The Millhopper Book Club meets the first T uesday of each month. When we meet\, we start by sharing books we&rsquo\;v e read recently\, then discuss that month&rsquo\;s book. You do not have t o read the book to attend the meeting. This month we will meet in the Teen Room.
\nIn August\, we'll be discussing Lady Tan&rsquo\;s Circle of Women by Lisa See. "Tan Yunxian&m dash\;born into an elite family\, yet haunted by death\, separations\, and loneliness&mdash\;is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her g randmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China\, and she t eaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine\, the Four Examinations&mda sh\;looking\, listening\, touching\, and asking&mdash\;something a man can never do with a female patient. From a young age\, Yunxian learns about w omen&rsquo\;s illnesses\, many of which relate to childbearing\, alongside a young midwife-in-training\, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose&mdash\;despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it&mdash\ ;and they vow to be forever friends\, sharing in each other&rsquo\;s joys and struggles. \;No mud\, no lotus\, they tell themselves: from advers ity beauty can bloom. But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage\, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the wo men and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife&mdash \;embroider bound-foot slippers\, pluck instruments\, recite poetry\, give birth to sons\, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound\ , the Garden of Fragrant Delights. How might a woman like Yunxian break fr ee of these traditions\, go on to treat women and girls from every level o f society\, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies a re still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship supp ort or complicate these efforts?&rdquo\; Description provided by the p ublisher
\nEvent Contact: Beth Noll\, bnoll@aclib.us
\nhttps ://acld.libnet.info/event/10308855 URL;VALUE=URI:https://acld.libnet.info/event/10308855 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/acld/Millhopper_Book_Club_ Icon.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR