November Book Club - Salvage the Bones

Nine of us, meeting on Wednesday the 18th, found plenty to talk about in Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward. We found this suspenseful book difficult to read at times but appreciated what it shows us: four motherless siblings who are hurt but coping, resourceful, and tightly bound to one another; a different view of Hurricane Katrina, in rural Mississippi; a community in poverty that has not become degraded or defeated. We agreed with some reviewers who found the sheer quantity of metaphors and similes excessive but we admired the many times they were spot-on. The group had differing interpretations of several passages, which made for a good discussion.

 For January, we chose a combination: the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. 

Please note that traditionally we do not meet in December.