The History Book Club discussion

Hello Everyone,

For the week of April 8, 2013 - April 14, 2013, we are reading Chapter Two and Three of House of Stone

The second week's reading assignment is:

WEEK TWO: April 7, 2013 - April 14, 2013 (pp 14 - 48)
Chapter 2. Little Olive and 3. Three Birds

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.

We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, or on your Kindle.

There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.

Jill Hutchinson will be moderating this discussion.

Welcome,

~Jill

TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL

by Anthony Shadid

REMEMBER NO SPOILERS ON THE WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREADS - ON EACH WEEKLY NON SPOILER THREAD - WE ONLY DISCUSS THE PAGES ASSIGNED OR THE PAGES WHICH WERE COVERED IN PREVIOUS WEEKS. IF YOU GO AHEAD OR WANT TO ENGAGE IN MORE EXPANSIVE DISCUSSION - POST THOSE COMMENTS IN ONE OF THE SPOILER THREADS. THESE CHAPTERS ARE EXTREMELY DENSE SO WHEN IN DOUBT CHECK WITH THE CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY TO RECALL WHETHER YOUR COMMENTS ARE ASSIGNMENT SPECIFIC. EXAMPLES OF SPOILER THREADS ARE THE GLOSSARY, THE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE INTRODUCTION AND THE BOOK AS A WHOLE THREADS.

Notes:

It is always a tremendous help when you quote specifically from the book itself and reference the chapter and page numbers when responding. The text itself helps folks know what you are referencing and makes things clear.

Citations:

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If you need help - here is a thread called the Mechanics of the Board which will show you how:

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Glossary:

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Bibliography:

There is a Bibliography where books cited in the text are posted with proper citations and reviews. We also post the books that the author used in her research or in her notes. Please also feel free to add to the Bibliography thread any related books, etc with proper citations. No self promotion, please.

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TOC and the Syllabus:

The following is a link to the table of contents for the book and the weekly syllabus:

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Book as a Whole Thread:

This link for discussion of the book once you are finished:

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by Anthony Shadid

Chapter Summaries and Overview

Chapter Two (Little Olive) pp 14-34
A year after the author planted the olive tree at Isber's stone house, he is living alone in Marjayroun, rebuilding the stone house. He and his wife and child are no longer together and he has taken a year's furlough from his job. His building crew turns out to be less than ideal and many of them have returned to Syria, fearful of the deepening political crisis there. The author begins reflecting on the world that his ancestor and original owner of the stone house, Isber, knew when he was young before war changed his life.....the Ottoman Empire and the declaration of Lebanon itself in 1920....the myriad religious sects, none of whom agreed what the country should become. The crisis deepened when Israel was created in 1948 and conflict still is at the forefront of most of the villagers' minds. The author discovers that he does not really own the stone house and his relatives think he is foolish to go forward with his plan. He finds Abu Jean, a master builder and artist to assist him with the restoration.

Chapter Three (Three Birds) pp. 35-48)
The author reflects on the origins of Marjayroun and the fable of the three birds which led to the founding of the town. The setting of the stone house is beautiful and faces the mountains and the valley below which is part of the country of Israel. The diversity of the town is most prevalent in the mixture of mosques, and churches of each Christian sect. The author becomes friends with Dr. Khairalla Mady, a highly respected resident and learns more about his father's family the Shadids. Dr Khairalla had managed the hospital in Marjayroun for 16 years; a hospital founded and built by one of the author's distant cousins. The doctor has cancer but does not acknowledge his illness. The town contains about 800 people, a shadow of the thousands that were in residence in its heyday when the author's great-grandfather, Isber, lived there. The author learns that Isber was drafted by the Ottoman officials during WWI but refused to "answer the call". He was arrested by the Turkish officials and sentenced to death. His brother gathered all the family's gold and bribed the officials. Isber is saved and he is changed by the experience.

We wondered in last week's read why the author said he was not a man who kept promises. And it still puzzles me.....he has given up is job, is alone in a country where he has very few contacts; and has come back to see his little olive tree growing among the older ones surrounding Isber's house. He kept his commitment to rebuild the house, thereby keeping his promise. Do you think that the return to the world of his ancestors has changed him?

I'm not sure how much we know yet about how he has changed, if he has. But I think the contacts he makes as he negotiates the house renovation and as he moves among the people in the town are helping him to connect with his lineage and make him more fully aware of his identity. This must be an enriching experience for him.

In reading these chapters, I am beginning to think that the author's return "home" had a great deal to do with his divorce. The breakdown of his marriage was apparently due to the low priority he put on his home. I'm wondering if the divorce got him thinking about the importance of home and about somehow making a nest in his ancestral home.

You are right, Donna, it probably is too early to know but at least he came back a year after he planted the little olive tree.....so it's one promise he kept. We shall see.
Bea.......good thought regarding his lack of connection with his home while in the US. The reconnection with his ancestors may make him feel more stable

From what I gather his first marriage fell apart around or before 2006 and it was also after Israel's invasion of Lebanon - maybe he felt at that point in time he did not have any place to go.

I wonder what promises he made to Laila, his daughter.

He paints almost a dreamy world for us in Marjayroun. The bits of history help to place it within the larger world.

I loved the description of the author's temporary landlord, Fardisi and the use of the word shatera .....cunning, slick; maybe a bit like the Yiddish word goniff. Fardisi tests his gullibility as does the builder Bishara who is in charge of the reconstruction of the stone house. It appears that the customs of his homeland are foreign to the author.....the art of negotiation and the use of temper/anger is a way of life....shatera may become a problem for Shadid as he adjusts to Lebanese life.

Jill wrote: "I loved the description of the author's temporary landlord, Fardisi and the use of the word shatera .....cunning, slick; maybe a bit like the Yiddish word goniff. Fardisi tests his gullibility as ..."

I do love the translations of the different words. It makes you realize how much interpretation we lose between languages.

Kathy wrote: "Jill wrote: "I loved the description of the author's temporary landlord, Fardisi and the use of the word shatera .....cunning, slick; maybe a bit like the Yiddish word goniff. Fardisi tests his gu..."

Indeed the nuances of meaning are almost always lost between languages and sometimes even untranslatable.

I think that Shadid is going to run into problems since it appears that he only owns 35 of the 2,400 shares allotted to the property. His trust that his family which is spread around the world will consent to his taking charge of the property is probably naive......again, I think that shatera is going to become important as he moves forward. Do you agree?

Jill wrote: "I loved the description of the author's temporary landlord, Fardisi and the use of the word shatera .....cunning, slick; maybe a bit like the Yiddish word goniff. Fardisi tests his gullibility as ..."

Yes, I love how he is immersing himself in the culture and becoming aware of all the nuances of the social milieu.

Again Shadid runs into the Lebanese way of doing business since Abu Jean, the master designer who has taken over the work doesn't want to understand the concept of budget.....but eventually they decide on a price. He will work on the "cemento" which are the floor tiles, today known as "sajjadah" (which means "prayer rug"). I think I was surprised that the house appears to have been rather palatial before it was damaged by war.

Jill wrote: "...I think that Shadid is going to run into problems since it appears that he only owns 35 of the 2,400 shares allotted to the property. His trust that his family which is spread around the world will consent to his taking charge of the property is probably naive......again, I think that shatera is going to become important as he moves forward. Do you agree? "

That was my thinking all along. I am afraid that he'll have a "smack my hand on my forehead" moment and realize he's been taken by the landlord and construction people or that he'll find out that his family will be upset with what he's doing. The landlord/construction guys know he's from the US, yet, that is his ancestral home. So I wonder if they will treat him like a foreigner or a local. They may not be shatera at all.

Teri wrote: "Jill wrote: "...I think that Shadid is going to run into problems since it appears that he only owns 35 of the 2,400 shares allotted to the property. His trust that his family which is spread aroun..."

I still worry that his family may come into the picture later as renovation continues. But I get a feeling that although shatera will continue to be important, he will learn to deal with it better. But he will probably still be considered an American, rather than a local.

I think the myth of the three birds is quite charming.

The highly respected Dr. Khairalla Mady who becomes Shadid's confidant is a man who is reminiscent of some of the rural doctors of America's Appalachia.....he accepts eggs or chickens as payment for services. But isn't it strange that no one, including the doctor himself will mention his illness with cancer, a word that is almost forbidden to be spoken?

Yes, it is odd how he has been able Jim to weave that all in and we are glad that you gave the book a chance and are getting into it. I think it is a little gem.

Good observation, Jim. It does start a little slowly but those passages concerning the past and what Marjayoun looked like through the eyes of Isber sets the stage for the future and what Shadid needs to know to live in the present Marjayoun. The Lebanese have long memories and the past still plays a huge part in their daily lives. I think it would be very difficult to fit into such a setting, don't you? I'm afraid he will always be "the American".

Thanks, Jim. Your perspective is well received and appreciated since you have been a resident of Islamic countries and know the attitudes of the people. I was just thinking that since he was not born in Lebanon and especially not in Marjayoun, that he would always be an outsider even if he decided to live there permanently. That even happens in the US.......especially in southern rural counties where people have to be "from there", which means at least three generations, before they are not considered outsiders.
I'm glad you have joined us since you have an insider's perspective on the Middle East.

After years of captivity Isber's escape from the death penalty (handed down by the Turks) through the use of bribes changed him into a person who felt special in a very positive way. That seems to be a peculiar reaction since most people either suffer from "survivors guilt" or are affected negatively. It will be interesting to see how his life is changed in the years to come by this experience.

I am finally catching up with this wonderful book and have enjoyed reading all of your comments.

Local people certainly give Shadid enough warnings about not rebuilding the house because of potential problems with other relatives. One even suggests he build a new house. I wonder if Shadid does not worry so much about that because this will not be his permanent home. As a journalist, he certainly plans on traveling a lot, but probably will be based in a large city.

As for being perceived as an outsider, of course he would be. However, he speaks fluent Arabic, which allows him to really interact with local people and explain the nuances of the culture to us.

I taught ESL and found that for many people from other countries, the family as a unit has much more importance that it does to more independent Americans. That does not mean that Americans love their families any less, but they define "family" in a much more limited way than people in the Middle East and many other areas.

Shadid is from an immigrant family which has apparently retained its cultural ties through the generations. He knows a lot of old family stories.

My grandparents immigrated to the United States but died before I could meet them. There was nothing cultural passed down in my house, and I feel a little cheated.

I don't know how many cultures have a word that has such deep meaning as bayt which not only means "home" but has other nuances which define family. The Lebanese take this very seriously and as we move to the next chapters, we will see how that word affects the actions of the residents of Marjayoun.

I thought the descriptions of the history of the different religious populations co-existing in Marjayroun and surrounding towns was fascinating. I had no idea there was such a mix of religions in Lebanon, or that they were living together amicably.

My ignorance about many of these countries is a little embarrassing :)

I think we all are learning things that we just didn't know about Lebanon. I was surprised at the number of Christian. There is a break-down of religions in the glossary (only as they apply to Beirut) but it gives you an idea of the diversity.

Post #49 at http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...