June 2011 Meeting

This month, we are reading The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri

"This first novel is an Indian American saga, covering several generations of the Ganguli family across three decades. Newlyweds Ashoke and Ashima leave India for the Boston area shortly after their traditional arranged marriage. The young husband, an engineering graduate student, is ready to be part of U.S. culture, but Ashima, disoriented and homesick, is less taken with late-Sixties America. She develops ties with other Bengali expatriates, forming lifelong friendships that help preserve the old ways in a new country. When the first Ganguli baby arrives, he is named Gogol in commemoration of a strange, life-saving encounter with the Russian writer's oeuvre. As Gogol matures, his unusual name proves to be a burden, though no more than the tensions and confusions of growing up as a first-generation American. This poignant treatment of the immigrant experience is a rich, stimulating fusion of authentic emotion, ironic observation, and revealing details."

Although this is her first novel, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Interpreter of Maladies, a short story collection that we read in 2007.

Our meeting is Friday, June 24th.

Rachel is the hostess
Brooke is bringing book selections
Denise will lead our discussion.

Members wanted to share their book jacket statement about their book club experience. Original suggesion was a 75 word essay. Please bring 1 copy for everyone. If someone would like to assist with putting these into folders for a keepsake that would be great.