"Sag Harbor": Chapters Seven and Eight

The ending of this book seemed to signify the end of Benji’s childhood to me.   In mention of his sister, Elena, we are reminded of the distinct difference of high school and college aged people.  What do you think of as the main differences between these two age groups?  Why is the disparity between the two so acute?

The idea of replacement is also presented.  Benji speaks of how his group of friends replaced Elena’s and now his group was being replaced by younger children. I’ve thought of this idea before as well, especially when I go back to my high school or college to witness something I once took part in.  I have such fond memories of the activities in which I was involved, but I look at the people who have replaced me, knowing their experience is different but hoping they love it as closely as I did. Has anyone experience similar feelings?

Benji also realizes in this last portion of the book that the love of his life is the beach house he grew up in and “what [he] put in it,” (p. 251) rather than any of the girls he pines after.  He knows every detail of the house down to the creaks and door knobs.  He expresses, “I could be the real me because this is where I lived, free from what happened and who I came to be. No matter what people saw when they looked at me, there was this man inside,” (p. 251).  To me, this is his own poignant way of realizing that he is no longer a child. Did any of the rest of you take note of this passage? If so, what were your thoughts on it?

It’s funny how places (especially houses) can help you to see how far you’ve come in life.  I think of Miranda Lambert’s song The House That Built Me, and know that I can’t be alone in thinking this.  Benji describes some very good memories of his time in this house (and seemingly better times in his family).  What is it about a sense of place and memories of our childhoods that evoke such tender memories of being a child?  Is there a place in your own past that has touched you in ways that Sag Harbor touched Benji?

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this book.  Because we are at a busy point in the semester, we are going to take the month of November off from the Book Club.  We thought reconvening in December would be appropriate since the academic reading load will be less.  Please check back next week for a list of choices for the December read as well as a brief synopsis for each choice. We will set the voting period to end Wed. November 24 so we can allow time for everyone to get a copy of the selected book and begin reading Nov. 29 (the beginning of the first incomplete week of December).

Ellen

"Sag Harbor": Chapters Five and Six

These two chapters definitely give us a deeper look into Benji’s coming of age.   I think we see this through the turn from Coke to beer and rough housing with the boys to chasing the girls.  He seems to mention his brother Reggie less and less.

Another thing I saw in these chapters was a deeper glimpse into Benji’s family life. The discussion of The Cosby Show was particularly memorable to me.   It is interesting how his family is like the Cosby’s in the job and material sense, but so unlike the Cosby’s in the relational sense.  We can really sense the fear and disrespect Benji has of his father.  His descriptions of the sounds of the liquor cabinet are so vivid – I sense that those are probably some of the strongest memories he has of his father.

I think it’s also very poignant that Benji can see himself in his mother.  He mentions that his mother never defended or protected herself or her children and likewise, Benji admits to never defending or protecting her, but rather just sitting quietly and watching TV (p. 190).  In what other ways does Benji’s father affect Benji and his family?  In the same line of thought, what is Benji’s father’s role in his coming of age?   

It seems to me, this whole family is all about appearances.  The parents have high-paying jobs, the family wears nice clothes, has a house in Sag Harbor, and hosts barbeques all while at the same time the father is verbally abusive, seemingly alcoholic, the mother is silent, and the boys are raising themselves.  What is it about Sag Harbor that keeps this family coming back? Or perhaps, is Sag Harbor the only thing holding it together?

Ellen

"Sag Harbor": Chapters Three and Four

I felt like a got a true sense of what it must be like to be a male teenager in reading these two chapters.   All of the crazy antics – the BB guns, the fighting, the gluttonous eating of ice cream…whew!  I feel more and more thankful that I grew up a girl whose craziest antics involved slumber parties and homemade “Crocodile Hunter” videos.  Does Benji fit into the typical 1980s adolescent stereotype? If so, how does he fit into it? If not, how dopes he differ?

I think these chapters also gave us more of a glimpse of the surrounding environmental elements of Benji’s life as well.  The idea presented of “safety on these shores” (p. 79) is demonstrated through Benji and Reggie staying in their house all alone for the majority of the summer. Benji walks to work and thinks nothing of it, other than which path he wants to take.  I think so many times, our perception of safety does not always reflect reality.  

