Just a quick note- Liz&Meg... don't forget to tag someone to choose the book for April's discussion! Also, I love that you posted your selection halfway through February. That gives everyone a chance to get a copy of the book.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading "Kindred". It took me a chapter or so to get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down, and I now remember why I loved it so much when I read it in high school! It was one of the few required readings that ever caught my attention.
I've found some websites with discussion questions relating to "Kindred" but I thought that for now we could each just talk about our thoughts and reactions to the book. Then, in a few days, I'll post a few of the discussion questions and we can go from there!
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Well, it looks like nobody really wants to go first so I guess I'll go!
The one thing that really stands out for me is how much Dana gave up to "save" her ancestry. I'm not really sure if everything she did was totally necessary. Who's to say that everything wouldn't have turned out the same if she hadn't been there and felt like she had to fix everything.
She gave up a lot and sacrificed a lot of herself (emotionally, mentally, and physically) for Rufus. I really began to hate Rufus! All he did was take and take and expected still more than she could give!
One thing that really impressed me about Dana was how she was able to push her pride aside and try to live the best she could in the times that she was put into. I don't know if I would have been able to subject myself to the things she did in order to survive. I'm proud to be a woman and I don't want anyone to put me down or treat me as less than an equal.
One question, does anyone think she wouldn't have lost her arm if she hadn't killed Rufus?
As I've already said, I really enjoyed this book. I don't know that I have any deep thoughts or insights, but what struck me the most was Dana's attitude towards slavery. She didn't seem bitter or use her race as a crutch. She accepted that it was part of her past and through her time travel experiences, allowed it to make her stronger. It bothers me when people try to use their past or the past of their ancestors as a crutch or an excuse for why they are the way they are, or why they are entitled to certain things.
I had forgotten how vivid the description of the slave whippings are in the book. My stomach just churned, thinking that people have been and in some parts of the world, still are, treated that way.
I love that towards the end of the story we learn that Kevin had been helping slaves escape to the North. It was nice to see that he learned from the mistakes of history, rather than letting himself become jaded by the behaviours of those around him. Dana points out at one point in the story, how easily her and Kevin each slipped into their different roles. Rather than being husband and wife, they became to some degree, slave and master, but in the end, Kevin doesn't really conform to the ways of the "white man" in that time period.
And to answer Aubrey's question... I don't think that she would've lost her arm if she hadn't killed Rufus.
Sorry to chime in late. I've been out of town all weekend! I'm not sure she had a choice in saving Rufus. If wasn't like she had a choice in going or not. I hated Rufus too and was impressed at how patient she was with him. It would have been hard to pretend to be a part of that era and like aubrey said, subject herself to that kind of life.
I agree that Dana and Kevin had to act their roles, but I was also amazed at how they stayed true to each other even with the time differences and the separation and the obvious "trials" in their own marriage with race and prejudice even in their own time. I thought that was an interesting twist-not only was it a black woman with rights going back into the slave era but one in the 1970's who was pushing the envelope of that time as well. She was "forward thinking" for her current era and then had to step back into a completely different world that tested every part of her pride!
I really enjoyed this book. Good pick, Claire!!
I definitely was not a big Rufus fan. I couldn't believe how much he expected of Dana...and I can't believe she still treated him as nicely as she did.
I agree with everyone about hers and Kevin's relationship and how strong it was. I really liked Kevin a lot.
Also, I think that she lost her arm because Rufus was holding it at the end, didn't she? And he couldn't come back to the future with her...so her arm stayed behind in the past. At least that's the way I took it....
I felt very bad for poor Alice. what a sad life she had. I think that Dana was just as much her helper as she was Rufus's.
I really like Tiffany's comment about Dana being Alice's helper as much as Rufus'. I never thought of it that way, but its totally true! Without Dana, there is a chance that Hagar never would've been born, because Alice was at the point where she would rather try to run and risk death, than to be with Rufus.
I felt the same way about helping Alice. It was clear that she detested Rufus near the end and I kept thinking that she must be only doing this to secure her lineage and help Alice. I thought the parallels between her and Alice that the other slaves would make and Rufus even would make (that they made up one person) were interesting. It was just interesting confirmation of their relation, even a hundred years later.
I thought the same thing about her arm. I thought it only stayed because he wouldn't let go. I found it very interesting that it ended that way. I remember reading a book recently where the last line you discover that the main character's daughter had drowned and that was it and I just kept thinking, that's it? You're gonna leave me hanging here not knowing how this is resolved? When of course that's how it's intended and truly, it is resolved. In one sense.
I found the education of free papers, the view of an educated black being despised even by the slaves, and the lifestyle they lived to be very fascinating. I went through a big Civil War fascination as a teen and read a lot but it's been a while! So I appreciated the refresher, even in fiction form!
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