BOOK CLUB BEAT
with Sherry Hemingway
I
n her debut novel of historical
fi ction, “The Housegirl,” author
Tara Conklin has intertwined two
compelling stories about truth and
fairness. The fi rst is that of Josephine, a
young slave girl serving as handmaiden
to the Missus on a Virginia plantation
in 1852. The second is that of Lina,
a bright, young lawyer aiming for the
partner track in a male-dominated law
fi rm in modern-day New York. Conklin
tells both of these stories in fast-paced,
alternating chapters
A wealthy client of Lina’s law firm
proposes a multi-billion dollar slav-
ery reparations suit. Lina is assigned
to identify an individual slave, find
the slave’s direct descendants, and
‘The Housegirl’
Author Tera Conklin
demonstrate the impact that slavery
has on those living today. Lina is the
daughter of a famous artist herself. Her
art connections lead her to suspect that
world- famous drawings of Virginia
slaves may actually have been done by a
housegirl, not the wife of the plantation
owner credited with the brilliant work.
At the same time, the reader is
learning the back story of Josephine and
her art, on paper secretly permitted by
her Missus. The book says, Josephine
“moved through the world empty-
handed with nothing properly to give,
nothing she might lay claim to.” She
told herself, “You have nothing. You are
nothing.” And then she decides to run.
Because of its unspeakable pain,
slavery is always a tough read. The
back and forth chapters about the
two women in different eras serves to
interrupt the intensity. We get the full
story, but in manageable pieces.
Beautifully written, the book has
universal themes about the role of
women, cover-ups, people willing to
tell the truth, and finding the truth.
It is somewhat unusual for all the
members of a book club to love a book,
but this one is getting all thumbs up.
Gilroy Library Book Club:
Library Provides Books
Evening gathering of the Gilroy Library Book Club (l. to r.): Rosemary Munoz,
Cindy Wilber, Sharon Tyler, Librarian Kelly Young, Alicia M. Gonzales and Kyle.
The Gilroy Public Library takes the expense
out of book club membership by providing
multiple copies of the month’s selection
for their club members to check out. Club
members say Librarian Kelly Young “picks good
books” from a broad range of genres including
sci-fi , classics, teens, fi ction, non-fi ction and
mysteries. Adults of all ages are welcome.
For convenience, the Book Club meets for
discussion twice a month about the same
book, with the evening session at 7 pm on the
last Tuesday of each month, and the morning
session at 10:15 am on the fi rst Friday of the
following month.
SHERRY HEMINGWAY
spent her childhood after lights
out with a book and flashlight
under the covers. With degrees
from Kent State University and
Harvard University, her lifelong
career was in journalism and
public relations. Her hobbies
are travel in (very) remote
countries, volunteering, and
two book clubs.
Favorite Books
“Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese
“The Samurai’s Garden” by Gail Tsukiyama
“The Dovekeepers” by Alice Hoffman
“Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach
“The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed” by John Valliant
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
MAY/JUNE 2017
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