A film version of Water for Elephants, starring Reese Witherspoon, is currently in theaters; our own reviewers recommend skipping the movie and reading the book.
Relevant links for Water for Elephants:
Reviews
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/arts/12iht-0713water-review.6629438.html
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-05-31-water-for-elephants_x.htm
http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews2/1565124995.asp
Video Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8WhEujdrZg
Interviews/Analysis
http://bestsellers.about.com/od/authorinterviews/a/sara_gruen_intv.htm
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/sara-gruen/
Audio Interviews:
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=5535347&m=5535348 NPR
http://www.wcbn.org/livingwriters/interviews.html scroll down to Gruen's interview
Video clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-3XN5_mVJM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbdX6thhzXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yDpBMgXihM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umaajFMPnzo&playnext=1&list=PLF8246C4BEA6B67BD
Other links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_for_Elephants
http://saragruen.com/
http://www.bookweb.org/files/open/pdf/BScasestudy.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In order to give readers plenty of time to get and read upcoming books, we select books for two meetings in advance.
For July, we return to non-fiction with a book we have been eagerly awaiting in the paperback release: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks", by Rebecca Skloot (2010, 313 pages).
Just the simple facts are hard to believe: that in 1951, a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer, but pieces of the tumor that killed her--taken without her knowledge or consent--live on, first in one lab, then in hundreds, then thousands, then in giant factories churning out polio vaccines, then aboard rocket ships launched into space. The cells from this one tumor would spawn a multi-billion dollar industry and become a foundation of modern science--leading to breakthroughs in gene mapping, cloning and fertility and helping to discover how viruses work and how cancer develops (among a million other things). All of which is to say: the science end of this story are gripping enough to hold your attention. But what is truly remarkable about Henrietta Lacks' story was hidden until Rebecca Skloot spent ten years unearthing it: Who was Henrietta Lacks? How did she live? How she did die? Did her family know that she had become, in some sense, immortal, and how did that affect them? These are crucial questions, because science should never forget the people who gave it life. And so, what unfolds is not only a reporting tour de force but also a very compelling account of Henrietta, her ancestors, her cells and the scientists who grew them, as well as the larger cultural context within which the Lacks family endures.
Don't be shy if you've missed prior meetings! We are eager to meet you and share in your insights.
Here is a list of Previously Read Books
Looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting!
Excelsior Book Club
A project of the Excelsior District Improvement Association