BookTalk.org

Please notice the "Guns, Germs and Steels" forum has been pulled out of the Archives forum for a brand new book discussion.

We can still continue this thread and possibly select another non-fiction book for December and January.

Only a third of the way through Arguably? I've been debating whether to buy it or not, because its not available at my library

Heledd wrote:Only a third of the way through Arguably? I've been debating whether to buy it or not, because its not available at my library

Arguably is definitely worth buying. It is informative, engaging, provocative and entertaining, covering a wide range of interesting topics as listed in the forum. Hitchens is a brilliant and eclectic writer, and never dull.

Most of the essays are available on the internet, and I have linked the ones I like in the threads as we have been discussing them. If you read a few there you can try before you buy. There are still a lot of essays in it that we have not yet discussed, and that would keep us going through December.

Arguably Booktalk Forum: http://www.booktalk.org/arguably-essays ... -f182.html

Oh ok. I will try and get it for my Kindle. I assumed the discussion would be almost over. am also waiting for the library to get me The House of the Spirits

I sent a message to Chris O'Conner earlier, to see if it's OK to suggest my own book. He assures me it is, so here goes;

My book might be a bit of a change for non-fiction readers here, but I think it would be an interesting possibility. Breaking the Code - a Father's Secret, a Daughter's Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything, just came out on 11/1/11. It is a memoir published by Sourcebooks.

In short, it is about my father, a WWII veteran, who began experiencing flashbacks and nightmares more than 50-years after the war. I began asking him questions, hoping to find a way to help him. What I discovered over the course of several years, is that he hadn't sat behind a desk during the war, as he'd lead me to believe all my life. He'd actually been a top secret code breaker, and was in two major battles of the war. It was this work that laid the foundation for the greatest trauma of his life.

Given the subject of the book, I think this would be a great book to start people talking about story-telling, family secrets, and the power of story to change lives. It's a great discussion book and I'd be happy to participate in any way you all see fit. My hope with the book, is to inspire others to get their own family histories written down. I could also talk about the writing and publishing process.

So, there you have it, for what it's worth. Thank you for considering, Breaking the Code. If you'd like to read an excerpt, click on the link to my website in my signature line. My father and I were also just interviewed on NPR - you can listen to it here; http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlaye ... =142072750 . ~Karen

Thanks Karen.

That sounds interesting Karen. I've just finished a book by Denis Avey who was a prisoner of war in World War 2 and actually swapped places with a guy in Auschwitz to see for himself what conditions there were like. He also describes the trauma of the post war years.

This thread is being closed and locked. Not enough non-fiction books we're suggested and the feedback was virtually non-existent. As I'd said before under our current book selection process feedback on the suggestions your fellow members make is the backbone of the process. Without feedback we have no means of knowing if anyone other than the person who suggested the book will actually read and discuss it.

We can try this again in a few weeks with a new thread. As of right now we have "Arguably" to discuss and "Guns, Germs and Steel" was pulled from the archives and made an active forum again. Hopefully you can join those discussions.