Giraffe LBC - Children of Men Write Up

Giraffe LBC

Venue: Giraffe Bar and Grill

Date:  Tuesday 7th of October 2014

Time:  6pm - 8pm

Address: 6 Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5RW

Tel: (0113) 244 1500

THE CHILDREN OF MEN

P.D. JAMES

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

Huge thanks to the wonderful @AlisonNeale for providing this write up and co-ordinating the return of the Dystopian book club for 2014!

BLURB

The Children of Men is a story of a world with no children and no future. 
The human race has become infertile, and the last generation to be born is now adult. Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience with his cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live . . . and they may also hold the key to survival for the human race.

FILM BLURB

No children. No future. No hope. In the year 2027, eighteen years since the last baby was born, disillusioned Theo (Clive Owen) becomes an unlikely champion of the human race when he is asked by his former lover (Julianne Moore) to escort a young pregnant woman out of the country as quickly as possible. In a thrilling race against time, Theo will risk everything to deliver the miracle the whole world has been waiting for. Co-starring Michael Caine, filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men is the powerful film Pete Hammond of Maxim calls "magnificent...a unique and totally original vision.

We read the book and watched the film in this case, and unusually, they both have merit in different areas, although they bear little resemblance. It was noticeable that those of us who read the book first preferred it, while those who knew the film beforehand enjoyed its bleaker story line and cinematic beauty. It was also felt that the film was more representative of its time in terms of politics and attitudes, while the book was somehow timeless, or perhaps more accurately old-fashioned. The film felt more global, the book more local. In the film the baby needed to escape the UK, and thus Theo’s (the protagonist) role at the end had been played out; the book, conversely, kept the baby in the UK, so Theo had a new part to play, as protector.


This may have to do with the altered setting:

• the film shows the country in a violent and dangerous flux after the discovery of the fertility problem, 
• whereas the book seems to be set much later, when the ageing population has calmed somewhat and just wants to ensure a peaceful, safe existence, free from boredom.

One reader suggested that the book would have been more interesting without the baby, simply telling the tale of the demise of the human race until the lights went out. Certainly the disturbing idea of the Quietus - not used in the film - gives a glimpse of the brutal possibilities. So to a major criticism of the novel: coincidence. It was felt to be somewhat unrealistic that Theo just happened to know someone at the Quietus he attended. In a rather larger example, how fortunate that of all the women who could get pregnant, it was one of the rebel group. Some book clubbers pointed out that in the novel the population has shrunk significantly and society is very insular, so it is less unrealistic. The film does not suffer from this problem. In the novel, it is men who have become infertile - a clever device, as it narrows the window to recover the human race in a way that infertile women does not. The latter is the case in the film, which some felt disempowered women and at the same time changed the dynamic of the rebel group. The characters in the novel are thoroughly unlikeable, be it unpleasant or completely devoid of personality, and none of us felt any sympathy for them. Some readers pointed out that this would not have been a problem had they been interesting. Sadly, so often not the case. We agreed that the one character we really wanted to know more about was the Warden, whose motives were never entirely clear. Both novel and film were felt to be hyper-realisations of immigration policy. The film, with its detention centre, took this to extremes, while the book only mentioned in passing the trials and treatment of the ‘sojourners’. A good point was made that this element of the story could not have worked anywhere but on an island. British society has fought to retain the country as a last bastion of civilisation and hope, resigning itself to dictatorship in order to retain order. We had an intriguing conflict of opinion about Theo’s actions at the end of the book. Some of us felt that unpleasant as Theo was, it was only when he donned the ring at the end that he lost his morality and humanity; others disagreed, claiming that the ring was a temporary measure and his actions redeemed his earlier crime of wilful blindness. You’ll have to read the book yourself to decide! Criticism of the author’s repetitive style also caused discussion, with a few readers feeling that it built in atmosphere and emphasised the religious tone, while others claimed that it made the book more difficult (in one case impossible) to read. The religious theme and references throughout the book annoyed some readers (partly owing to recognising vaguely, but not fully understanding them); however, it was acknowledged that the author and any readers with a similar viewpoint would enjoy their significance. We felt that this dystopia was a realistic imagination of events that could genuinely come to pass, with some nifty nods to long-term British political issues. Our criticism was more of writing style than storyline, and this is reflected in our scores. The film probably won out in the end, though.