I enjoy the use of symbolism (more specifically, Benji’s symbols) in this book.  One of the stories is about how the minnows in the water mean that you’ve crossed over to the public beach (p. 81).  There’s also the aforementioned “Rock” which served as the racial barrier on the beach (p. 36). I think many of us think in symbolic terms but don’t always voice them.  Would you agree? Disagree?  

The other idea that starts to present itself more evidently is that of black stereotyping.  There’s mention of Nick’s gold chain being “street” (p. 87), walking down the street with a watermelon (p. 88), and surprise that young black boys could be left in a store unattended (p. 90).  To me, it seems that Benji  doesn’t take these things too seriously, yet we see that his father obviously does (p. 135).  What were your thoughts on all of the stereotypes Benji presented? 

I want us to think more about how Benji’s life is a paradox : “black boys with beach house” (p. 57), as he states.  How is this community a paradox? And how does the fact that Benji lives in two worlds (his school world and his summer world) contribute to this identity development?

So far, I’ve been pretty entertained by this glimpse into Benji’s world. What about you? Are you enjoying the book?

Ellen

"Sag Harbor": Chapters One and Two

The nostalgia presented in this novel so far is overwhelming, and I love it!  The early pages took me back to my own family road trips, crammed into the backseat with both my brother and my sister.  While we never ventured up to the Hamptons (it was mostly south Mississippi for us),  I can definitely empathize with getting out of bed and trying not to really wake up so I could sleep through some of the long trip.  I loved the way Benji described how he and his brother, Reggie, were joined at “the spot on yourself where you meet the world.”  I thought that was such a poignant description, especially given the ages they were during the beginning of this novel.

To me, the most salient pieces of this novel so far have been the discussions of race.  While Benji seems to have a great sense of humor revolving around such a heavy topic, you can still read through to sincerity, truth, and real emotion.   I thought the inclusion of the song lyrics from the Carpenters in opposition to a song played on the black top 40 was a great introduction into the types of messages communicated.  I think there is an interesting juxtaposition between Benji’s family having a high socio-economic status and his father’s feelings of identity with the black power movement (p. 15).  Of course in reading further, we do see that Benji is also aware of this “paradox” (p. 57).

Another telling example of race relations was Benji’s mention of The Rock (p. 36) which served as delineation between the white and black people on the beach.  Once again, a very poignant example of symbols that segregates.  What examples can you think of that serve as Rocks in today’s age?  I immediately start to think of neighborhoods and schools.

The other piece that has stood out to me in the readings so far has been the allusion to Benji’s coming of age.  Obviously, his hormones are raging, but several other examples, such as his decision to start going by Ben rather than Benji (p. 32).  You can see that he’s also starting to look at the world more critically in his recognition that “everybody was faking it” (p. 66) when seeing his friends fumble through a handshake.  I can only speak assuredly for myself, but didn’t we all go through middle school and early high school “faking it?”  Trying desperately to align ourselves with what everyone else was doing, or with what we thought we should be doing, for fear of being an outlier and easy target. 

So far, I find this novel to be very telling, very honest, and also entertaining.  I love all the pop culture references and the almost stream of consciousness-type writing style.  What do you all think so far?

Ellen

"Sag Harbor" Voted as October Book Selection!

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead will be our read during the month of October. 

Check out this brief synopsis from amazon.com:

The year is 1985 and 15-year-old Benji Cooper, one of the only black students at his elite Manhattan private school, leaves the city to spend three largely unsupervised months living with his younger brother Reggie in an enclave of Long Island's Sag Harbor, the summer home to many African American urban professionals. Benji's a Converse-wearing, Smiths-loving, Dungeons & Dragons-playing nerd whose favorite Star Wars character is the hapless bounty hunter Greedo (rather than the double-crossing Lando Calrissian). But Sag Harbor is a coming-of-age novel whose plot side-steps life-changing events writ large. The book's leisurely eight chapters mostly concern Benji's first kiss, the removal of braces, BB gun battles, slinging insults (largely unprintable "grammatical acrobatics") with his friends, and working his first summer job. And Whitehead crafts a wonderful set piece describing Benji's days at Jonni Waffle Ice Cream, where he is shrouded in "waffle musk" and a dirty T-shirt that's "soiled, covered with batter and befudged from a sundae mishap."

The following is the reading schedule I will will be following:

Oct. 1- 8: Chapters 1 and 2
Oct. 9 - 15: Chapters 3 and 4
Oct. 16 - 22: Chapters 5 and 6
Oct. 23 - 29: Chapters 7 and 8

Happy Reading!