Karen welcomed U.S. G.I.R.L.S. and guests to Barbara Jean's lanai on the picturesque Intracoastal of Amelia Island. It was a lovely afternoon with a slow breeze blowing from the marsh. If we closed our eyes, and inhaled, we could almost smell the sugar cane all the way from Louisiana.
The private meeting space was cozy and reminiscent of the Bayou country;which was quite befitting for our discussion of Natalie Bazile's debut novel, Queen Sugar.
Once all members arrived, JayBee asked Karen if she could have a few minutes before she commenced the meeting. With this being our 10th anniversary, JayBee reminded everyone of the story of how we began and our first meeting hosted by Karen. JayBee asked everyone to sign a copy of our first read, "The Darkest Child" by Delores Philips for Karen to have as a keepsake. As we erupted into applause, Karen thanked the group and reiterated that she printed a copy of the game that she prepared for the1st meeting for us to enjoy (Karen has retained every email and document from our 1st meeting). What a treasure to have an invaluable archive!!
Karen prepared over 15 questions; addressing all the tough topics that were on everyone's mind; namely, East Coast and Southern family dynamics and perceptions...drug abuse and mental illness...divorce and dissention...family birthrights...woman in male dominated industries...and of course issues of entitlement.
While we all agreed that "Queen Sugar" began slowly and at a minimum contained 15% agricultural and industrial dialogue, it evoked much discussion and debate among the group; which is always an indication of a captivating read.
Many of Karen's questions took us down several paths - The guilt-ridden love that Miss Honey had for Ralph Angel prompted Twilla and Val to interject their views on the bonds of mother/son vs. mother/daughter. It really caused us to view our own families and some of the mothers present had to agree with some of the analogies presented. That was an ahhhhh moment for some of us....right, CeeMee?
MICAH + QUEEN SUGAR FLOAT RIDE x GRATITUDE = SEX? Mathematically, this equation did not work for U.S. G.I.R.L.S. I would like to offer another hypothesis: MICAH + PADDLE (2) / BEHAVIOR APOLOGY = WELL MANNERED CHILD. To be clear, I'm not advocating child abuse, simply behavior management. Sex for a float ride, seriously? Come on, Charley a homemade bundt cake or bushel of apples would have been much more appropriate. Now, that is how we do it in the south...with baked goods!
JayBee wanted more descriptions of areas she was not familiar with (i.e. the traps that Ralph Angel ran over) in order to have a visual of the extent of the damage. Karen and Ka Saundra explained the shape, size and scope of the traps that really helped explain the magnitude of he destruction. Now, we all understood the declaration (in the words of Donald Trump): "Ralph Angel, you're fired!"
Simply loved Karen's question about favorite characters because the answers were so diverse with various supporting reasons. Again, another sign of a well versed book club.
We all appreciated, Ka Saudra's clarification of the name "Da" that Ralph Angel used when addressing and referring to his grandmother.
We all took pause with the ending of the book and how we "wanted to know more" Maybe there will be a sequel???
Before closing, Karen introduced author, Shakira Thompson and her new book "High Noon Justice" Ms. Thompson told us a little about herself and he book, and also brought some beautifully custom designed cookies decorated with her book cover that were delectable!! She also autographed copies of her book for members and guests.
Thank you Karen for taking us to the marshy sugar cane fields of Louisana via "Queen Sugar" it was truly captavating!!
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