Score:

6/10

Our next read is Divergent by Veronica Roth!

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #GiraffeLBC.

Follow @GiraffeTweet for details on the deliciousables and their projects nationwide.

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * Giraffe LBC * * * * *

10 - FEB - Divergent - Veronica Roth 
09 - JAN - Children of Men - P.D. James - GUEST

08 - OCT - High Rise - J.G. Ballard - GUEST
07 - JUL - The Miracle Inspector - Helen Smith - GUEST 
06 - APR - Logan's Run - Book and Film - GUEST
05 - FEB - Watchmen - Comic and Film

04 - NOV - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - GUEST
03 - OCT - The Iron Heel - Jack London - GUEST
02 - AUG - The Running Man - Stephen King
01 - JUL - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - GUEST

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Guest - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents

Giraffe LBC - High Rise - Write Up

Giraffe LBC

Venue: Giraffe Bar and Grill

Date:  Tuesday October 2013

Time:  6pm - 8pm

Address: 6 Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5RW

Tel: (0113) 244 1500

HIGH RISE

J.G. BALLARD

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

BLURB

Within the concealing walls of an elegant forty-storey tower block, the affluent tenants are hell-bent on an orgy of destruction. Cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on ‘enemy’ floors and the once-luxurious amenities become an arena for riots and technological mayhem.

In this visionary tale of urban disillusionment from the renowned author of Crash and Cocaine Nights, society slips into a violent reverse as the isolated inhabitants of the high-rise, driven by primal urges, recreate a dystopian world ruled by the laws of the jungle.

Huge thanks to the wonderful @AlisonNeale for providing this write up and co-ordinating the Dystopian book club!

Possibly the oddest opening line I’ve ever read and the book only gets weirder. We agreed at the start, however, that this book is not intended to be realistic – although those of us living in blocks of flats could see flashes of realism in the situation – and is instead an allegory and an amplification of the actions of humanity in times of crisis.

High-Rise interestingly reveals that even among people of one class or social stratum, divisions and shifts of allegiance into tribes will take place. There’s always someone to look down on or blame. Politically, this is perhaps a particularly good time to be reading such a book.

The story switches between representatives of the tribes, allowing the reader alone to realise the depth of paranoia among the inhabitants of the high-rise. Alongside the author, residents are shown to be orchestrating and furthering the ‘experiment’, videoing events and manipulating those around them. We found it hard to understand why they wished to exacerbate the situation and at the same time keep it a secret from the outside world. As society breaks down, the adults become primeval cave(wo)men – a behaviour that in the character of Laing, for example, leads to uncomfortable extremes.

So, what did we think of it?

This is the first dystopian novel we have read set in such insular circumstances. In fact, the setting of London is completely irrelevant: the story could be anywhere, and almost at any time. However, it took us longer to read than expected, given that it’s a short book. We found it interesting, but unpleasant; however, we were nearly all ‘gripped’ and eager to reach the end. Said ending was somewhat unexpected, although its lack of a proper conclusion was not unliked by most.

We noted the book’s detached feel: there is no moralising, no judgement – simply documentary narration. On the heels of the recent announcement of a film version, we felt that the last lines of the story seemed particularly cinematic.

At the same time, however, we were uncomfortable with the extremely male perspective: rape was a simple shorthand for the breakdown in society and some of the attitudes to an extent reflect the time in which the book was written. Abusive behaviour also applied to the treatment of animals – again a rather uncomfortable read – but oddly, in this case the author gave more detail and expressed far more sympathy than for the humans.

The scores probably accurately reflect our feelings: it was a worthy novel, well written, and while in no way was it a pleasure to read, we were glad we had.

Score:

6/10

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #GiraffeLBC.

Follow @GiraffeTweet for details on the deliciousables and their projects nationwide (which this month include an awesome #GiraffesCantDance giveaway!).

