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Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library
If All of Seattle Read the Same Book
A Reading Group Toolbox for
Wild Life by Molly Gloss
Toolbox Contents
For more information, contact:
Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library
800 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 9811
206-386-4100
206-386-119 Fax
http://www.spl.org/wacentbook/centbook.html
Nancy Pearl, Executive Director
206-386-4184
[email protected]
Chris Higashi, Associate Director
206-386-4650
[email protected]
This reading group toolbox was developed by Misha Stone and the Washington Center for the Book at
the Seattle Public Library for the 2002 If All of Seattle Read the Same Book. The Washington Center
for the Book is a member of the Audiences for Literature Network, made possible by the WallaceReader's Digest Funds - eight leading centers dedicated to building and sustaining audiences for
literature.
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Seattle Public Library - WA Center for the Book - If All of Seattle Read the Same Book - Molly ... Page 1 of 1
Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library
If All of Seattle Read the Same Book
A Reading Group Toolbox for Wild Life by Molly Gloss
Toolbox Contents
Molly Gloss: A Brief Biography
For Discussion
Book Club How-To's
Recommended Reading
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Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library
If All of Seattle Read the Same Book
A Reading Group Toolbox for Wild Life by Molly Gloss
Toolbox Contents
Molly Gloss: A Brief Biography
"The landscape we inhabit as children, inhabits us."
from The Dazzle of Day
Molly Gloss grew up in rural Oregon in the 1950s, a time when women were
not encouraged to become writers. She did not begin writing seriously until
1980 when she enrolled in a writing class in Portland taught by Ursula
LeGuin, an experience Gloss calls "life-altering." Since that time Gloss has
written in different genres and styles, proving herself to be an exciting and
talented writer. Gloss's work, from her science fiction to her novels of the
American West, explores the universal themes of community, the human
response to the wilderness, and the triumph of human will against adversity.
Influenced by the Western adventure stories that she loved as a child, Gloss
began by writing stories with Western settings and themes. The Jump-Off
Creek (1989) established Gloss as an important Northwest writer. The
protagonist of The Jump-Off Creek is Lydia, a widowed woman who braves
the hardships of pioneer life in the Blue Mountains region in Oregon at the
turn of the twentieth century.
Although The Dazzle of Day (1997) is a science fiction novel, it explores
many of the same themes as her first novel. The Dazzle of Day tells the
story of a 175-year voyage during which succeeding generations of Quakers
prepare to create a utopian community on a new planet. But when their
starship begins to deteriorate, they must decide whether or not to land on a
planet that appears to be less than hospitable to human life.
Wild Life, her daring and intelligent third novel, leads the reader into new
territory, yet at the same time it shares issues and concerns from Gloss's two
earlier novels. Set in southwest Washington State (especially the area
around Skamokawa) in the first decade of the 1900s, Wild Life is the story of
Charlotte Bridger Drummond, a single mother who supports her five
irrepressible sons by writing popular women's adventure tales - stories of
young women conquering the Amazon or trekking through danger-filled
locales. Free thinking and headstrong, Charlotte is a feminist before her time.
When a young girl goes missing from a logging camp near Mt. St. Helens,
Charlotte leaves her home to join in a search for her - setting off unknowingly
on an adventure both like and unlike any that she had ever imagined in her
own fiction.
Gloss says that part of the idea for the novel came from an experience she
had with 's Boy Scout troop. She spent a night in the woods alone, with only
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a flashlight and her dog (the boy scouts were not afforded these luxuries).
That experience - the sounds in the night that kept her awake and the sense
of herself alone in the wilderness - changed the course of her writing and of
Charlotte's adventure.
Wild Life weaves history with myth to achieve a stunning exploration of
mankind's relationship to wilderness. Charlotte's diary, interspersed with
newspaper clippings and writings arranged by theme rather than by
chronology, reveals the story almost like an archaeological dig, layer by
layer. While she is lost amidst the trees and lava beds, Charlotte learns a
great deal about herself, about wilderness, and about civilization in the
process. Wild Life is concerned with the separations between man and
nature and with the lessons that could be learned from nature if such
separations were not so pervasive.
