Today is the discussion day for our Read With Us fall book, The Antidote by Karen Russell.
Kym, Carole,
and I are each posting a discussion question or two on our blogs today,
and you are welcome to respond in the comments. I would also encourage
you to reply to others' comments if you choose. This is a book
discussion, after all, so there are no correct answers or right
opinions. I've very much been looking forward to discussing this book. I'll be honest; I found it difficult to read, and after several false starts, I finally finished it. So I think this discussion will be valuable for me, and I hope for others of you as well.
Here is my question: Prairie witches served as "vaults" for pioneers' unpleasant memories. How does this relate to what is happening today in America with the current administration, school districts, and museums removing topics like slavery, treatment of indigenous people, climate change, medical information, and more from websites and curricula?
I'll
be glad to share my thoughts about our questions tonight during our
Zoom discussion. These questions on our blogs and the Zoom discussion
are your chance to express your ideas. So what do you think?
I can't wait to hear your thoughts! (And I'm counting on our discussion
to give me fresh perspectives in my own thinking about this novel.)
The in-person Zoom discussion will be at 7:00 pm Eastern this evening.
If you haven't RSVP'd to Kym already you can send me an email (the
email address is in the upper right) and I will make sure you get an
invitation with the Zoom link. I hope to see you there!
I hadn't thought of this connection, but it's a fascinating one! While I think both are efforts to eliminate things that are uncomfortable, there's a difference between choosing to do it and making the choice for others. Either way, I think it's a mistake. It may seem like a good thing to remove the memory of something that makes you feel bad, but we learn such valuable lessons from our mistakes and our tragedies, and by remembering their impact, we can take steps to ensure they're not repeated.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by the Prairie Witch concept and the idea of forgetting, and the news was filled with examples of how the current administration was erasing many aspects of our history. I think you're right; they are making the choice for the rest of us and that is not a good thing. I agree, we should learn from painful eras like slavery, civil rights, and the lack of women's rights. Ideally, they would not be repeated but I think there are many people not ready for that lesson.
DeleteGreat question Bonny. Like Sarah, I had not thought of this connection of losing or eliminating things. Although at times I feel like a vault would be beneficial "these" days, I too think it would be a mistake to forget what is happening. We need to remember so that we prevent things from recurring. See you tonight!
ReplyDeleteI would also welcome the idea of Vaults these days! It would be much nicer to be able to "forget" what is happening. The situation in Venezuela shows that many have forgotten what happens when we invade other countries and remove leaders. If only remembering brought about learning from our errors!
DeleteAt first I thought of the Prairie witch as a sort of confessor, but she just takes the memory away, so there is no reparation, change, or growth in the person who deposited the memory.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point, Debbie. The people depositing their memories just feel better, but I don't think they learn anything.
DeleteThis connection DID occur to me, maybe because I sit down at this computer daily next to the Equal Justice Initiative Calendar, which is primarily a vault (of a different sort) of inconvenient and uncomfortable truth. In the story, the function of the Vaults could be twisted to protect evil-doers. It sounds kind of nice to be able to forget some painful memory. But (just like in life) denying the truth of what has happened was a tool in the hands of selfish and evil people.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone needs a calendar like that to remind them of inconvenient and uncomfortable truths. I know I do could use one and will be taking a look. To be honest, I would have enjoyed a whole book about Vaults to delve into their history more, but that was not what this book was about.
DeleteI didn't think of that connection but I can see it. The characters had the option of giving their memories to the Vault. I guess I was maybe surprised that people wanted to get them back.
ReplyDelete