Suggested Discussion Outline

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Our July 31 meeting is at the Salt Lake Public Library (210 East 400 South) in Conference Room A which is on the lower level --

(1) At the foot of the grand staircase leading down from the Atrium; and/or

(2) Accessible by the elevator just inside the EAST entrance (NB: the regular elevators lead to a portion of the lower level that DOES NOT CONNECT WITH the portion of the lower level containing Conference Rooms A - C.

Please join us for socializing from 6:15 pm > 7:00 pm or, if you prefer, come only from 7:00 pm > 8:55 pm for our formal discussion.

We provide coffee/decaf and chocolate-chunk cookies and peanut-butter cookies.

Or bring your own snack(s) from the branch of the Salt Lake Roasting Co. on the first floor of the library, from Dunkin’ Donuts directly across 400 South from the library’s main entrance, or from home.

[Everyone is welcome to join us afterwards half a block south at Cannella's for drinks to socialize and/or continue the discussion -- everyone is welcome but Dutch treat.]

[Posted 7/29/2019.]
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johnkarls
Posts: 2034
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:43 pm

Suggested Discussion Outline

Post by johnkarls »

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From: john@johnkarls.com
To: Our 159 Members Individual-by-Individual
Bcc:
Subject: RL-SL – Meeting THIS WEDNESDAY July 31 – Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – Suggested Discussion Outline
Date: Sat, July 27, 2019 – from 3:13 am MDT to 4:32 MDT (since individual-by-individual)
Attachments:
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To: Our 159 Members Individual-by-Individual (for reasons explained in the PS)


Dear Friends,

First things first --

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PRAYERS FOR CAL BURGART REQUESTED WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE RELIGIOUS

Cal Burgart, who earned his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the U.S. National Nuclear-Research Laboratory at Oak Ridge - U/Tenn, has (1) led almost a dozen of our meetings on nuclear matters beginning with our 4/13/2011 meeting on Fukushima Daiichi, and (2) served as our nuclear expert on our Global-Warming Thorium-Fission Working Group which, since its formation last March, has mounted the first 4 of the 41 action campaigns chronicled in Section 1 of http://www.ReadingLiberally-SaltLake.org.

Cal will be entering the hospital this Sunday evening for an aortic valve replacement on Monday and, if all goes well, he will spend Monday night in “critical care” followed by 4 more nights in “acute care.”

Whether or not you are religious, your prayers throughout next week will be greatly appreciated!!!

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OUR FOCUS BOOK FOR THIS WED EVENING JULY 31st (please see below for time & venue)

“Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson

Amazon.com – 2016 paperback (349 pages) for $8.00 + shipping; $9.99 Kindle
Salt Lake City Library – original 2014 hard cover – 3 of 9 copies currently available
Salt Lake County Library – original 2014 hard cover – 25 of 41 copies currently available

[NB: First-time attendees who just want to give us a try are not expected to have read the focus book.]

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DESCRIPTION & AUTHOR BIO

“Brown Girl Dreaming” won the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbury Honor award, the NAACP Image Award, and the Silbert Honor Award.

It is a memoir of Jacqueline Woodson’s own early life, comprising 368 pages of poetry.

Raised in South Carolina and Brooklyn, Woodson shares what it was like to grow up an African American in the 1960’s and 1970’s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.

Jacqueline Woodson is the author of more than 30 award-winning books for young adults, middle graders and children. Among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbury Honor winner, a three-time National Book Award finalist (in addition to winning it for “Brown Girl Dreaming”) and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner.

Her “Miracle Boys” was adapted into a TV mini-series directed by Spike Lee.

She served 2015-2017 as the Poetry Foundation’s “Young People’s Poet Laureate.”

And the U.S. Library of Congress named her its “National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature” 2018-2019.


