July Book Of The Month

Thank you, Dystopos. I choose Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn. It is a very quick read, one I finished in less than 2 hours. It is a cautionary tale about free speech and censorship presented in a very clever way. It is both hilarious and chilling.

Book Summary: Ella Minnow Pea lives on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. The island is named for Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal pangram, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", which is spelled out in tiles on a memorial statue to Nollop.

Life on the island is idyllic, until the day a tile from the pangram falls from the statue. The town council sees it as an omen, and bans the use of the letter in words spoken and written. Watch what happens as more letters start to fall and the town council's actions take a dangerous turn toward totalitarianism.

Enjoy!

CC

That sounds like a fun read! Thanks.

OK. It's July and Ella Minnow Pea is the selection. Reviews added to LibraryThing before the end of the month will enter you into competition to select the featured book for September.

Check the Deep South group message board for August's book selection.

July is almost over. There are 22 reviews of Ella Minnow Pea, but none from members of this group, so far as I could tell.

I have invited those reviewers who seem to have any interest at all in southern topics (by other books, tags, location, etc). I guess September's selection is on hold until there's a review from a group member.

PS: August's book is The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O'Connor. Discussion is here:
http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=15477

I read this book a while back. I recall stumbling across it in the library and thought that it sounded interesting. This book made me laugh out loud...and by the end read out loud in order to figure out what was being said. It was entertaing as well as a little frightening.

I think that this book is a great look into censorship. It also highlights just how easy it is to lose freedoms and not even realize what is happening until its too late. For initally you think 'oh losing the letter a, that's not a big deal....but then you start to realize just how often you actually use that letter...then when another letter is lost and another and another....communication gets harder and harder.

Change the letters for people's rights and it gets even more scary....and things like concentration camps spring to mind.

This book was an educational and eye-opening read. It teaches a powerful message in a simple and entertaining way. This is one of those books that has stayed with me long after I read it. I like books that not only entertain me but also make me think...and this one certainly fit the bill.

Hey, guess what, Irisheyz77! You're the winner! You can select the Deep South Book of the Month for September 2007.

Just let us know in the next few days so interested folks can have it on hand before the beginning of the month.

Hey there.....

Oh goodness sorry for talking so long to respond....I don't check my groups as often as I should. I'm also leaving here in a few to go away on vacation and won't have any time to look up books. From my own library I have 1862 by Robert Conroy which is an alternate telling of the Civil War. Would that be an acceptable book?

If not then please feel free to select somthing else.

Again I'm really sorry for not checking this sooner!!

We'll take it!