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Book of the Month |
2001-11-23 |
White Teeth This month, the Ladies World Domination Reading Society will read and discuss Zadie Smith's White Teeth, a debut novel that "takes on race, sex, class, history, and the minefield of gender politics, [with a] wit and inventiveness that [make] these weighty subjects seem effortlessly light."
The LWDRS was created by and for hip, sassy, brainy chicks who want to read and discuss relevant literature. To be part of this group, you must be prepared to THINK and COMMUNICATE like an intelligent woman. You can be added to the group by invitation only, so if you're interested, let one of us know and we'll see if you're up to snuff. We reserve the right to dismiss any member who continually disrespects the group (i.e., doesn't ever read the books, doesn't ever join in the discussion, etc... flagrant abuse!). Each month, a different member will get to choose the Book of the Month. This will happen on a rotating basis. The discussion of White Teeth will begin in July on the Reading_Frenzy message board. Direct any questions or concerns to the_shivers or me. If you would like to join the group, please do so on the Reading_Frenzy site and you will be contacted. _________________
Zadie Smith’s dazzling debut caught critics grasping for comparisons and deciding on everyone from Charles Dickens to Salman Rushdie to John Irving and Martin Amis. But the truth is that Zadie Smith’s voice is remarkably, fluently, and altogether wonderfully her own.
At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation. A second marriage to Clara Bowden, a beautiful, albeit tooth-challenged, Jamaican half his age, quite literally gives Archie a second lease on life, and produces Irie, a knowing child whose personality doesn’t quite match her name (Jamaican for "no problem"). Samad’s late-in-life arranged marriage (he had to wait for his bride to be born), produces twin sons whose separate paths confound Iqbal’s every effort to direct them, and a renewed, if selective, submission to his Islamic faith. Set against London’s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.
As always, please remember to support your local bookstore!
Other Books of the Month:
God's Snake
The Alphabet versus the Goddess
Alias Grace
The Shark Dialogues
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reading: White Teeth
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