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * Giraffe LBC * * * * *

10 - FEB - Divergent - Veronica Roth 
09 - JAN - Children of Men - P.D. James - GUEST

08 - OCT - High Rise - J.G. Ballard - GUEST
07 - JUL - The Miracle Inspector - Helen Smith - GUEST 
06 - APR - Logan's Run - Book and Film - GUEST
05 - FEB - Watchmen - Comic and Film

04 - NOV - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - GUEST
03 - OCT - The Iron Heel - Jack London - GUEST
02 - AUG - The Running Man - Stephen King
01 - JUL - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - GUEST

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Guest - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents

Giraffe LBC - The Miracle Inspector Review - GUEST

#Giraffe LBC

Venue:   Giraffe Bar and Grill

Date:    Tuesday 30th of July 2013

Time:    6pm - 8pm

Address: 6 Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5RW

Tel:     (0113) 244 1500

THE MIRACLE INSPECTOR

HELEN SMITH

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

Huge thanks as ever to our wonderful Superstar Guest star @AlisonNeale for providing us with this terrific write up. She has become the de facto leader of Giraffe LBC (whether she knows it or not) and an truly great person to know! 

From the Author (from Amazon)

My favorite dystopian novels are Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and The Children of Men by P D James (which was made into one of my favorite dystopian films, Children of Men, by Alfonso Cuarón).

The Miracle Inspector is a blackly comic dystopian novel inspired by my time spent volunteering as a mentor for exiled writers in London through British charity Freedom from Torture.

Rather than try to tell the stories of the people I met, I wondered what it would be like if I had to flee from London without money or possessions. How would I escape? What kind of reception would I get if I arrived somewhere without money or possessions, with little understanding of the culture? How would I know who to trust? That was my starting point. I hope people will finish the book asking some of the questions I started with.

About the characters

As I sat down to write, I had this image of a man and a woman sitting in their kitchen at breakfast time, unable to communicate--as if this was the 1950s and they had been locked into a stifling marriage for thirty years. But then it would become clear that they were very young --in their early twenties--and that the setting was a nightmarish future in which women have been stripped of many of the rights and benefits that we take for granted in modern society, and they have to be cautious about what they say, even in their own homes.

The young couple are called Lucas and Angela. I wanted the first half of the book to be Lucas's story and for Angela to emerge more strongly in the second half as she takes responsibility for her life and starts to find her voice. I had a good idea of how the story would unfold before I sat down to plot it. I wanted this young couple to try to flee London and for everything to go wrong.

If that sounds a bit heavy, I ought to say that although it's not as frivolous as my two earlier books, Alison Wonderland and Being Light, there's plenty of humor in The Miracle Inspector. I hope readers will enjoy it, despite the moments of sadness.

The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith caused something of a split in opinion. In an issue that has arisen before when discussing dystopian novels, some readers wanted a feeling for the world but concentration on characters and plot, while others wanted detail, detail and more detail. This novel satisfied the former group: plotlines went unexplained and the causes of the strangely isolated London of the story were never fleshed out. Some book clubbers felt that what was known of the situation, while possible in our tabloid-obsessed society, could not have happened quite as rapidly as suggested. It was perhaps a little too ‘convenient’ to appear realistic.

However, there was some discussion of how scarily close the circumstances of women in the novel matched those of some countries today, and recent events in Egypt show how quickly existing freedoms can be lost. Book clubbers pointed out that, as we have seen in the UK, freedoms are lost bit by bit, in an almost inconsequential manner.

The fear of relationships and human interaction was certainly an interesting, rather modern theme, and the reactions of the escapees to life in Slough, with its nail varnish and online dating were quite insightful, although some readers felt they were a little simplistic: the point was delivered with a sledgehammer, someone said.

Perhaps our biggest problem with the book was that the characters were unsympathetic and the relationships unconvincing. It is possible that some further dystopian detail might have made up for this. What detail did appear was enjoyable, such as the havoc that UN peacekeepers were causing in the countryside, and the utopian ideal of Cornwall - not entirely unknown today!

The lack of detail was lauded in the torture scenes, and yet an oddly brutal murder scene earlier made us query the dual approach to portrayal of violence. Everyone, I think, liked the ending with its lack of resolution, which we felt worked well with the odd, varied pacing of the latter half of the book.

One particular complaint made here, but more generally applicable to dystopian fiction we’ve read so far, was (and I quote) that ‘no one gets to enjoy a nice bit of sex’. Sex is often shorthand for a Bad Thing, be that an opiate or comfort blanket to avoid facing the bigger questions, or simply used to make a point of hypocrisy.

In conclusion, then, everyone agreed that the shining reviews in various newspapers and online seemed thoroughly at odds with what they had read and, sadly, the scores reflect this. This was not a satisfying dystopian novel but we all felt that there were some really good ideas that with a little more thought and work could have made a much better story.