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SUGGESTED DISCUSSION OUTLINE FOR “BROWN GIRL DREAMING” BY JACQUELINE WOODSON


(A) The historical context for the first 7 years of Jacqueline Woodson’s life in Greenville SC and for spending the rest of her formative years in Brooklyn –

(1) Please see the Suggested Answers to the First Short Quiz which are available at http://discussingliberally-saltlake.org ... 549&t=1795.

(2) And the Suggested Answers to the Second Short Quiz which are available at http://discussingliberally-saltlake.org ... 549&t=1797.

(3) Other important considerations? For example, the civil-rights demonstrations by relatives/friends/neighbors in Greenville SC during the first 7 years of Jacqueline’s life.


(B) Important factors for why Jacqueline Woodson turned out so well vs. the odds for economically-disadvantaged black children (and, indeed, children from a “broken home” such as Jacqueline’s) --

(1) The love of Jacqueline’s grandmother.

(2) Taking on the tireless hard work of hired domestic help (in addition to her regular job) by Jacqueline’s grandmother so that she could “put food on the table” for 3 extra mouths.

(3) The deep religion of Jacqueline’s grandmother and how she brought religious stories to life each night for her 3 grandchildren while her feet were soaking in Epsom Salts.

(4) Other???


(C) The discussion questions posed in the Second Short Quiz -

(1) Despite being America’s first “sanctuary city” as the “underground railroad” terminus for many, if not most, runaway Southern slaves prior to the Civil War (Q&A-9 through Q&A-16 of the Second Short Quiz), is Brooklyn the POLAR OPPOSITE of modern-day “sanctuary cities” because Brooklyn was OPPOSED to slavery???

[As we have studied many times beginning with our 2/14/2008 meeting 11.5 years ago focusing on Dana Milbank’s “Homo Politicus” and Robert Kuttner’s “The Squandering of America” -- “The Establishment” (which we have always defined as the billionaires who “own” both political parties, who “own” many, if not most, members of the Mainstream Media, and who “own” many members of academia) have conducted a “War on American Workers” since 1992 in the form of exporting American jobs via so-called “free trade” agreements AND IN THE FORM OF REVERSING THE OUTCOME OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR BY IMPORTING “SLAVE LABORERS” (ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO CANNOT COMPLAIN ABOUT ANY CONDITIONS METED OUT TO THEM FOR FEAR OF BEING REPORTED TO I.C.E.).]

[NB: In order to have an opinion on The Establishment’s two-prong “War on American Workers,” you do not have to have read “Homo Politicus” by the Washington Post’s long-time liberal OpEd Columnist, Dana Milbank, who is syndicated nationally, or “The Squandering of America” by Robert Kuttner, Brandeis U Prof and former long-time liberal columnist for Business Week who continues to write columns for The Huffington Post and The New York Times.]

(2) Do Jacqueline Woodson’s poems seem to reflect the vast differences between Greenville SC and Brooklyn???

(3) Which of Jacqueline Woodson’s poems are your favorites??? Why???

(4) Have you memorized any of them??? Why???


(D) Any other issues, comments or questions???


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RSVP’s REQUESTED -- (plus TIME & VENUE)

Please RSVP for Wed July 31st (7:00 pm - 9:00 pm) by pressing your “reply” button and typing “I plan to attend.”

Because the RSVP’s can, BY UNANIMOUS VOTE, decide to change the venue from the Salt Lake Library (210 East 400 South) to suit their convenience.

[In other words, one negative vote maintains Salt Lake Library as the venue.]

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SKYPE PARTICIPATION

Non-SLCounty residents (and residents who are out of town) are invited to participate in our meeting via Skype.

If you would like to do so, please press your “reply” button and type “request participation via Skype” and we will contact you to make appropriate arrangements.


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We hope to see all of you on Wed evening, July 31.

Your friend,

John K.

PS – This e-mail is being sent individual-by-individual because of the refusal of Major E-mail Providers to deliver our e-mail as documented in the four postings in Section 2 of http://www.ReadingLiberally-SaltLake.org.

PPS - To un-subscribe, please press “reply” and type “deletion requested.”

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