Myth, Maggots, Minie Balls, Gangrene, and Glory

April 24, 2013April 23, 2013 / Jenn / Leave a comment

The first program in our spring Civil War 150th Celebration is Civil War Medicine: Myth, Maggots, Minie Balls, Gangrene, and Glory Monday April 29th at 7PM in the Mary Baldwin room. Carolyn Ivanhoff, housemaster of Shelton Intermediate School returns to present this program.

Medicine in the Civil War was primitive compared to today’s standards. Doctors knew little about infection, blood transfusions, and sterilization. You were more likely to die from wounds sustained on the battlefield than to actually die on the battlefield. Men who knew they would need amputations would sometimes try to amputate the limb themselves, rather than have the doctor do it, knowing their chances of survival were about the same.

Hygiene in camps was almost nonexistent, and therefore disease could run rampant throughout the soldiers. Dysentery, smallpox, measles, and pneumonia were a soldier’s worst enemy, not the men whom they faced on the battlefield. Rations were insufficient and poor, water was not clean or filtered, clothing was tattered and ratty, and sanitation of waste did not exist.

Join us next week as Ivanoff educates us on what exactly it was like to be a soldier during the Civil War and how fortunate we are today to have the medical care we have. Registration is required for this event.

Book Review: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

April 10, 2013June 21, 2014 / Jenn / 1 Comment

Our classics pick for April is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I had picked this book a while ago, not knowing it was the 50th anniversary this year of the publication.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I was warned when I picked this book that it would be “terribly depressing” and “Ooo, that’s so depressing I’m not sure I want to read it.” While this book was depressing, that was not the whole of the story.

The Bell Jar is a coming of age story that takes place in 1953 and centers around main character Esther Greenwood, a 21 year old college student. She is bright, but has a difficult time reconciling with the stifling world of the 1950’s. Esther works for a fashion magazine in NYC during the summer of 1953 and is fascinated with the news headlines of the day, including the execution of the Rosenbergs and a man’s suicide. It appears that Esther may be on the track to bigger and better things.

But Esther is not as stable as she presents herself. This is a coming of age story, like The Catcher In the Rye, but it is through rebirth and pain. Esther begins a slow decline into mental illness, so slowly it’s almost impossible to remember what the “trigger” was for her. In her rejection of conventional models of woman,, like purity, relationships with men, and the fashion world of NYC, she finds herself on the outside looking in. I found myself, when reading of Esther’s first suicide attempt, wondering “Well, where did that come from?” Esther had no reason to try to kill herself, she even says that she wants to see if she can do it.

Plath’s use of language, imagery, and tone in The Bell Jar allowed the reader into the mind and life of Esther Greenwood. Plath is simply a genius when it comes to weaving a story. A slim 264 pages, it was easy reading.

One of the reasons I liked this book so much was that I found so much of myself in Esther Greenwood. At that age, I too was bright, ambitious, and sometimes on the brink. But unlike Esther, I had the mental fortitude and support system to bring me back from the edge.

I listened to this book on audio and it was read by Maggie Gyllenhaal. I found her reading to be less than stellar, as she read…. like… she.. was… taking… her… time. It was extremely annoying, but I was able to look past her inept reading and hear the heart of the story.

Rating: 4 stars

Book Review: March by E. L. Doctorow

April 3, 2013April 3, 2013 / Jenn / Leave a comment

March by E. L. Doctorow

This month’s selection for “When Johnny Comes Marching Home: A Civil War Book Discussion” was March by E. L. Doctorow, not to be confused with Geraldine Brooks’ March.

I selected this book because of the accolades it has received: Pen/Faulkner Award and National Book Critics Circle Award. It was also a New York Times Bestseller. I had given the audiobook version to my husband to listen to, and he could not get past the first three discs. This did not bode well for my own listening of this book.

March tells the story of Sherman’s imfamous march through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina during 1864 and into 1865. There is a rather large, colorful, and diverse cast of characters, led by William Tecumsah Sherman himself. Doctorow does an excellent job incorporating people from all “walks of life” into this story: freed slaves, Southern women, Confederate and Union soldiers, and even a British journalist. However, there were almost too many characters. At some point I lost track of who was where when and what happened to them. Some people stayed behind on different parts of the march and we never heard from them again. After a time, you wondered, “Hey, what happened to…?” and you never found out.

This book is not for the queasy or faint at heart, as there are graphic war scenes, including mass rape, killing of prisoners of war, drowning of freed slaves, and the burning of entire cities. If you’re expecting a nice, wholesome story, you won’t find it here. This is a realistic account of what actually happened during Sherman’s march to the sea. You’ll learn a lot and gain insight into a much maligned man.

Whether you love or hate Sherman and can or can’t justify his actions during the Civil War, one has to admit that he greatly helped end the Civil War and saved thousands of lives who would have been lost if the war had continued. March shows a softer side of Sherman, a man who, while following orders, often found himself at the mercy of his men, who got carried away with the spoils of war.

While I found this book to be interesting and the reader, Joe Morton, engaging, I did not love it. The language and style were easy to read and understand. I’m not sure what Doctorow could have done to take my rating from an “ok” to “great”.

Rating: 3 stars

New Book Club: When Johnny Comes Marching Home

March 13, 2013March 18, 2013 / Jenn / Leave a comment

The March by E. L. Doctorow

Book clubs, to me, offer a great opportunity for people who are already interested or want to learn more about a particular genre or topic. I’m constantly amazed at the breadth of knowledge some of my members bring to book discussions. Learning from each other allows us to form, or even change, our own opinions.

I am pleased to offer “When Johnny Comes Marching Home: A Civil War Book Discussion” starting on Monday April 1st, in honor of the ongoing 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. When I ran this book group in spring 2011, I was pleased at the interest and enthusiasm of those who attended. I am offering it again as part of my spring 2013 Civil War programming. The April 1st meeting will kick-off the spring events.

Unlike last time, we will be reading fiction exclusively. While there is a plethora of excellent n0nfiction titles on the Civil War, I previously found members had a difficult time completing the books and even getting into them. We are lucky that the Civil War still inspires fiction authors to write splendid works that will provide much conversation.

Our schedule for this “mini” book group is: