The History Book Club discussion

Hello Everyone,

For the week of April 15, 2013 - April 21, 2013, we are reading Chapter Four and Five of House of Stone

The third week's reading assignment is:

WEEK THREE: April 15, 2013 - April 21, 2013
Chapter Four. Our Last Gentleman (pp 49-64)
Chapter Five Gold (pp 65-76)

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:

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TOC and the Syllabus:

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Book as a Whole Thread:

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by Anthony Shadid

Chapter Summaries and Overviews

Chapter Four (Our Last Gentleman) pp 49-48

Shadid meets his old fried Shibil who once worked in Oklahoma and was a perpetual stoner. He had returned to Marjayroun and is far more hospitable than the other residents of the town. He tells the author that the residents think he should be locked up in an insane asylum. He warns him about the dangers of spending money on the stone house and then having the family negate any ownership that Shadid might declare. Shibil tells him that the people of Marjayroun are kind until it comes to property and repeats the proverb "A sliver of land can wipe out its people".
Shadid watches as the stone house is taken apart bit by bit and artifacts from earlier times are carted away in the rubble. But the original craftsmanship of the original structure is revealed.
His friend Shibil tells him that hospitality in Marjayoun is but a memory and nothing is honored anymore. Even the distinctive dialect is being lost as the younger people speak like "those from Beirut". He feels that the identity of Marjayoun is being lost forever. Shadid learns of the many feuds that are always in progress over minor issues and he knows that some of his cousins watch him to see who he visits, how much he pays for items and generally what he is doing. As the Muslim call to prayer rings over the village his cousin tells him that there is a bit of Islam in every Christian here, as they shared a culture that bridged faith.

Chapter Five (Gold) pp 65-76
The work on the house slows down to a crawl and Shadid starts getting very nervous about the time it will take. Abu Jean takes his usual attitude of shrugging his shoulders and wonders why Shadid is in such a hurry. Shadid's vision of how the house will look is beginning to fade.....the house that Isber had built which was beautiful.
Hezbollah and the government are at odds and Israel waits as civil war is bound to break out in Lebanon. Shadid muses on the effect that continuing war has had on the country.....traditions die, the normal is interrupted and shame that the country continues to battle, within and without. His friend Hikmat worries about what world his new-born daughter will inherit and if there is war, his family will have to leave as so many have done since the days of the Ottoman Empire and Isber's time. Many had fled to America which was described by them as ideal, never conceding failure or ethnic slurs.
Genealogy is the identifying factor in Marjayroun since through inter-marriage,everyone is connected to everyone else. Shadid learns how to trace family name origin which seems to be a constant activity and is told that "a Shadid is crazy".

After reading Shabil's comments, I wonder which is worse, the Israeli war or the internal strife between the government and Hezbollah. What are your thoughts?

As the house comes down, the decades go with it and much is revealed of Isber's original home. I wonder why Shadid is so driven by bayt while none of his family is even interested?

Jill wrote: "As the house comes down, the decades go with it and much is revealed of Isber's original home. I wonder why Shadid is so driven by bayt while none of his family is even interested?"

I have to agree with something Bea had said earlier. That the breakdown of Shadid's marriage and being an absent parent are driving his desire for bayt. It seems like he did not invest a lot of time in his home back in America. Which begs the question, why not spend the year with his child back in America?

Laurie wrote: "Jill wrote: "As the house comes down, the decades go with it and much is revealed of Isber's original home. I wonder why Shadid is so driven by bayt while none of his family is even interested?"

I..."

I think your point is made when Shadid speaks to his daughter periodically by phone she questions where he is and what he is doing. He answers "Rebuilding our home".....not something the child understands since America is her home.
Hakimat makes the statement that there is a part of Islam in every Arab Christian; a culture that bridges faith and joined by a common notion of custom and tradition. It makes me curious if this attitude of toleration is unique only to Marjayoun or all of Lebanon.

Jill wrote: "Laurie wrote: "Jill wrote: "As the house comes down, the decades go with it and much is revealed of Isber's original home. I wonder why Shadid is so driven by bayt while none of his family is even ..."

I noticed in that same passage that Shadid says this absence from America to rebuild the house was "his attempt to make amends for all the others". This must have really burned his ex-wife. It sounds like his work and constant travel was what doomed the marriage. So they get divorced and he then takes a year off work! Of course, we don't know what else was going on. I also think it might be easier for some people to build sense of bayt with a house rather than with other people.

I was really surprised about the mixture of religions in this small part of Lebanon. The people that Shadid talks to minimize any problems this causes and seem quite tolerant.

How sad that this is definitely not true on a national level. I suspect that the religious divisions are exasperated by economic issues, and of course, the political division of power in Lebanon must be a constant source of tension given that the relative size of the main groups has changed over the years.

I am somewhat surprised by the various feuds and grudges. This seems almost a stereotype. For example, Hikmat is angry at Shibil because he believes that he and a woman talked about him behind his back, in his own house. Yet, he doesn't see to have any real evidence of that.

