On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

This is our community read for the summer. Anyone read it, and what did you think?

I read this after I read A Lesson Before Dying. I loved them both. It is very hard for me to read books about terrible things, but these are so well formed I couldn't help but read them through. I don't do a great job of explaining what I like about books. Oh well.

A Lesson Before Dying was required reading in English. My final exam will probably be about it.

I just finished reading "A Gathering of Old Men" and really liked it! The only thing I didn't like is a pet peeve of mine, and considering it was published in the early 1980s, I think I can forgive it.

I think that, culturally, regions and families have stories that are "memes" (to use internet jargon). One belonging to Southern culture is the "trashy white gal", and I noticed it in this book, too. I think someone has to speak out for trashy white gals. The movie "Black Snake Moan" is one of my favorites!

I did write my final exam about A Lesson Before Dying.

Marlene wrote: "I did write my final exam about A Lesson Before Dying."

And what did you say? Haven't read it yet, but I don't mind spoilers (and you can spoiler text it for everyone else).

We had to say if we think this book should be required reading in schools and if it would help prepare kids for life today. It was a mix of a topic called "African American Experience" and "Globalization". Main topic in the exam: Is education an important aspect of globalization?
As the protagonist, Grant Wiggins, is a teacher on a former plantation, there was plenty to talk about. (I'll put this in a spoiler, but I don't know if it's really neccessary)
(view spoiler)[The bad conditions there (only one teacher for all grades, two blackboards, not enough chalk, the children have to share books because there aren't enough...) and if Grants better education actually helped him in the South.
The white people there thought him "too intelligent", because he wanted to be equal to them and that almost got him into trouble. He feels trapped in life, because he could go to the North and get a better job, but loves his aunt, who raised him, and his girlfriend Vivian, who can't leave because of her children.
I said that education IS important, because Grant has at least the chance to lead a better life. He doesn't have to work on the field too, because he is the teacher. On the other hand he can't become anything else but a teacher in the South, even though he went to college. (hide spoiler)]
I did a lot of comparing scenes and stuff, but that's about it. This was one task out of four. It was a six-hour exam. I think it went okay.
Even without the exam I would recommend this book, though. This was a good required book! We had bad ones too...

Jessie wrote: "I just finished reading "A Gathering of Old Men" and really liked it! The only thing I didn't like is a pet peeve of mine, and considering it was published in the early 1980s, I think I can forgiv..."

You have a good point about trashy white gals. The True Blood books have cool trashy white gals, but a lot of people are put off by the whole vampire/necrophilia thing.

Kathy wrote: "The True Blood books have cool trashy white gals..."

Girl! I love True Blood, both the books and the TV show.

I meant to add earlier that one of our librarians recommended this book:

Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story

as a companion read for our Gaines community read. I haven't had the opportunity yet to read it, but I thought I'd share!