May's Group Read: The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor

From goodreads..

On the eve of the Great Depression, Verna Krone, the child of Irish immigrants, must leave the eighth grade and begin working as a maid to help support her family. Her employer takes inappropriate liberties, and as Verna matures, it seems as if each man she meets is worse than the last. Through sheer force of will and a few chance encounters, she manages to teach herself to read and becomes a nurse. But Verna’s new life falls to pieces when she is arrested for assisting a black doctor with "illegal surgeries." As the media firestorm rages, Verna reflects on her life while awaiting trial.

 

Based on the life of the author’s own grandmother and written after almost three hundred interviews with those involved in the real-life scandal, The Blue Orchard is as elegant and moving as it is exact and convincing. It is a dazzling portrayal of the changes America underwent in the first fifty years of the twentieth century. Readers will be swept into a time period that in many ways mirrors our own. Verna Krone’s story is ultimately a story of the indomitable nature of the human spirit—and a reminder that determination and self-education can defy the deforming pressures that keep women and other disenfranchised groups down.

I am really excited to read this one! I believe I shall be starting tonight!

Discussions for The Blue Orchard will be:

Discussion 1 (Prologue through chapter 24) pg. 96 – May 6th

Discussion 2 (chapter 25 through Book Two’s Chapter 18) pg. 192 – May 13th

Discussion 3 (book two chapter 19 through book three chapter 15) pg. 290 – May  20th

Discussion 4 (book three chapter 15 through the end) – May 27th

If you would like to guest post one of our discussions this month I would really appreciate it! The little darling's due date is May 18th so it may get a little dicey if I go into labor early/before I finish the book! If you would like to, all I ask is that you leave a comment here and if I don't have your email, leave that here as well.  I would need your post at least by the Wednesday before the Friday we are to discuss it.  That way, if I do go into labor/have a baby I will have plenty of time to get it posted, hopefully.

Happy Reading! Who plans on joining us this month?