of us.
• What drives Anna to suicide? Opium? Loneliness? Powerlessness?
• Could Anna have been happy?
• How serious was Levin about suicide?