Only five of seven were able to attend, but it was a very successful gathering. Everyone liked the book and the restaurant got one of the highest ratings. The conversation focused initially mainly on golf, its technicalities, rules, and, management.
The book was mostly praised for its masterful story telling about the massive 20th century migration of African Americans from Jim Crow southern states to the north and west. It seems that many migrants were happy to get away from southern oppression but discovered that major discrimination existed in the rest of the country, too. Some of us thought that the book could have benefited from closer editing because it was overly long and repetitive.
Turning the conversation back to politics, the group divided sharply on the Minnesota constitutional amendment this fall that would require a voter ID. Some argued it was needed to prevent voter fraud, while others said there was little evidence of fraud and it would simply disenfranchise many of the same poor and black citizens who had migrated from the south.
We agreed to meet next time on Tuesday, September 18 at 6:30 pm. The next book is Eric Larson's Garden of the Beasts. Other books considered were: Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science (Holmes); Destiny of the Republic: Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President (Millard); and American Prometheus: Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Bird & Sherwin). Don suggests the next book.