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Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library
If All of Seattle Read the Same Book
A Reading Group Toolbox for Wild Life by Molly Gloss
Toolbox Contents
For Discussion
With this book, you may need to ask only one question to get a nonstop
conversation going: What makes us human? That said, here are some
additional questions that might enrich the discussion.
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How would you understand the title of this book if it were Wildlife
instead of Wild Life?
Charlotte's granddaughter mentions that she almost rearranged the
diary into a chronological sequence. How important is the
arrangement of the novel to the reading of Charlotte's development
as a woman and a writer? What effect might the rearrangement have
had on your reading of the novel?
In the opening diary entry, Charlotte tells us that to write "is to be
insane." Why do you think Charlotte believes this, or is she simply
being provocative? How does this statement relate to other mentions
of sanity and insanity throughout the novel?
Charlotte is independent of mind and spirit and questions many of
the norms of her day such as marriage and motherhood. How do her
feelings about gender roles play into the action of the novel?
Charlotte frequently reveals her competing desires to be a good
writer and a good mother. Do you think she succeeds?
Charlotte believes in technology and progress, especially in changing
the role of women in society. What are Charlotte's views on
technology and progress in other areas, such as in the logging
industry? Why are these views important to understanding
Charlotte's character?
Gloss shows how myths and tall tales played a part in the lives of
men and women in the Northwest of the early 1900s. Yacolt, the
neighboring town to Skamokowa, means "haunted by spirits." How
does Charlotte interpret these tales, for example, the one about the
Wild Man of the Woods?
What is the significance of the entrance of the Mountain Giants in the
novel? What does Charlotte mean when she says that "the Wild Man
of the Woods is but a ghost of the wild man within"?
After Charlotte has spent some time with the Mountain Giants, she
writes: "By such small increments the old lines that set me apart, that
defined me, are erased." What does she mean by this? How is
Charlotte changed by her experiences in the woods?
Well before Charlotte has her adventure, she writes: "The truth is, I
have never wished to use myself ... as the subject of storytelling." Do
you think that Charlotte revokes this statement - does she ever
become the subject, the heroine, of her own story?
What is the significance of the tale of the Bearded Man or "Tatoosh"
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that ends the novel and Charlotte's diary? How do you understand
the final two sentences of the story? Do you feel a part of the "us"?
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Seattle Public Library - Washington Center for the Book - Book Club How-to's
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Book Club How-to's
Ideas for setting up a book discussion group from the Washington Center for the Book at the
Seattle Public Library. See the Calendar of Events for schedules of book discussion groups at
Seattle Public Library branches.
Before you get started:
Once you figure out these details, the fun begins - reading and talking about good books!
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When, how often, and where will your book club meet?
How long will the meetings last?
Will you serve food?
What's the role of the leader, or will you even designate a leader?
What types of books do you want to read - fiction, memoirs, nonfiction, a combination?
Contemporary works, classics, both?
Who makes up the questions for the group to discuss?
Choosing books for discussion:
Choosing what books to read is one of the most enjoyable, often frustrating, and certainly one of the
most important activities the group will undertake. One of the best parts of belonging to a book
discussion group is that you will be introduced to books you're unfamiliar with, and books that fall
outside your regular areas of interest. This is good! Remind people that there can be a big difference
between "a good read" and "a good book for a discussion." (See next section.) It's always a good idea
to select your group's books well in advance (at least three months works well). You don't want to have
to spend time at each meeting deciding what to read next.
What makes a particular book a good one for a discussion?
Probably the most important criteria are that the book be well written and that it explores basic human
truths. Good books for discussion have three-dimensional characters who are forced to make difficult
choices, under difficult situations, whose behavior sometimes makes sense and sometimes doesn't.
Good book discussion books present the author's view of an important truth and sometimes send a
message to the reader.
During a book discussion, what you're really talking about is everything that the author hasn't said - all
those white spaces on the printed page. For this reason, books that are heavily plot driven (most
mysteries, westerns, romances, and science fiction/fantasy) don't lend themselves to book discussions.
