Gold Country Nonfiction Mini-Retreat Report

Yesterday, we had a glorious, warm spring day in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range at the very quiet Mercy Center Retreat.  We were hosted by the Auburn Great Books discussion group with Donna Reynolds providing a delightful, comical musical interlude and sing along of music from the pre WWII period right after lunch.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Group 1

Group 2

 In the morning we formed two groups to discuss Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts which mainly covers the period 1933-34 in Germany as Hitler’s Nazi party consolidates its power and control over the German state and its people.  There is plenty of politics here, in Germany and between various power hungry officials, and in the United States, Roosevelt’s administration, the State Department, and in the embassies.  The book relates the activities of William Dodd, newly appointed U. S. Ambassador to Germany, and his fun loving (to put it mildly, this is a family friendly publication) daughter, Martha.  Ambassador Dodd, a history professor by trade, is a misfit as an ambassador and is at odds with those in the Pretty Good Club of officials in the U. S. State Department from the beginning.  He and Martha initially look for some good to come from the Nazis, but they eventually realize (especially after the “Night of the Long Knives" slaughter) that their optimism was little more than hope which is not much of a strategy in opposing the rising evil of the Jew-hating Hitler and his henchmen.  Even after he accepts the judgment of the U. S. Consul Messersmith, who saw early on the danger of the Nazi’s brutal power grabbing, Dodd is unable to convince the State Department or Roosevelt to adopt a stronger, more deliberate stance opposing the Nazi regime.  He is eventually replaced by a more compliant member of the State Department who implements the attitude of appeasement desired by Washington while Dodd returns to the U. S. and engages, as a private citizen, in a strong campaign of lectures and appearances warning of the rising danger in Europe.

Martha Dodd

The side story of his daughter, Martha, and her series of illicit affairs (several going on simultaneously, she was an accomplished juggler sometimes playing one lover against another) with correspondents, writers, Nazi officials, French ambassadorial staff, a Russian spy, etc. is the story of a supposedly intelligent, talented (in more ways than one, she wants to be a writer) young woman with monumentally bad judgment.  After her disillusionment with the Nazis she travels to Russia and begins spying for the Soviets which she continues even after she returns to the U. S.  In our discussion of the book we thought there was not enough attention paid to the relationship and communication between Martha and her father, the ambassador, who seems to have been unaware of her sexual activities while living in the same house.  If you are interested, CLICK HERE for a film depicting 1930’s Berlin including a brief clip that featured Martha Dodd and her friend and likely one-time lover, Ernst “Putzi” Hanfstaengl.  The clip is at 09:10 in the film just after the clip of Hitler and Himmler walking at an airfield.  Be sure to click on the opposing arrows symbol at the lower right of the film to view it full screen.

Discussing the film.

In the afternoon, we viewed the film Cabaret.  This is a must see if you haven’t already seen it.  It takes place in Berlin about the same time period as the history book we discussed in the morning.  It won several Academy Awards and there are several narratives within the film that we explored after the viewing.  Besides the story of the main characters there is the anti-Semitism, decadence, high-living, and the propaganda and brutality of the Nazi takeover of Germany as it took place in Berlin and the rest of the country, and some great music and dancing.  All in all, an excellent film.

One comment I heard from several people, and with which I fully agree, was that WWII was avoidable if only the Western Democracies had stood up to the autocrats and dictators that gathered power during the 1930’s.

Many thanks go to Auburn Great Books for their excellent choices of a book and a movie about one of the most important periods of the Twentieth Century that worked so well together and special thanks to Ginni Saunders and Paula Weinberger, our discussion leaders.  Ten of us got together for dinner in Old Town Auburn before heading home, a perfect ending to a great day!

Long Novel Weekend

LET’S GO WHALING!

August 24-25, 2013 at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park

The book:  Moby Dick by Herman Melville

 

Call me Ishmael.  I will be your guide and storyteller on this excursion to the far flung oceans of the world in search of the mighty leviathans of the sea.  We’ll assemble at the Spouter Inn in New Bedford and meet our friend Queequeg the harpooner, then on to Nantucket to sign on to the Pequod, the captain of that vessel, Ahab, bearing a striking resemblance to Gregory Peck.  But, enough for now, I am getting ahead of myself.

