Our book-club group really enjoyed The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a "fable" written from a nine-year-old boy's perspective regarding his experience as the Commandant's son at "Out-With" (his mispronunciation of "Auschwitz") when he befriends Shmuel, a "boy in striped pajamas" on the other side of the fence. We all were struck with the tale, and discussed how it really brings a unique perspective to the horrors of the Holocaust, prompting us to ask ourselves: Can we judge that all the Nazis were innately evil, or were some victim (or opportunists) of circumstance? How much/little should you tell children to protect them from horrible realities? Final analysis: Great book for adults and teens!
Our film-club group discussed the movie The Graduate, which had its 40th birthday this year. We decided that it has definitely stood the test of time as a classic! We discussed a lot of trivia surrounding the movie (Did you know they considered casting Robert Redford instead of Dustin Hoffman - can you imagine?!), and compared it to the original book written by Charles Webb as well. Final analysis: A must-see film!
Upcoming book and film for June:
-Book Club (Thursday, June 19, noon): The Inner Circle by T.C. Boyle - a historical fiction tale of Dr. Alfred Kinsey's "inner circle" of sex researchers...not for the faint at heart. :-)
- Film Club (Wednesday, June 18, 7pm): Kinsey, a biopic starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney...noticing a theme here? :-)