In genre novels and some mainstream fiction (and often in nonfiction), the author spells out everything
for the reader, so that there is little to say except, "I loved the book" or "I hated it" or "Isn't that
interesting."
(Incidentally, this "everything that the author hasn't said" idea is why poetry makes such a rich topic for
discussion.)
Other good choices for discussions are books that have ambiguous endings, where the outcome of the
novel is not clear. For example, there is no consensus about what actually happened in Tim O'Brien's In
the Lake of the Woods, Sara Maitland's Ancestral Truths, or James Buchan's The Persian Bride.
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Page 2 of 4
It's important to remind the group that not every member is going to like every book the group chooses.
Everyone may read the same book, but in fact, every member is reading a different book. Everyone
brings her own unique history, memories, background, and influences. Everyone is in a different place
in his life when he reads the book. All of these differences influence the reader's experience of a book
and why she may like or dislike it.
There are also pairs of books that make good discussions. These can be discussed at one meeting or
read and discussed in successive months. Some examples include A Dangerous Friend by Ward Just
and The Quiet American by Graham Greene, The Hours by Michael Cunningham and Mrs. Dalloway by
Virginia Woolf, and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and King Leopold's Ghost by Adam
Hochschild.
Finally, there are some books that raise so many questions and issues that you just can't stop talking
about them. These may not be enjoyed by everyone in the group, but they're bound to lead to spirited
discussions: Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying, Russell Banks's The Sweet Hereafter, Andre
Dubus III's House of Sand and Fog, Frederick Busch's Girls.
For specific recommendations, see Recommended Books for Discussion.
How to read a book for discussion:
The best books are those that insinuate themselves into your experience: They reveal an important
truth or provide a profound sense of kinship between reader and writer. Searching for, identifying, and
discussing these truths deepen the reader's appreciation of the book.
Reading for a book discussion - whether you are the leader or simply a participant - differs from reading
purely for pleasure.
Asking questions, reading carefully, imagining yourself in the story, analyzing style and structure, and
searching for personal meaning in a work of literature all enhance the work's value and the discussion
potential for your group
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Make notes and mark pages as you go.
Ask questions of yourself and mark down pages you might want to refer back to. Making notes
as you go slows down your reading but saves you the time of searching out important passages
later.
Ask tough questions of yourself and the book.
Asking questions of yourself as you read means you don't know the answer yet, and sometimes
you never will discover the answers. Don't be afraid to ask hard questions because often the
author is presenting difficult issues for that very purpose. Look for questions that may lead to indepth conversations with your group and make the book more meaningful.
Analyze the themes of the book .
Try to analyze the important themes of a book and to consider what premise the author started
with. Imagine an author mulling over the beginnings of the story, asking himself, "what if … "
questions.
Get to know the characters.
When you meet the characters in the book, place yourself at the scene. Think of them as you do
the people around you. Think about their faults and their motives. What would it be like to
interact with them? Are the tone and style of their dialogue authentic? Read portions aloud to
get to know the voices of the characters.
Notice the structure of the book.
Sometimes an author uses the structure of the book to illustrate an important concept or to
create a mood. Notice how the author structured the book. Are chapters prefaced by quotes? If
so, how do they apply to the content of the chapters? How many narrators tell the story? Who
are they? How does the sequence of events unfold to create the mood of the story? Is it written
in flashbacks? Does the order the author chose make sense to you?
Make comparisons to other books and authors.
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Page 3 of 4
Compare the book to others by the same author, or to books by other authors that have a
similar theme or style. Often, themes run through an author's works that are more fully realized
by comparison. Comparing one author's work with another's can help you solidify your opinions,
as well as define for you qualities you may otherwise miss.
Leading the discussion:
Research the author using resources such as Current Biography, Contemporary Authors, and
Something About the Author. Find book reviews in Book Review Digest and Book Review Index. The
Dictionary of Literary Biography gives biographical and critical material. These resources are probably
available at your local library. The Internet is another good source for reviews of the book, biographical
information about the author, and questions for discussion.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Come prepared with 10 to 15 open-ended questions. Questions that can be answered yes or no
tend to cut off discussion quickly.