LBC Note
So gutted that I wasn't able to attend the meet up - I really enjoyed this book and would have loved a good debate about it!

Score:

5/10

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #GiraffeLBC.

Follow @GiraffeTweet for details on the deliciousables and their projects nationwide (which this month include an awesome #GiraffesCantDance giveaway!).

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * Giraffe LBC * * * * *

10 - FEB - Divergent - Veronica Roth 
09 - JAN - Children of Men - P.D. James - GUEST

08 - OCT - High Rise - J.G. Ballard - GUEST
07 - JUL - The Miracle Inspector - Helen Smith - GUEST 
06 - APR - Logan's Run - Book and Film - GUEST
05 - FEB - Watchmen - Comic and Film

04 - NOV - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - GUEST
03 - OCT - The Iron Heel - Jack London - GUEST
02 - AUG - The Running Man - Stephen King
01 - JUL - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - GUEST

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Guest - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents

Giraffe LBC - The Iron Heel Write Up - Guest

#Giraffe LBC

Venue: Giraffe Bar and Grill

Date:  Tuesday 16th of October 2012

Time:  6pm - 8pm

Address: 6 Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5RW

Tel: (0113) 244 1500

THE IRON HEEL

JACK LONDON

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

* * * * * SPOILERS * * * * *

BLURB

Novel by Jack London, published in 1908, describing the fall of the United States to the cruel fascist dictatorship of the Iron Heel, a group of monopoly capitalists. Fearing the popularity of socialism, the plutocrats of the Iron Heel conspire to eliminate democracy and, with their secret police and military, terrorize the citizenry. They instigate a German attack on Hawaii on Dec. 4, 1912; as socialist revolutions topple capitalist governments around the world, the Iron Heel has 52 socialist members of the U.S. Congress imprisoned for treason. Elements of London's vision of fascism, civil war, and governmental oppression proved to be prophetic in the first half of the 20th century. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --

NOTE FROM L.B.C.

Sadly there is no write up.

 @Monkeyson had promised to polish his notes up. We met for  a quiet pint. He revealed his plans for me to start a new book club and immediately afterwords mysteriously disappeared. 
Never to be heard of since. 

It's all very sad. 

However, the following document has become available and may answer some of your questions about the book club that night. Not about the disappearance. 

All very sad.  

The Monkeyson Manuscript

Introduction by unknown scholar from the future.

# The Iron Heel by Jack London. 

## Foreword 

It cannot be said that the "Monkeyson Manuscript", a write-up of October's dystopian Leeds Book Club meeting, is an important historical document. Looking back across the months that have lapsed since the group met, it is clear that many points of discussion regarding characters and plot development that were confused and veiled to the manuscript author are now clear to us. He lacked perspective. He was too close to the club meeting he writes about. Nay, he was merged in the events he has described.

Nevertheless, as a personal document, the Monkeyson Manuscript is of inestimable value. Especially valuable is it in communicating to us the FEEL of that meeting. Nowhere do we find more vividly portrayed the psychology of the persons that attended that club between 1800 and 2130 - their insight and analysis, their jokes and humour, their inconceivable delusions of convincing their benevolent dictator to set up another book club. These are the things that are so hard for us of this enlightened age to understand.

It is apparent that @monkeyson began the Manuscript during the last days of the Leeds International Film Festival. It is quite clear that he intended the Manuscript for immediate publication, as soon as the book club was over. Then came the frightful watching of the 31 films, then Christmas, and it is probable that in the subsequent and dispiriting moment of a Saturday night in with no Doctor Who to watch that he dashed off the entire Manuscript and emailed it to the Leeds Book Club blog. 


## Chapter One. The Challenge. 

It was lunchtime when Leeds Book Club DMed me* to ask if I could host the dystopian book club that evening. Due to foreseen circumstances she could not make it, and due to unforeseen circumstances neither could her backup. I was only about two thirds of the way through the book, but I accepted the offer and started reading furiously. I hoped to finish it before the meeting took place.

_* Direct message. A means of communicating in private on an otherwise public social network._

The book was _The Iron Heel_, a novel by American author Jack London. It was based on the "Everhard Manuscript", a woman's account of life during the rise of the Oligarchy (or "Iron Heel") in the United States from 1912 to 1932.

