"Rollback" by Robert Sawyer

  This is The Old Post Office- a branch of 'Idea Exchange', which is the name of our public library system.
  This building 's purpose:
"This will be a building with innovative technology programs for children, teens, parents and seniors.  A true community gathering place for discovery and lifelong learning" (Gary Price, board chair).

    In other words, a bookless library.  While I struggle with this concept, it was the perfect place to celebrate the Preston library book club's 7th anniversary.  
   We had a tour of the building and then a discussion of the book "Rollback" by Robert Sawyer.  The book was our first science fiction, and it was not a hit with the book club.  We felt that the characters were not clearly developed and the writing was not great.  Many parts were very unrealistic, but it is science fiction and not meant to be completely realistic, I expect.
  However, it was a great place for a photo.  This was part of the tour and not everyone is in this picture.

A special treat for me was the fact that our granddaughter from Toronto joined us for this special 7 year anniversary of the book club.  She even read the book!

Joni and Ken: an untold love story

 
   This certainly is an extraordinary love story, since Joni Eareckson is a quadriplegic.   I have just posted a couple of blogs about Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, who was also a quadriplegic.  It was interesting to go from one book to another.
  I have had two women in my life that had ALS and I have always realized how fortunate I am to be able to roll over in bed.  Imagine not being able to do so.  Both Joni and Philippe lived in that situation, depending on other people for everything, absolutely everything!


   Well, Joni has written many books about how her faith has been important in her life, after breaking her neck in a diving accident as a teenager.  This book has a wonderful twist, in that she found a great life partner.  But it also makes it clear that a loving, caring husband does not necessarily make the path easier.  There are complications in relationships and certainly there were immense challenges in this love story.
  Joni was really a celebrity when Ken fell in love with her and the love he had for her may have caused him to underestimate the challenges of a marriage to a quadriplegic.  Even though she was paralyzed, she had chronic pain and needed constant attention.  Add to that a bout with cancer and a broken leg.
  Although Ken wanted to take on much of her care, he struggled to keep his teaching and coaching jobs as well.  Eventually, Joni and Ken drifted apart emotionally.  Much of this book tells how they were able to develop a deeper faith and unite in their purpose and faith in God.  They have been married over 35 years.
   A very inspiring story.

"A Second Wind" by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo

   

Philippe Pozzo di Borgo

 First I saw the movie "The Upside", the story of Philippe, a quadriplegic, and Abdel, his caretaker.  Then I read the book of the same name, written by Abdel Sellou.  But I still wanted to hear from Philippe, himself. 
   I discovered that Philippe had written a book in 2001 called "A Second Wind".  So I was able to get an inter-library loan, in order to get Philippe's side of the story.
 

  
     It is a story of great physical struggles.  Not only did Philippe become a quadriplegic at 42, but his wife was dying of cancer.  She was sick for 17 years.
   They had also had great struggles with starting a family.  Beatrice (Philippe's wife) had had many miscarriages as well as giving birth to a dead baby.  They finally adopted two children.  This is the real cover when the book was first published.
  
 

  

   But...this is the cover now.  What a disappointment.
 Even though this autobiography of Philippe was written eighteen year ago, the cover has been replaced with one from the movie.  Actors on the cover of a real autobiography!


 
    I was very interested in hearing from Philippe himself.  The movie focussed on the relationship between Philippe and Abdul that lasted for ten years. However, "A Second Wind" covers  much more of Philippe's life.
   This is the way Philippe describes Abdul: "He was unbearable, vain, proud, brutal, inconsistent, human.  Without him, I would have rotted to death.  Abdel looked after me without fail, as if I was a babe in arms.  Attentive to the smallest detail, close to me when I was miles away from myself, he set me free when I was a prisoner, protected me when I was weak, made me laugh when I cried.  He was my guardian devil."
   This aspect of the 'guardian devil' is a big part of the movie, as Abdel does many irregular and even illegal acts in order to bring Philippe out of his depression after his wife died.
    I have discovered that Philippe wrote another book to follow "A Second Wind".  The follow-up is called "The Guardian Devil", but I have not attempted to search that one out.  I think I have exhausted my interest in this story, fascinating tho' it be!

"The Upside" by Abdel Sellou

   This is the true story of Abdel Sellou, a Muslim, born in Algeria in 1975. At age four, he was taken to Paris to be raised by an aunt and uncle, along with his brother. The sister stayed with her parents.

   Abdul began shoplifting as a child, was a fighter on the playground, continued a life of crime, and ended up in jail.
 When he got out of prison, he ended up with a job as caretaker for Philippe, a very wealthy quadriplegic.

  The cover of the book is from the movie, which I have seen.  Here are the real characters and the movie characters.

   This is the real Abdel Sellou, who wrote this book.

  

 This is Kevin Hart, the actor who played the role of Abdel.  

    

This is Bryan Cranston, the actor, who played the role of the wealthy paraphlegic.

   

  This is the real Philippe Pozzo Di Borgo, who wanted the comedic aspects of the story brought out, to make people laugh, rather than pity him.

  There were many comedic and touching moments as these two men from two very different worlds, came together.    Philippe came from a long line of aristocrats, had the best education and talked intelligently.  AND he had a great sense of humour.  He called Abdel "his guardian demon".  Abdel had come from a life of crime, but they developed a friendship that changed both of them.

  The movie does not finish the story, but the book tells that Abdel worked for Philippe for ten years, and now he lives back in Algeria with a wife and children, running a chicken farm.

  Philippe has married and lives in Morocco, and the two men still keep in touch.

  Check out this great photo.  Philippe had become a paraphelic because of a paragliding accident, but Abdel had him back in the sky. ( the real men on the left, the actors on the right).

Lawrence Hill

   The first book I read that was written by Lawrence Hill was "The Book of Negroes".  It was the book chosen for "One Book, One Community" in 2009.  I loved it!  It also won Canada Reads that year.  It is a marvellous book.
  Then I read "The Illegal" which is also written by Lawrence Hill and was also chosen for Canada Reads in 2016.  You can read my disappointment in that book here.
   And now "Any Known Blood" is our book club choice and it is another disappointment for me.  There is much to admire in this book - lots of history of the blacks, especially in Oakville, Ontario.  And interesting characters- an important ingredient.  But the method of storytelling is not easy to follow..
   The novel covers five generations of "Langston Canes".  If only he had written the book chronologically!  I would have loved it.  But he moved back and forth between the generations and characters through the whole book, making it quite confusing.  And the book could have been edited.  It did not need to be 512 pages.