By Kathy Bryan
Where to start? Julie Andrews (she is now 85, did you know?) would say to start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start, and normally I would agree, but what if I don’t really know where the beginning is? I think I will start in the middle, just jump right in, like a stone, and see where the ripples lead. (Note to self, you could try making a list and tick off all the things you want to say!)
Our most recent book club
Firstly, thank you to everyone who came. It was a great turn out and wonderful to see you all after the summer.
Our last book club book was a little different from previous ones. There Are No Grown-Ups, by Pamela Druckerman, has the subtitle, A Midlife Coming-of-Age Story. It looks at her life in her 40s through a number of stories about her experiences. It’s also punctuated by “You know you’re in your forties when….”-type lists, which are more generalised. Whilst written from her perspective, there was also obviously a lot of research put into it. That said, it also managed to divide our book club. Some really enjoyed it, whilst others did not. Perhaps we were all looking for different things from the book, and it just was not possible for it to answer all our demands. At the start of the paragraph, I said it was a little different from other books we have read, and one of the most noticeable things was that we finished discussing the book itself really quickly. However, for all that, we did find it was a conversation starter, and whilst not discussing the book directly, we spent a lot of time talking about growing older (NOT old just older). I am not sure it was even really about us growing up, but definitely aging. And, for that alone, I am very glad we read the book. There is nothing quite like finding a group of people, from so many different backgrounds, in different places in their lives, who can sit and talk frankly about what going through your 30s, 40s, 50s, and onwards, as a woman, can be like. I think we all signed off that Zoom call, if not with answers, at least with a greater sense of “Phew, I am not alone”. Thanks to the book club members, for being you.
Well, that got kind of gushy, sorry. Right, moving on.
Our next read
Quoting Monty Python, “And now for something completely different!”
We will be reading I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb.
This month is a “topic/cause” month, and the list of possible books was drawn from women of colour, feminist authors/icons.
If you are not currently a member of Über Moms, or you have a friend who isn’t but who would like to join us in reading this book and discussing it on the 12th of November, then I have good news for you! Topic/cause month book clubs are open to all, including non-members. Simply sign up on our website following the link .
I already have my copy sitting on my desk, waiting for me to start reading. There were so many good books on the list, I thought I would include it, as well, in case you wanted to explore other books, too.
Becoming - Michelle Obama
The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison
Letter to My Daughter - Maya Angelou
Betraying Big Brother - Leta Hong Fincher
Your Silence Will Not Protect You - Audre Lorde
There were also two books which were considered but not included on the list
We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This was not included as it is more an essay than a book for a monthly read. It was published following a TED talk of the same name.
Young, Female, and Black - Heidi Safia Mirza
This was not included because it is currently only readily available for us as an e-book, and not all of our members have e-readers.
Looking into the future
Something else that came from our discussions at the last meeting was ideas for future book lists. Watch this space in the months to come as we bring those lists into reality. One proposal, which was really enthusiastically received, was to invite our very own Über Moms to a book club meeting. We are striking whilst the iron is hot with this one. Possibly this is another side effect of the ongoing pandemic. The distance between us and our loved ones is particularly keenly felt by those living away from their family and childhood friends.
For a number of years, we have looked at the world becoming a smaller place as modern travel allowed us to hop on a plane and wing our way to all corners of the globe. Now, of course, the distance hasn’t really changed, but our perception of it perhaps has. Just when we need the reassurance of, and time in, the company of those dear to us, it is the one thing we can’t really get. So, we would like you to invite your mums, our Über Über Moms, to join our December Book Club. Not only join but to help us choose the book we read. If you are a member of Über Moms and would like to be a part of this, it is really very straightforward.
Ask your mum if she would like to - if, for whatever reason you are unable to ask your mum but have someone in a similar position in your life as a mum then please ask her
Ask your mum to choose/recommend a book
Submit her suggestion to me kathybryan@ubermoms.de by 1st November
Register you and your mum for the book club on the 10th of December
Read the book and come to the Zoom call armed with thoughts on the book and a glass of what you fancy.
Once I have received all the recommendations, I will put them in a real hat and get my children to draw 5 titles from it which we will then vote on in the usual way (a poll on Facebook). It would be wonderful to have lots of titles in the hat so please do get asking.
With that, I will leave you for this month. Please take a look at this month’s book! If you would like to come to Book Club with your mum, get her thinking of a recommendation and sign up for December. And finally, I hope you all find a little time for yourselves to curl up with a good book and a warm cup of something.
Kathy Bryan
Kathy Bryan is a stay at home mum with 15 years experience of raising three independent, loving, fun-filled, maddening children. Prior to moving to a village south of Munich, she lived with her family in the middle of England. Being a firm believer that being a stay at home mum does not mean you have to forget who you are, she was always busy in the village, both as a Governor at the school and helping organise village fetes amongst other things. Since arriving in Germany and getting settled here Kathy joined Über Moms and is an active member of the Runners Group and recently started Über Moms very own book club. When not chasing children to do homework or running the highways and byways around her village Kathy can be found sewing patchwork and working out ways to hide “another quilt” in the house.