Save this weekend,  August 24-25, to discuss a truly Great Book.  We will have three two-hour discussions and Saturday evening we are fortunate to have Professor Samuel Otter of the University of California, Berkeley speak to us followed by a question and answer session.  Professor Otter’s research and teaching focus on nineteenth-century United States literature.  He is a specialist on Herman Melville’s writing.

If you missed last year’s Long Novel Weekend (Dickens’ David Copperfield) don’t make the same mistake this year.  Vallombrosa Center is a quiet, beautiful place with excellent facilities and food.  Join us for a great weekend and great discussions.

For more information and a registration form CLICK HERE.

Great Books Council of San Francisco Annual Meeting and Picnic

ARE YOU READY FOR A PICNIC?

Sunday, June 9, 2013, 12 noon to 3 pm

Tilden Park's Padre Picnic Area

Ready for some Barbecue?  I am sure Chef Brent will be manning the grill.  Bring something you like to grill: sausage, fish, shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, veggies, garlic bread, or an ear of corn in the husk or wrapped in foil, delicious.  I like a chicken breast marinated in teriyaki sauce in a zip-lok sandwich bag.  In addition bring your own beverage, paper plate and utensils and a dish to share with four others.  We always have plenty of food so nobody goes hungry.

View of SF and Golden Gate from Grizzly Peak Blvd.  Click on photos to enlarge.

 It’s a good idea to bring a folding chair (to gather into groups for the book discussion), sunscreen and a sun hat.  Laura Bushman, our event coordinator, always manages to order a warm, sunny day with a cooling breeze to go along with the greenery and ambiance of the Padre Picnic area at Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley hills.  CLICK HERE for an information sheet with directions to the picnic area.  CLICK HERE for a park map (Padre Picnic Area is slightly to the upper right of the center of the map).

After a short business meeting,  We will separate into smaller groups to discuss Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending.  A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single sitting.  The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning new chapter in Julian Barnes' oeuvre.

This intense novel follows Tony Webster, a middle-aged man, as he contends with a past he never thought much about---until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance:  one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present.  Tony thought he left this all behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own.  But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

“Elegant, playful, and remarkable.” —The New Yorker

“A page-turner, and when you finish you will return immediately to the beginning.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Dense with philosophical ideas. . . . It manages to create genuine suspense as a sort of psychological detective story.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"Brief, beautiful. . . . That fundamentally chilling question—Am I the person I think I am?—turns out to be a surprisingly suspenseful one. . . . As Barnes so elegantly and poignantly reveals, we are all unreliable narrators, redeemed not by the accuracy of our memories but by our willingness to question them." —The Boston Globe.

Join us for a fun time in the park and a book discussion.  If you have any questions contact Laura Bushman at laurabushman@yahoo.com

Fourth Gold Country Nonfiction Mini-Retreat

Presented by the Great Books Council of San Francisco

May 11, 2013, Mercy Center in Auburn, CA

The Auburn Great Books group invites you to discuss Erik Larson’s award-winning nonfiction novel of an American family in Berlin during Hitler’s rise.

Larson’s story reads like a thriller with compelling historic detail. In the Garden of Beasts is a vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign, brought to life through the stories of two people: William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha. Ambassador Dodd, an unassuming and scholarly man, is an odd fit among the extravagance of the Nazi elite. His frugality annoys his fellow Americans in the State Department and Dodd’s growing misgivings about Hitler’s ambitions fall on deaf ears among his peers, who are content to “give Hitler everything he wants.” Martha, on the other hand, is mesmerized by the glamorous parties and the high-minded conversation of Berlin’s salon society—and flings herself headlong into numerous affairs with the city’s elite, most notably the head of the Gestapo and a Soviet spy. Both become players in the exhilarating (and terrifying) story of Hitler’s obsession for absolute power, which culminates in the events of one murderous night, later known as “the Night of Long Knives.” The rise of Nazi Germany is a well-chronicled time in history, which makes In the Garden of Beasts all the more remarkable. Erik Larson has crafted a gripping, deeply-intimate narrative with a climax that reads like the best political thriller, where we are stunned with each turn of the page, even though we already know the outcome. ---Shane Hansanuwat

We meet at the Mercy Center, 535 Sacramento Street, Auburn, CA 95603. Check-in on

Saturday, May 11th at 9:30 a.m. Book discussion is from 10 a.m. to noon. Lunch is served on location, and is included in the $35 registration. After lunch, the academy award-winning film, Cabaret, will be viewed and discussed.  The film stars Liza Minelli, Joel Grey, with Bob Fosse directing the film and music. We conclude by 4:30 p.m.