Ann wrote: "I am somewhat surprised by the various feuds and grudges. This seems almost a stereotype. For example, Hikmat is angry at Shibil because he believes that he and a woman talked about him behind his..."

People do seem to be mad at someone all the time for seemingly innocuous events. But that may not bode well for Shadid when it comes to the stone house. The relatives may suddenly come out of the blue and tell him that the house does not belong to him. That may be why the residents think he should be locked up in an insane asylum!

Jill wrote: "Ann wrote: "I am somewhat surprised by the various feuds and grudges. This seems almost a stereotype. For example, Hikmat is angry at Shibil because he believes that he and a woman talked about hi..."

And he wouldn't know that they wanted the house until he had completely renovated and sunk all the money into it!

How true, Bea, since the house is now in ruins after the Israeli war. So I fear that the relatives will be coming out of the blue to cause trouble.

Shadid finds another cousin (or not) in Karim, an educated and talkative man. He is a lawyer who speaks three languages but retains the superstitions of the areas, such as the "evil eye". Again this shows that the hold of the traditions of Marjayroun are strong. Shadid also finds that privacy in your own home (or in his case, his temporary apartment) is unknown. Karim and many of his other relatives/friends come unannounced and only leave when the mood strikes them. I don't think I could exist in that environment........how about you?

Jill wrote: "Shadid finds another cousin (or not) in Karim, an educated and talkative man. He is a lawyer who speaks three languages but retains the superstitions of the areas, such as the "evil eye". Again th..."

Not for me, I need my privacy.

Shadid certainly highlights some cultural differences, doesn't he? In America, it would be considered very rude to drop by without calling first. Of course, here most people have had phones for a very long time.

I was also struck by the religious fatalism of some of Shadid's friends. I think this is common in societies that have undergone so much upheaval. No matter how hard an individual works, all of his success can be wiped out by circumstances. This happened to Isber who built the house.

Hikmat tells Shadid, "Whatever you do, God chooses for you. It is not up to you..You don't make choices. You can't choose your direction" p. 63

I also wonder how all the emigration affected Marjayoun over the years. Hard workers and, most important, risk takers leave for better opportunities. The town is a shadow of its former vibrant self.

So far, Shadid seems more interested in recapturing Marjayoun in its heyday than in its current decline.

Ann wrote: "Shadid certainly highlights some cultural differences, doesn't he? In America, it would be considered very rude to drop by without calling first. Of course, here most people have had phones for a ..."

Agreed, Ann. He almost seems obsessed with the Marjayoun of the past....when it was thriving and vibrant. Now it can barely be found on a map and the artisans have mostly emigrated. Rebuilding the stone house, while admirable, will not recover the past glories of the town.

With the birth of Hikmat's daughter, we see one of the reasons why people are leaving Marjayoun....it is the fear of war, either internal as the government is in conflict, or from outside as Israel waits in the wings. Shadid correctly observes that the media never shows the impact of war on the people once the cameras leave. I believe Shadid is trying to recapture another time by rebuilding the stone house but the damage to country, beliefs, and traditions are probably not retrievable......agree or disagree?

Jill wrote: "With the birth of Hikmat's daughter, we see one of the reasons why people are leaving Marjayoun....it is the fear of war, either internal as the government is in conflict, or from outside as Israel..."

Jill, in his observations about media coverage of war it almost seems that Shadid is becoming somewhat jaded about "television and the craft I practice." As he so powerfully writes: "We never find out, or think to ask, whether the village is rebuilt, or what becomes of the dazed woman who, after one strange, endlessly extended moment, is no longer the mother of children" (page 69).

I agree that Shadid is trying to recapture a little part of the past but perhaps not so much for himself as for his family - past, present, and future. He goes on to say (page 69) that Isber's life was interrupted/stopped/postponed by war and in these circumstances "traditions die." And on page 70, "We have lost the splendors our ancestors created, and we go elsewhere." As a reporter, he is an observer and recorder of these circumstances but as Isber's great grandson he is also a victim of them.

Genealogy is a way of life in Marjayou and the actual names are clues to origin and points of embarkation., Names ending in vowels are thought to come from Syria and are called Hawarna. Names ending in consonants like Shadid are known as local,known as baladiya being in Marjayoun when emigration began in the early 17th century.
After centuries, disputes still rage between these two groups and the Shadids are considered crazy. But, unless I missed it somewhere, the reason that the family is considered crazy, seems to be lost in history........did you see an explanation for this opinion?

Jill wrote: "As the house comes down, the decades go with it and much is revealed of Isber's original home. I wonder why Shadid is so driven by bayt while none of his family is even interested?"

Perhaps he knows that he cannot fix his home in America (the divorce) and somehow this idea of home in Lebanon is his way to redeem the failure of the home in America.

I would agree Kathy, since it really never explains much about his marriage in America. But I wonder if his daughter Leila, will ever see the stone house?