The book begins with a fictional introduction written from the perspective of a scholar from 2600 and is interspersed with a series of (often lengthy) footnotes also from the scholar.*

_* Most of the group read the free e-book edition which suffered from some confusing formatting. The footnotes were often interleaved with the main text and it was hard to tell where the footnote ended and the manuscript continued. One member's version used a different font for the footnotes which helped to some extent._

The book was thus written on several levels, with the scholar correcting the author's errors, and elaborating upon the author's incomplete understanding of the situation.*

_* For modern day readers there is an additional layer to enjoy. The novel was written in the early 1900s - before the First World War and during the birth of the communist/leftist movement. At times London's vision is surprisingly accurate._

At 5 o'clock I raced home, reading the final chapters on my phone, dodging recklessly from side to side to avoid cars and pedestrians. I finished the book with moments to spare.


## Chapter Two. The Meeting.

The group met upstairs at the Giraffe Bar and Grill*. Drinks were taken. Food was ordered. The guests were a select group; few in number but with plenty to say.

_* A friendly restaurant on Greek Street that offers good food and drink at reasonable prices._

We started by discussing the lead characters Ernest and Avis. Ernest Everhard was a socialist revolutionary and his wife Avis was the author of the manuscript. Avis was the daughter of an accomplished scientist who was later silenced by the Oligarchy.

Earnest was not a popular man. "Why was Ernest seen as such a perfect husband?" asked one guest. "He was always right. Patronising. Imagine if he came to your dinner party!"

"You'd need a lot of wine," somebody exclaimed. "All he talked about was his ideology and how wonderful he was."

Ernest's behaviour in the early sections of the book was criticised for affecting the pace. It meant there was a very slow start with whole chapters devoted to Ernest's dogma. "It dragged." complained one person. "There were too many speeches" said another.

We liked Avis. She was brave and showed diligence and kindness when investigating the accidents in the factories. "But was she doing it to impress Earnest?" asked one member, "she was a bit of a fan girl... hey, don't write that down!"*

_* Too late. It was written down._

And it was nice to have a female voice in a dystopian novel, even though some felt that the narrative did not project a particularly female (nor male) viewpoint. 

It was hard to get attached to many people in the book but we felt sad for minor characters such as the bishop and Avis's father: the people who bought into the ideas the most also suffered the most.

We picked up on some flaws in the plot. Ernest and Avis "were masters of disguise", able to completely change their appearance (and faces!) to remain undercover. We couldn't quite work out how the lead characters became counter agents, nor understand how the oligarchy controlled the flow of information.

"The book fell down here. How did the socialist network function?" asked a book clubber. Despite printing and publishing being very locked down, conveniently the network was still somehow able to distribute information and organise a rebellion.

After a slow start the plot picked up pace but we felt it moved too quickly by the end. The final chapters were very violent and brutal. Although there was little in a way of a happy ending for the characters we had been following, there was a happy end in the long term.*

_* Through the footnotes it is mentioned that the oligarchy was overthrown, though not how this happened._

The manuscript, by its nature, was very one sided - much was described on the revolutionary side, but very little information was given on the oligarchy. We felt the footnotes could have provided more detail about The Heel and its downfall.

But in a sense the enemy (the oligarchy) was faceless and grew naturally. There was no big bad, no evil mastermind plotting the events. This felt similar to Fahrenheit 451*. Everyone in the world clung to what they knew, and in doing so couldn't see the wider problem or help themselves. 

_* Fahrenheit 451 was read by the book group in July 2012._

_The Iron Heel_ was a book filled with socialist propaganda. The author clearly supported it - but also showed it failing.

## Chapter Three. The End.

As the meeting reached its latter stages, we talked more about the meta elements of the book.

"I enjoyed the layered world. There was a lot of work involved in creating it. The author did a good job."

We would have liked to know more about the time the book was written. How well was Marx known? What story elements were coincidence, prediction or true?

"I struggled to know what was real - and I have a history degree!" said one person.*

_* The same person who said to not write down the fanboy comment._

The manuscript predicted many aspects of society that we have now (or have seen since it was written) - talk of super cities, cities for the sake of it. Dubai. Multinational corporations. War.

Final thoughts: "It was clever but not fun to read." "I feel different looking back on it than when I was reading it."