Take this opportunity to see California’s historic gold country when the hills and gardens are at their greenest. Donna Reynolds, Auburn Registrar, has recommendations for local motels and restaurants, and she usually offers a piano medley to our day.

Saturday, May 11, 2013, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.  Cost:  $35 per person including lunch.  For more information call Donna at (916) 797-8561 or go to www.greatbooks-sf.com .  For a registration form CLICK HERE.

Great Books Council of San Francisco Kiva Lending Team

Kiva has 23, 617 lending teams in all categories.  Some of those teams, like ours at GBSF, have lent thousands of dollars to people all over the world working to make life better for themselves and their families.  The Kiva Christians lending team has 10,163 members who have lent $5,294,175 in 156,237 loans.  Their page states:  We loan because: Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (Jam. 1:27)  They are a group of believers in Jesus Christ, brought together through a common purpose: to help those in need around the world.  Click here. This is a large Kiva lending team, however, they are in second place when it comes to amount loaned.

The number one team is the Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious Kiva lending Team which has 22,712 members who have lent $8,636,250 in 292,950 loans.  Their page states:  We loan because: We care about the suffering of human beings. We are those who know we are one human family.  Click here.

Your GBSF Kiva Lending Team is a long way from those numbers, but they show the possibilities of organizing to lend to deserving entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world.  Join us, click here, click on the orange button to join, and make a small loan of $25.00 to someone working to make a better life for themselves and family.  You can click on the logos above to go to that team's page at Kiva.

Great Books in Wine Country 2012

The book and movie:  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

Yes, there is still time to register and read the book before the day of the event.  As we were always over full in past years, we have added another day for this Mini-Retreat.  You may sign up for either Saturday or Sunday.  The same event format will be held each day.  We still have some room on either day for more participants, but Saturday is almost full.  There is more room on Sunday.

More information is available below by clicking on a date.  You will be taken to a page with full information on the book and film and how to order the book to receive it right away if you wish.  If you haven't read it before, Huckleberry Finn is an easy and fun read and the film we will view is the 1939 version starring Mickey Rooney.

Click below on the date you wish to attend:

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Long Novel Weekend 2012 Recap

Good discussions, good leaders, good participants, good accommodations, good food, and good weather all combined for a great weekend discussing Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield.  This year we met at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park, a very quiet, peaceful setting encouraging thought and discussion.  I must admit that while I missed the remote and rustic atmosphere of our previous LNW location, the availability of private rooms at Vallombrosa is a definite improvement over the dormitory rooms at Walker Creek Ranch. 

The discussion rooms provided had plenty of light and good acoustics.  There is very little walking to do as our rooms, dining hall, meeting rooms, and parking are centralized.  And there is plenty of room to walk, strolling through the lushly landscaped grounds.  Louise DiMattio informs us that next year we have exclusive use of Vallombrosa so we will have room for more participants.

Many thanks go to our leaders who all received excellent ratings: Jennifer Anderson, Chris Hammer, Jim Hall, Louise DiMattio, Rudy Johnson, Claudia O'Callaghan, Sheri Kinsvater and Louise Morgan.  Special thanks to Breda Courthey for being backup leader for all three sessions and for providing Plum Pudding Flambe and sweets for Saturday night.  And a hearty thanks to our event coordinator Louise DiMattio and registrar Tracy Oliver for organizing such a successful weekend.

Anew participant at Long Novel Weekend, Jim Baird, wrote two excellent reports:  A report on the discussions, click here, and a report on the talk delivered by our Saturday evening guest speaker Jane Smiley, click here.