Alternatively, ask each member of the group to come with one discussion question. Readers will
focus on different aspects of the book, and everyone will gain new insights as a result.
Questions should be used to guide the discussion and keep it on track, but be ready to let the
discussion flow naturally. Often you'll find that the questions you have prepared will come up
naturally as part of the discussion.
Remind participants that there are not necessarily any right answers to the questions posed.
Don't be afraid to criticize a book, but try to get beyond the "I just didn't like it" statement. What
was it about the book that made it unappealing? The style? The pacing? The characters? Has
the author written other books that you liked better? Did it remind you of another book that you
liked or disliked? Some of the best book discussions center on books that many group members
disliked.
Try to keep a balance in the discussion between personal revelations and reactions and a
response to the book itself. Of course, every reader responds to a book in ways that are
intimately tied to his or her background, upbringing, experiences, and view of the world. A book
about a senseless murder will naturally strike a chord in a reader whose friend was killed. That's
interesting, but what's more interesting is how the author chose to present the murder, or the
author's attitude toward the murderer and victim. It's often too easy to let a group drown in
reminiscences. If that's what the whole group wants to do, that's fine, but keep in mind that then
it's not a book discussion.
Sample questions for your discussion:
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10.
How does the title relate to the book?
How believable are the characters? Which character do you identify with? Is it possible to
identify with any of these characters?
Is the protagonist sympathetic or unsympathetic? Why?
What themes - motherhood, self-discovery, wilderness, etc. - recur throughout the book? How
does the author use these themes? Do they work?
Why do certain characters act the way they act? What motivates a character to do something
that she would not normally do? Does she have an axe to grind, a political ideology, religious
belief, psychological disorder? Is there anything that you would call "out of character"? Does the
character grow over the course of the story?
What types of symbolism are in this novel? What do these objects really represent? How do
characters react to and with these symbolic objects?
Think about the broader social issues that this book is trying to address. For example, what
does the author think about anarchy versus capitalism as a means of life? How is a particular
culture or subculture portrayed? Favorably? Unfavorably?
Where could the story go from here? What is the future of these characters' lives? What would
our lives be like if we lived in this story? Could the civilization portrayed really exist? What if?
What does that character mean when he says "…"? How does the author use certain words and
phrases differently than we would normally use them? Does the author make up new words?
Why would he do that?
How does the arrangement of the book help or detract from the ideas in the novel? Does the
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arrangement contribute to themes or symbols? How is the book structured? Flashbacks? From
one or multiple points of view? Why do you think the author chose to write the book this way?
Does this book fit into or fight against a literary genre? How does the author use [science fiction,
humor, tragedy, romance] to effect in the novel? Does this book typify a regional (southern,
western) novel? How?
How does this book relate to other books you have read? Would this book make a good movie?
Is there a film adaptation of this book? How does the film compare to the book? What is brought
out or played down in the film version?
Is the setting of the book important to the theme? Why? How realistic is the setting?
What did the author attempt to do in the book? Was it successful?
What is the author's worldview?
Were the plot and subplots believable? Were they interesting? What loose ends, if any, did the
author leave?
What is the great strength - or most noticeable weakness - of the book?
For more information, contact:
Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library
800 Pike St.
Seattle, WA 98101
http://www.spl.org/wacentbook/centbook.html
Nancy Pearl, Executive Director
206-386-4184
[email protected]
Chris Higashi, Associate Director
206-386-4650
[email protected]
This guide was developed by the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library. It was
made possible through a grant from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The Washington Center for
the Book is one of eight member organizations of the Audiences for Literature Network, a national
network of literary centers made possible by the Fund.
.
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Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library
If All of Seattle Read the Same Book
A Reading Group Toolbox for Wild Life by Molly Gloss
Toolbox Contents
Recommended Reading
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The Living by Annie Dillard
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide by Robert Michael Pyle
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
More about the author: www.mollygloss.com
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