Finally we gave our votes for the book.* I abused my authority in the proceedings by giving an unbalanced half mark*\* - meaning the final score for _The Iron Heel_ was a slightly awkward 4.625 out of 10.

_* The convention at this club was to give marks out of 10: five for the story and five for the writing style._

_*\* The benevolent dictator of Leeds Book Club did not approve of half marks for arithmetical reasons._

With that we finished our drinks and made plans for the next meeting. I had been instructed to set the date in the new year, but rebellion was in the air. We could overthrow authority! If we wanted an extra meeting before New Year, by God we could have one! Names were placed in a hat. In hushed silence, the next book was drawn. _Brave New World._ Aldous Huxley. We decided on November. And while we were at it, we'd get that _Adults Reading Children's Books Book Club_ started too... The magnitude of the task may be understood when it is taken into*

_* This is the end of the Monkeyson Manuscript. It breaks off abruptly in the middle of a sentence. He must have received a DM from Leeds Book Club asking him to send it in whatever state it was in and get it published. It is to be regretted that he did not have time to compete his narrative, for then, undoubtably, we would have learned how wine he had drunk._

Score:

5/10

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #GiraffeLBC.

Follow @GiraffeTweet for details on the deliciousables and their projects nationwide (which this month include an awesome #GiraffesCantDance giveaway!).

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * Giraffe LBC * * * * *

10 - FEB - Divergent - Veronica Roth 
09 - JAN - Children of Men - P.D. James - GUEST

08 - OCT - High Rise - J.G. Ballard - GUEST
07 - JUL - The Miracle Inspector - Helen Smith - GUEST 
06 - APR - Logan's Run - Book and Film - GUEST
05 - FEB - Watchmen - Comic and Film

04 - NOV - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - GUEST
03 - OCT - The Iron Heel - Jack London - GUEST
02 - AUG - The Running Man - Stephen King
01 - JUL - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - GUEST

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Guest - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents

GiraffeLBC - Fahrenheit 451 - Guest!

#Giraffe LBC

Venue: Giraffe Bar and Grill

Date:  Tuesday 10th of July 2012

Time:  6pm - 8pm

Address: 6 Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5RW

Tel: (0113) 244 1500

Discussing: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Once again, LeedsBookClub are delighted to welcome back #GiraffeLBC book clubber and IRL and twitter friend - @Bolli_Bolshevik!

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” 

Ray Bradbury

As there was no clear ground rules on who wished to be identified with their comments and who preferred their anonymity, I am quoting comments and relating sentiments without reference. Members are welcome to claim their awesomeness as they so desire.

I for one am taking no public responsibility for mine... However I will refer to @LeedsBookClub in her capacity as our illustrious convenor...(LBC - I prefer fearless leader...)

There was opening discussion around broadening the remit of the group to be a club not just a book club. These seemed agreed, and offered a wider range of media for us to revel in.

The group was struck by how theme laden the novel is. Often there is a focus on this novel on the fascistic socio-political themes; however Bradbury himself claimed his focus was more on the media issues. 

The prescience in the late 1950s of Mrs Sontag’s desire for a giant flat screen tv, the advertising hoardings on the Highway… there was some discussion of how 21st century technology has affected us as social creatures. Are we living passively whilst glued to our smartphones, or is it no different from everyone reading the newspaper? 

It was suggested that Bradbury predicted negative impacts yet we are living proof of how the internet offers creativity and many examples of actively positive technological advances.

Several members felt that the impact of the novel is less clear cut on a second read. For me personally, I read it first as a teenager, so my second reading in my 30s was tempered with a less clear cut judgement on its characters. Experience tempers us

and reduces the pleasure of clear and possibly naïve criticism. I felt more empathy for characters I disliked as a teen and less of a kindred spirit with those I had identified with. A few people suggested they would like to not read it again to ensure

they do not learn to dislike the novel all together!

There was fascinating insight from a historical perspective on how few ‘enforcers’ there are in Bradbury’s dystopia, and how this had clear parallels with Nazi Germany in that there were so few secret police as the fear worked the loin share of the

control culture. The uses of public punishment and propaganda allow for a very few to control mass population. A society can acquiesce in a far more subtle manner than we’d like to admit.

The novel seems nationless, it has no cultural markers or border indicators. There was great hope to be found in the narrative. The scholarly tramps, those who used aural traditions to preserve books and others who found means of rebellion offered comfort.

The idea that in any autocratic governance there will be a flicker of dissent was reassuring to Dystopian fans. It was worth mentioning here again that in this novel’s world, books were burned as the will of the people, not a dictatorial solo figure of hate. It is what the masses wanted, they voted for it. The value of learning something by heart as a tradition was discussed with some wishing to attempt this with a work that means something to them. This hope tends to be forgotten in discussions of the Dystopian genre, and how dismissive of its artists critics can be. Dystopian writers are labelled as depressive or nihilistic, yet it is so often the opposite. I was reminded of Bradbury’s quote about relationships:

“If we listened to our intellect we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go in business because we'd be cynical: "It's gonna go wrong." Or "She's going to hurt me." Or,"I've had a couple of bad love affairs, so therefore . . ." Well, that's nonsense. You're going to miss life. You've got to jump off the cliff all the time and build your wings on the way down.”

It was agreed that the story seemed logical however one criticism was the lack of fleshed out characters and the lack of class structure present. The authority was hidden from the reader yet no stratification of society is referenced in any meaningful

way. This struck group members as highly unlikely in a world otherwise so well defined.

People wanted to know what happened if anything actually caught fire, seeing as fire fighters were fire starters… one suggestion was that fires give need to purchase more consumer products ergo have an important function in this world driven by a desire for possessing material goods.

@LeedsBookClub opened up a challenging debate by asking what solutions could be offered to solve the predicament of Bradbury's dystopia. A wide range of views were presented however it was concluded that it was extraordinarily problematic no matter

what path his society might choose. Perhaps this is an indication of just how good Bradbury is, that after over 50 years his society that voted to burn books and devolve their thinking to an unseen directorate, over 50 years later we'd still be totally boned ;)

So instrumental a dystopian work, we easily acknowledged 20th & 21st century works that had homages to Bradbury. Brooker’s Black Mirror series and Equilibrium were discussed however I failed to pay attention as I drifted off thinking wrong thoughts about Christian Bale…

@LeedsBookClub suggested we read Bradbury’s short stories as she felt they were more representative of his talent and that it is odd how this lengthy and possibly less well-crafted novel is what he is remembered for more.

The voting took place, with relatively high scoring all round yet a polarity between those who scored high for narrative technique/low for plot and vice versa.

Random quotes and facts 

– @LeedsBookClub cheats at board games - 100% FACT 

(LBC - Shamefully true. Haven't played any in nearly 20 yrs as a result).

- “When discussing homoerotic allegory, you don’t ‘subtext’ without ‘buttsex’.”

- “Toasters are banned in Cuba”

- “I liked the mechanical dog” 

(*ahem* LBC Bookclubbers can guess which Dr Who fan came up with that one)

* * * * *

Thank you to everyone who attended, those who couldn't make it but were there in spirit, and to Giraffe Bar.

Massive thanks to @LeedsBookClub for letting us cajole her into taking on another club group - masochist as she is.

Should you find this write up dry, or feel it unrepresentative of our meeting, please feel free to write up the next one. Lets face it, you could swallow 100 scrabble tiles and with the aid of strong emetics; regurgitate a better narrative,(LBC - I dispute that last bit!!) so go on, offer your delectable blogability to @LeedsBookClub.

Score:

7/10

Book The Next: 

THE RUNNING MAN

STEPHEN KING

Venue: Giraffe Bar and Grill

Date:  Tuesday 28th of August 2012

Time:  6pm - 8pm

Address: 6 Greek Street, Leeds, LS1 5RW

Tel: (0113) 244 1500

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #GiraffeLBC.

Follow @GiraffeTweet for details on the deliciousables and their projects nationwide (which this month include an awesome #GiraffesCantDance giveaway!).

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * Giraffe LBC * * * * *

10 - FEB - Divergent - Veronica Roth 
09 - JAN - Children of Men - P.D. James - GUEST

08 - OCT - High Rise - J.G. Ballard - GUEST
07 - JUL - The Miracle Inspector - Helen Smith - GUEST 
06 - APR - Logan's Run - Book and Film - GUEST
05 - FEB - Watchmen - Comic and Film

04 - NOV - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - GUEST
03 - OCT - The Iron Heel - Jack London - GUEST
02 - AUG - The Running Man - Stephen King
01 - JUL - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - GUEST

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Guest - Table of Contents

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Full Table of Contents